By Diana Carlen WAWG Lobbyist Saturday, Jan. 31, marked the 20th day of session, with 40 days left to go. The third week brought another hectic week with the first legislative deadline fast approaching. The first legislative deadline is Feb. 4, which is the policy cut-off deadline. All bills must be passed out of their respective policy committees by this ... Read More »
From the Capital Press Washington lawmakers are advancing bills that could make farming more expensive, while legislation to cut labor costs and taxes languishes. The state ranks 14th in the U.S. in gross farm income, but 46th in net cash income, according to the USDA. Only farms in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Alaska are less profitable. Read the ... Read More »
by Diana Carlen Lobbyist, Washington Association of Wheat Growers The legislature has completed the second week of its session; due to the pace and compressed timeline of the short session, however, it feels like we have been in session much longer. Committees have been busy holding public hearings and passing bills out of committee. Many bills are being continuously amended ... Read More »
By Diana Carlen WAWG Lobbyist On Dec. 23, 2025, Gov. Bob Ferguson released his proposed supplemental operating budget. The supplemental budget plan — Ferguson’s first as governor — is an adjustment to the roughly $78 billion 2025-2027 budget passed by the Legislature last April, which included $9 billion in tax increases over four years. Since Ferguson signed that budget into ... Read More »
From the Pacific Northwest Ag Network The 2026 Washington legislative session is just around the corner, and in anticipation, state Senator Mark Schoesler has filed legislation that looks to make lubricants for vehicles and machinery more affordable. Senate Bill 5856, he said, would exempt emissions associated with lubricants from coverage under the state’s Climate Commitment Act enacted in 2021. Read the rest of the article here. Read More »
By Diana Carlen Lobbyist, Washington Association of Wheat Growers While nationally there were significant elections this November, Washington state also had some notable races in an off-year election. Nine legislative races were on the ballot for members who were appointed to their seats and were running to retain them. Of those nine races, three candidates were running unopposed, two were ... Read More »
By Diana Carlen Lobbyist, Washington Association of Wheat Growers The 2025 Washington State Legislative Session may have wrapped up in April, but the work in Olympia continues. Interim activities are already shaping the policy and budget debates for the 2026 legislative session. The interim is busy filled with work groups, agency rulemaking, interim legislative committee meetings, and agency budget and ... Read More »
By Diana Carlen Lobbyist, Washington Association of Wheat Growers The Legislature adjourned on the 105th day of the 2025 Legislative Session on April 27 at 6:30 p.m. In the final week of the legislative session, the Legislature adopted the 2025-2027 operating, capital, and transportation budgets. However, it is unknown if Gov. Ferguson will sign the operating budget, veto it, or ... Read More »
By Diana Carlen WAWG Lobbyst With less than a week remaining in the regularly scheduled session, the Legislature is in a frenzy to finish on time. April 16 marked the Opposite House Floor Cutoff, meaning that it was the last day for the House and Senate to vote on bills from the other chamber. Bills that are considered necessary to ... Read More »
By Diana Carlen WAWG Lobbyist With just two weeks remaining in the 2025 Legislative Session, the countdown to the end of the session is in sight. Tuesday, April 8, marked the final fiscal cutoff deadline where bills from the opposite chamber with fiscal impact had to pass out of fiscal committees. This means there are no more committee hearings from ... Read More »
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