Turns out not every feel-good policy survives contact with basic math, parental rights, or common sense.

Olympia’s Legislative Graveyard: When “Bold Ideas” Meet Reality

Last week in Olympia, several Democrat-backed proposals quietly shuffled off the legislative stage after running into resistance from industries, families, and, in some cases, constitutional concerns.

Leading the parade of stalled ideas was House Bill 2611, which aimed to push Washington toward a 32-hour workweek. While Democrats pitched it as a modern workplace reform, farmers and hospitality businesses pointed out the obvious: paying overtime after just 32 hours would crush already thin margins. Shockingly, reality won.

Another casualty was Senate Bill 6261, which would have lowered the homeschooling registration age from eight to six. Supporters claimed it was about collecting better education data, while parents saw it as yet another attempt by the state to micromanage family decisions. Lawmakers apparently decided picking fights with parents over when kids start formal schooling wasn’t a winning strategy.

Democrats also struggled to regulate teen internet use. Senate Bill 6111 would have required parental permission for minors to open social media accounts. But after tech companies raised free speech concerns — and likely reminded lawmakers that regulating the internet is slightly more complicated than drafting a press release — the bill stalled.

On food access, Democrats found limited success. House Bill 2294, designed to make it easier to open grocery stores in underserved areas, survived. However, more heavy-handed ideas like government-run grocery stores and special tax carveouts quietly expired, suggesting even Olympia has limits on how far it wants to venture into running the produce aisle.

Meanwhile, House Bill 2648 — which would have barred police departments from hiring former ICE agents — fizzled before the deadline. The proposal was framed as a response to federal immigration enforcement but failed to gain enough traction to move forward.

Not every failure belonged to Democrats. Republicans attempted to require Senate confirmation of gubernatorial Supreme Court appointments to add oversight to the process, but the proposal never received a hearing. Likewise, a Democrat-backed effort to expand tribal representation on the Fish and Wildlife Commission also fell short, though supporters promise another try next year.

In the end, the week served as a reminder that while Olympia lawmakers can introduce plenty of ambitious — and occasionally eyebrow-raising — ideas, not all of them survive once stakeholders, voters, and constitutional guardrails weigh in. Read more Seattle Red.

Tax, Spend, Repeat… Then Wonder Why Businesses Are Packing Boxes

Mounting tax hikes and the looming threat of a statewide income tax are already pushing Washington business owners toward the exit, according to conversations with multiple small business operators who say the state is becoming too unpredictable — and too expensive — to remain viable.

Over the past six months, business owners have reportedly expressed growing alarm about Olympia’s aggressive push for new taxes. Even the discussion of policies like the income tax has shaken confidence, with many entrepreneurs now developing plans to relocate within the next year or two. For businesses already operating on razor-thin margins thanks to Washington’s existing tax structure, owners warn that another major tax would simply be the final blow.

And it’s not just small businesses feeling the pressure. The mere threat of a wealth tax proposal last year reportedly caused larger companies to reconsider their long-term presence in the state. Recent tech layoffs are being viewed by some as early signs that major employers are hedging against Washington’s uncertain and increasingly expensive business climate.

Business owners say the instability is just as damaging as the taxes themselves. Many are reluctant to invest, hire, or expand operations when lawmakers appear ready to roll out new revenue schemes every legislative cycle. Industries like retail and hospitality — where profit margins are already notoriously tight — are especially vulnerable to sudden tax increases that can wipe out profitability overnight.

Critics also argue that Olympia’s tax strategy relies on a flawed assumption: that high earners and business owners will simply stay put and pay up. Instead, they warn that new taxes often create short-term revenue spikes followed by declining collections as wealthy residents and employers relocate to more business-friendly states.

The state’s capital gains tax is cited as a cautionary tale. Supporters touted it as a reliable new funding source, but critics say revenue projections fell dramatically short — allegedly by more than $1 billion — as high-income taxpayers adjusted their financial strategies or left Washington altogether. Opponents argue that when those taxpayers leave, the state doesn’t just lose one tax stream; it loses job creation, consumer spending, and the broader economic activity that fuels sales tax, B&O tax, and licensing revenue.

The broader warning to lawmakers is that income and wealth taxes aren’t minor policy tweaks — they represent major structural changes that could drive out the very job creators Washington relies on to fund government programs. Critics urge legislators to ditch the partisan messaging, resist pressure from party leadership, and instead focus on policies that stabilize the business environment and encourage economic growth.

Because, as frustrated business owners are increasingly signaling, the fastest way to boost tax revenue isn’t inventing new taxes — it’s making sure the taxpayers don’t leave in the first place. Read more at the Washington Policy Center.

