Eligible workers are now guaranteed 12 weeks of paid time off in the event they adopt a new child, have a baby, fall victim to a serious medical condition or have a family member fall victim to a serious medical condition – after new legislation passed in Olympia last Friday. This makes Washington the “5^th state with a family and medical leave law.”

Liberals in Olympia are asking Gov. Inslee to veto a previously agreed upon business and occupation tax rate cut for manufacturers, and they are asking for it to happen with little public notice.

Sen. Bob Hasegawa (D-Seattle) has proposed a publicly-owned state bank. “With the state bank, we could keep our tax dollars in Washington and working for the people of Washington, not Wall Street,” said Hasegawa.

Seattle’s City Council is one step closer to voting to pass an unconstitutional income tax, after the finance committee approved legislation that would press an income tax on high-income households. The final vote is set for July 10^th – and the proposed rate has already risen from 2% to 2.5%.

Kitsap Transit will be launching Fast Ferry services, a passenger ferry that will run between Seattle and Bremerton in 28 minutes – compared to the hour it takes to ride a Washington State Ferry route that distance. The first run is expected to take place next Monday.

American Airlines have launched nonstop flights between Dallas-Fort Worth and the Spokane International Airport. “They’ve made this inaugural flight an example of what greater connectivity means for our communities,” chairman of the Spokane Airport Board, Collins Sprague, said.

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