SB 5576 would levy a 4% tax on short-term rentals to fund affordable housing efforts if approved. The bill originally called for a 6% tax but that was changed after short-term rental operators told lawmakers how the tax could impact them. 

In 2021, an informal study by the state’s Dementia Action Collaborative found there were about 237 assisted living facilities in Washington that advertised memory care or specialized dementia care, but their services varied.

Drought impacts in the Yakima Basin have far-reaching effects for the rest of the state. The region’s agricultural economy generates $4.5 billion each year, producing 71% of the nation’s hops, 63% of apples, 62% of cherries, and significant portions of other crops like pears, raspberries, blueberries, and asparagus, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. 

The funding comes from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grants program as well as state funds. Grant recipients must provide matching funds equal to 33% of the award. 

Staff with the state’s Utilities & Transportation Commission say a Pasco landscaping company transported and disposed of solid waste, including construction materials, without state-required certification in September and October 2024. 

In Washington state, 14 farms in Benton, Franklin, Yakima and Walla Walla counties participated in LFPA while Rowley & Hawkins Fruit Farm in Mesa, Royal Ranch outside of Royal City and The Herd ranch outside Ritzville participated in LFS as recently as the 2023-24 school year.

The included funding would pay for a new performing arts building on the Pasco campus along with providing funding for the college’s second student housing facility.

The announcement comes after years of complaints from members of the Ḱamíłpa Band of the Yakama Nation about the agency’s commercial program. Gifford Pinchot is the only national forest that allows large-scale commercial harvest of huckleberries, which are a traditional food for the Yakama Nation and other Pacific Northwest Indigenous peoples.

Washington’s wealthiest individuals, largest corporations and biggest banks are prime targets. Homeowners, vapers and self-storage unit renters are among those who could share in the burden. Possible tweaks to expand the state’s capital gains tax could also be in play.