Olympia’s Latest Brainwave: Tax Big Tech… to Bail Out Friendly Newsrooms

Washington Democrats are once again reaching for the tax lever — this time targeting social media platforms and search engines to bankroll journalism grants through Senate Bill 5400. The proposal would slap a 1.22% “local journalism investment surcharge” on select tech companies, with the revenue funneled through the Department of Commerce to subsidize news outlets that meet state-approved criteria.

Unsurprisingly, several legacy media organizations showed up cheering for the bill, seeing it as a taxpayer-funded lifeline for struggling newsroom budgets. Leaders from outlets like The Seattle Times and The Daily Herald argued the surcharge is a small price for tech companies to pay, claiming platforms have profited from news content while traditional journalism has shrunk under economic pressure.

Critics, however, say the proposal is less about saving journalism and more about government picking winners and losers in the media landscape. Tech industry advocates warned the bill rests on the shaky assumption that social media companies alone caused the decline of local news — and therefore should be forced to finance its revival. Opponents also cautioned that targeting a handful of companies with a special tax could invite constitutional and legal challenges, pointing to similar legislation in Maryland that is already tied up in court and could cost taxpayers refunds if struck down.

Supporters insist the funding could help smaller newsrooms survive, arguing that local newspapers remain essential for government accountability and community awareness. But critics counter that having the government tax one industry to subsidize another raises uncomfortable questions about independence, fairness, and whether state-funded journalism could eventually come with political strings attached.

For now, the bill sits in limbo with no further action scheduled — but it offers a familiar glimpse into Olympia’s governing philosophy: when an industry struggles, Democrats increasingly look for another industry to tax in hopes of fixing it. Read more at Center Square.

Democrats’ “Democracy Protection” Plan: Make Sure Voters Can’t Use It

In an op-ed, State Sen. Jeff Wilson, R-Longview, blasts Senate Bill 5973 as a thinly disguised attempt by Democrats to cripple Washington’s initiative process under the pretense of preventing fraud — fraud he says doesn’t meaningfully exist.

Wilson recounts attending a January committee hearing where labor union representatives argued that paying signature gatherers per signature encourages forgery. But when Wilson pressed for evidence of widespread fraud in Washington initiative campaigns over the past 13 years, he says union officials couldn’t provide a single example — and still haven’t. Wilson argues that lack of evidence exposes SB 5973 as a solution searching desperately for a problem.

According to Wilson, the proposal — which he labels the “Initiative Killer” bill — would dramatically raise the cost and complexity of citizen-led ballot measures. The legislation would ban paying canvassers per signature, widely considered the most cost-effective method for collecting the hundreds of thousands of signatures required to qualify an initiative. Wilson warns that forcing campaigns to pay hourly wages would drive costs through the roof, making grassroots initiatives financially unrealistic.

The bill would also require campaigns to submit 1,000 signatures before receiving a ballot title, creating additional delays, and would open the door for third-party lawsuits against initiative campaigns — potentially bogging them down in court while the signature collection clock runs out.

Wilson frames the measure as part of a broader Democratic pattern since gaining full legislative control in 2018. He points to previous moves such as eliminating advisory votes that allowed citizens to weigh in on tax increases and adding warning statements on ballots about potential negative consequences of voter initiatives. Wilson argues these efforts reflect growing discomfort among Democrats with voters challenging legislative decisions directly.

He also disputes claims of systemic fraud, noting that only a handful of fraud cases have surfaced over several decades and that those incidents were uncovered either by election officials or by the campaigns themselves, with the last case occurring more than a decade ago.

Wilson highlights strong public opposition to the bill, citing more than 10,000 people who registered opposition during legislative testimony. He also points out that both current Democratic Secretary of State Steve Hobbs and former Republican Secretary Sam Reed raised concerns, with Reed reportedly describing the measure as voter suppression.

Drawing comparisons to Oregon, Wilson warns similar restrictions there dramatically increased initiative costs, effectively pricing everyday citizens out of the process and leaving ballot measures primarily in the hands of wealthy interests.

Throughout the op-ed, Wilson argues that initiatives serve as a constitutional safeguard allowing voters to override lawmakers when government overreaches. He contends SB 5973 would weaken that safeguard and represents yet another step by Democrats to limit political opposition while advancing their policy agenda.

The op-ed concludes with Wilson urging lawmakers to abandon what he portrays as fear-driven rhetoric and preserve the initiative process as a fundamental check on legislative power. Read more at Center Square.

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