Latest Washington state government News

Inslee seeks abortion rights amendment to state constitution
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said he will push for a state constitutional amendment to protect abortion rights within his state's borders, as well as laws that will make it difficult for other states to investigate whether their own residents have visited Washington for...

Democrats vow to help women who must travel for abortions
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Democratic leaders across the nation vowed Friday to help women who travel to seek abortions and to shield patients and medical professionals from being pursued by authorities in states where the procedure becomes outlawed after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade....
WA, OR leaders skeptical about pausing gas taxes
SEATTLE (AP) — President Joe Biden on Wednesday urged Congress to suspend federal gasoline and diesel taxes for three months and urged states to do the same at the local level. But both the Democratic governors of Washington and Oregon indicated they were unlikely to pursue a...
Ferguson: Supreme Court decision won't hurt Hanford workers
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — While the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled against a 2018 state law that protected workers at a former nuclear weapons production site, Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson said an updated law passed earlier this year remains in place. That means...
Washington prepares for more patients seeking abortion
SEATTLE (AP) — While the nation waits for the Supreme Court’s opinion on a blockbuster abortion case that could overturn Roe v. Wade, Planned Parenthood of Washington is getting ready for an increase in out-of-state patients seeking an abortion. “We are already seeing patients...
Attorney General seeks to require sheriff to post $10K bail
SEATTLE (AP) — The Washington state Attorney General’s office is seeking to require Pierce County Sheriff Ed Troyer to post bail of $10,000 as a condition of continued release as he awaits trial on charges of false reporting. The motion filed Friday seeks to revoke Troyer’s...

Inslee calls on WA insurance commissioner to resign
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee is now among a growing number of people saying elected Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler should resign. The calls for the 78-year-old, six-term Democrat, to step down come after the Northwest News Network reported Wednesday...
Vandals hit Olympia office of Republican state lawmaker
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — The office of a Republican Washington state lawmaker was vandalized by two people who smashed a window before tossing a lit flare inside, which police said may have been a diversion for an antique shop burglary that happened shortly after. House Republican...

Vulnerable Dems run against Washington — and their party
NEW YORK (AP) — Just like endangered Democrats in other states, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto is running against Washington. The Nevada Democrat, nearing the end of her first six-year term, ignores the fact that her party controls both chambers of Congress and the White House as she...
Butter clams cause shellfish poisoning in WA resident
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Health officials in Washington state say they have confirmed a case of shellfish poisoning in a person who ate butter clams that were recreationally harvested in Island County. The paralytic shellfish poisoning illness was found in a Snohomish County resident...
