State Senator John Braun (R-Centralia) suggested lawmakers use the millions of dollars in surplus to ease the tax burden on families. Braun said in a release, “With the Legislature having already passed a budget that balances for the next four years, this would provide us with an opportunity to fully fund state government while reducing the impact on working families and people with fixed incomes.”

It’s official, State Senator Dino Rossi is jumping into the 8^th congressional race fray. Rossi made the announcement during the Washington State Republican Party’s annual dinner.  Rossi described why he chose to join the race in a Facebook post.

Earlier this week the judge in the Seattle income tax lawsuit granted the Economic Opportunity Institute’s (EOI) admittance as a party in the lawsuit. Jason Mercier with the Washington Policy Center provides a detailed overview of the decision. You can read more here.

Melanie Stambaugh (R-Puyallup) fight for government transparency gained national attention this week. You can read HBO’s Vice News coverage of Stambaugh’s efforts here.

A Richland company agreed to pay $2 million to resolve allegations of improper subcontracting at the Hanford nuclear reservation. The company was accused of using a woman-owned company as a front company to earn money for work set aside for certain small businesses, such as those owned by women.

Do you like The Morning Briefing? Forward this to a friend! It helps us grow our community and serve you better.

If you feel we missed something that should be covered, email us at [email protected].

If you don’t want to receive this email each morning, click here to opt-out of The Morning Briefing.