WASHINGTON STATE LEGISLATIVE SESSION COMMENCES

Monday marked the first day of the 2025 Washington State legislative session. The 105-day session is scheduled to end on April 27, 2025. Lawmakers will confront a budget shortfall and other policy issues. Heading into the session, the legislature will focus on the $10 billion to $12 billion dollar budget gap. Democratic leaders say new or higher taxes will likely need to be part of the fix. Republicans say the state has a spending problem and tax hikes are not the answer. Governor Bob Ferguson posted his budget framework which calls for 6% cuts at most state agencies and only covers a portion of the shortfall.