The package will be funded by a combination of funding sources, including a transfer of more than $2 billion from the state`s operating budget, $1.4 billion from the state`s license plate fee increase, and about $5.4 billion from the state`s new cap-and-trade program. However, Republicans note that the state`s cap-and-trade program, which funds part of the package, could still lead to higher fuel prices over time, as the cap-and-trade program limits carbon emissions and sets a price. This means that all public holidays recognized by the state are now school holidays. One example is Juneteenth, which was added to public holidays this year and now applies to all public schools. The updated budget includes $350 million to support the state`s paid family vacation program, which has been so much in demand that it faces a deficit. NEW LAWS TO GO INTO EFFECT IN WASHINGTON IN 2022 The high number of waivers led to a conscience check among state lawmakers through January. 1 Effective date of the new payroll tax. As a new year begins, several important new laws will go into effect in Washington State. Last year, more than 450,000 people said “no thanks” to the state`s new long-term care program by taking advantage of a unique opportunity to opt out of the program and its 0.58 percent payroll tax. The long-term care program, commonly known as WA Cares, is designed to provide up to $36,500 per person over their lifetime to pay for the care and other services people need in retirement. Emily Cantrell poses for a portrait in downtown Seattle, Washington, February 28, 2022. Cantrell, a survivor of the 2017 mass shooting at the Route 91 Harvest Country Music Festival in Las Vegas, had called on lawmakers to ban ammunition magazines larger than 10 rounds of ammunition.
(David Ryder for Crosscut) Starting July 1, the sale of ammunition magazines larger than 10 rounds will be banned in Washington State. Import, manufacture and distribution will also be prohibited. Lawmakers also approved a new transportation program that will spend about $17 billion over the next 16 years on highways, transit projects and bridges. The plan includes $1 billion for a new bridge over the Columbia River at Interstate 5, a project that politicians have been discussing for a decade. To combat homelessness, the new budget spends about $220 million — a mix of federal and state funds — including about $45 million on rent assistance. In addition, the operating budget transfers about $650 million to the state construction budget, which in turn will spend more than $400 million to build affordable housing, improved housing and permanent supportive housing. The law creates a system similar to Amber Alerts and so-called Silver Alerts, which are used in many states for missing children and vulnerable adults. Lawmakers approved a $17 billion transportation revenue package that will invest in the state`s highways, transit and bridges over the next 16 years. Starting at 1. In July, several new laws will go into effect for Washington state, including new gun restrictions, missing warnings for Native Americans, increased toll rates and license plate fees. A plan to implement a government student loan program with 1% interest loans came into effect on June 9.
On January 1, 2022, Washington State`s minimum wage increased to $14.49 per hour, up 80 cents from the previous minimum wage of $13.69. Starting July 1, Washington`s 4 million residents will be entitled to free or discounted care at hospitals across the state, giving Washington the strongest health care coverage in the country. Democratic leaders hailed the plan as the greenest transportation infrastructure package ever approved by the state, noting that it would provide more than $3 billion for public transit, $1.2 billion for bicycle and pedestrian upgrades, and additional funding for ferry electrification and carbon reductions. Sen. Christine Rolfes, a Bainbridge Island Democrat who is the Senate`s principal budget clerk, said the investment is about “how to get the whole state out of COVID, pandemic and shared prosperity.” The legislature also approved a plan to no longer charge parents for the cost of placing their children in state juvenile detention centers. a yellow alert for missing Indigenous peoples; tax relief to help farmers` markets; and a measure to set minimum wages and benefits for Uber and Lyft drivers. Election years mean short 60-day sessions in the Washington State Legislature. And while that sometimes means lawmakers aren`t overdoing it, in 2022 they broke that pattern by passing several major laws and dramatically increasing government spending. In the final week of the 2022 session, Washington state lawmakers banned the sale of wide-body weapon magazines, a policy that has stalled in Olympia for half a decade. Governor Jay Inslee is expected to sign Senate Bill 5078 soon. Lawmakers will work on Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022, at the Washington Senate at the Capitol in Olympia, Washington.
(AP Photo/Ted S. Warren) “Would 10 rounds be enough to defend your life against someone who wanted to take it?” asked Rep. Kelly Chambers, R-Puyallup, during a March 4 debate in the House of Representatives. “And if you defended your spouse, your children – would 10 rounds be enough? I don`t think so. Another new bill, House Bill 1733, will allow disabled veterans to opt out of the program because they already receive long-term care insurance from the federal government. The same measure creates new exemptions for temporary non-immigrants, military spouses and people who work in Washington but live elsewhere — people who would likely not benefit from the program, which currently does not allow people to apply for benefits when they leave the state or live elsewhere. Other budget items include $4 million to reduce solitary confinement in prisons and an additional $12 million to expand the state`s film incentive program, which aims to make more films in Washington. Legislative employees are not covered by state civil service laws, which give some state employees the right to unionize. About $200 million will be used for grants to invest in communities most affected by the war on drugs, while $150 million will establish a new government program to provide low-interest student loans.
Joseph Scott performs physical therapy exercises with the help of his wife, Nina Valerio, at their home in Columbia City, January 18, 2022. Scott suffers from two types of cancer, partial blindness and memory loss. In 2019, lawmakers passed a new long-term care program to help people in similar situations, but lawmakers recently voted to delay the program`s implementation.