The Washington State Department of Licensing admitted that hundreds of people were overcharged for their car tabs because the agency was using an incorrect value for vehicles. The state has issued close to $100,000 in refunds to those overcharged. And Inslee wants the state to run our health care…what could go wrong? (KING 5)

The Seattle Times editorial board hopes Washington state lawmakers do the right thing and pass Sen. Mike Padden’s (R-Spokane Valley) bill which would strengthen penalties for those with three DUIs in 10 years. Unfortunately, Senate Democrats refused to advance the bill. Padden’s bill would simply expand that window to 15 years. The board wrote, “Senators should have passed the original bill. Now they should take advantage of their second chance.” The House passed a bill (HB 1504) related to impaired driving, and the editorial board is requesting the Senate amend that bill to include the felony language. (Seattle Times)

In an effort to increase housing within urban areas, the state House of Representatives, in bipartisan fashion, advanced a bill sponsored by Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon (D-Burien). The bill would require cities that fall under certain population sizes and planning under the state Growth Management Act (GMA) to choose from a few options to increase housing capacity. “As more and more people keep moving to our state, that’s’ great…but that has created a severe housing shortage that has impacted our constituents in a big way,” Fitzgibbon said. (The Lens)

The Seattle City Council approved the controversial upzoning measure known as Mandatory Housing Affordability. The MHA enacts requirement for building affordable housing and taller residence buildings in certain neighborhoods. “Today we’re embracing inclusion by updating plans that were drafted 25 years ago, and we’re acknowledging what we’ve learned in those 25 years,” Councilmember Rob Johnson said. (MyNorthwest)

Spokane County commissioners will receive a 6 percent raise divided over two years, after an independent citizen salary commission approved the increase. Spokane County Treasurer Michael Baumgartner said treasurers in peer counties are paid about $16,000 more annually, and he hopes the increase attracts more candidates to run for office. “The reason people run for office is not solely motivated by money,” he said. “But I think Spokane hasn’t had enough candidates in our county elections and I think that’s something for the salary commission to look at.” (Spokesman-Review)

President Trump is proposing deep cuts to Hanford nuclear reservation spending, shaving off over $400 million for fiscal 2020. Richland Operations Office would be the most impacted under Trump’s budget request, with a drop of almost 25 percent in its budget. Each year the Executive branch will propose a spending amount for Hanford, with Congress ultimately setting the spending amount for the next fiscal year. (Tri-City Herald)

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