Though a bill to prevent this garnered bipartisan support and made headway in both chambers of the state Legislature, it ultimately did not get a House floor vote before this year’s session ended.

As it stands, data center operators in most Washington counties do not pay the 6.5% sales tax on server equipment. That equipment is typically replaced every three to five years, and current law exempts sales tax on purchasing new or replacing old server equipment. It also doesn’t apply sales tax to labor hired to install the equipment. 

Big technology companies scored a win in Olympia on March 2, as a sweeping bill to regulate data centers lapsed in the Washington state Legislature.

Washington state Senate lawmakers passed a bill on Tuesday afternoon that would increase tuition scholarships for students attending private colleges.

With data centers expected to become the largest source of electricity demand in the Pacific Northwest, Washington legislators are pressing ahead with a bill aimed at protecting the grid and offsetting potential hikes for utility ratepayers. 

After more than a decade of failed attempts, supporters of amending Washington state law to allow for homegrown marijuana are growing frustrated, but not giving up.