Mandatory riparian buffers sought by Gov. Jay Inslee could take up more than 11,000 acres of farmland in Skagit County and nearly 5,000 acres in Lewis County, according to the Washington State Department of Agriculture.

While legislators attempted to lower expectations for the forthcoming short session, the lengthy list of emerging legislative proposals suggests the 2022 session will once again be fast-paced and filled with robust policy discussions.

The highly contagious omicron variant of COVID-19 has upended what was supposed to be a mostly in-person start to the 60-day session, at least in the House of Representatives.

OLYMPIA, Wash. — Washington lawmakers adjourned their legislative session Sunday after giving final approval to a two-year state budget, a new capital gains tax and a low-carbon fuel standard. As was the case for the entirety of the 105-day session, just a handful of lawmakers were in the Senate and House for the last day, under remote rules established for the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Democratic leaders in each chamber noted the pandemic’s impact, not just on their workplace with a new focus on remote testimony and voting, but on the details within the spending plan.

Andy Billig: “I counted once and found there were 37 places that a bill could die along the legislative process, but really no place where it can get a direct route to becoming a law..."

SB 5126 passed out of the Senate Ways and Means Committee last night, bringing one of the legislature’s most ambitious pieces of climate legislation ever considered one step closer to enactment. The bill creates a system referred to as “cap and invest” where funds generated from auctioning the rights or licenses to create carbon emissions will be invested into capital infrastructure. In the case of the current bill, this would equal between $272m and $551m per year dedicated to transportation infrastructure starting in FY 2023.

The focus of the Legislature has shifted from approving bills on the floor of the House and Senate to meeting in committees, holding public hearings and voting on bills that the opposite chamber approved. Bills need to pass out of their respective policy committees by March 26 to continue to advance through the legislative process.

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Agricultural workers in Washington state would become eligible for overtime pay under a bill moving through the Legislature in Olympia.

Pandemic relief, climate change, taxes and more — here’s what we’re watching halfway into the session.

This week is the second week in a two week stretch of floor action in the House and Senate.

A bill to make it easier for Washington ranchers to get their meat directly to consumers unanimously passed the state Senate this week. The bill would create a state-run meat and poultry inspection program with requirements equal to those of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Monday, Feb. 22, was the second legislative deadline, when all bills must have been voted out of their respective fiscal committees to remain “alive.” Since then, the Legislature has mostly ceased committee action and is focused on floor action for the time being, which entails the entire chamber (either the House of Representatives or the Senate) considering and voting on bills. Once a bill passes out of its original chamber, it moves to the other chamber, and the entire committee process repeats.

The Senate unanimously passed 12th District Senator Brad Hawkins Senate Bill 5158, legislation to implement the Electric Utilities Wildland Fire Prevention Task Force recommendations for wildfire prevention.

To hear about what key players in Washington’s broad environmental coalition would like to see prioritized in budget proposals, I spoke to Adam Maxwell, Campaigns Manager for the Washington Audubon Society, a group focused on conserving natural ecosystems and building healthy communities.

Wealth tax, capital gains tax, payroll tax — what’s the difference? We break it down.

With the pandemic forcing lawmakers to meet remotely, it’s never been easier to make your voice heard right from home.