Nutfieldnews Team 
(The Center Square) – The initiative killer bill appears to be dead in Olympia. At least for this session. SB 5973 – sponsored by Sen. Javier Valdez, D-Seattle, cleared out of the Senate State Government Tribal Affairs and Elections Committee last month, but on Tuesday, Sen. Minority Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, said the bill was …
(The Center Square) – Public school enrollment has declined in recent years even as staffing and spending have increased, prompting debate among education leaders over how resources are being used and whether they are improving student outcomes. Total annual public school spending is nearing $1 trillion nationally, according to a Reason Foundation report. According to …
(The Center Square) – After several hours of heated debate, legislation that many consider to be the most contentious bill to come before the Washington legislature in many years passed the state Senate Monday. Senate Bill 6346, dubbed the “millionaires’ tax” by supporters, would impose a 9.9% levy on personal income over $1 million, or …
(The Center Square) – As majority Democrats in Olympia push ahead with a controversial income tax bill, they are also moving to roll back another tax-the-rich policy passed during the 2025 session. Senate Bill 6347, authored by Sen. Claudia Kauffman, D-Kent, would change the rates approved a year ago for all eight brackets exactly to …
(The Center Square) — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Monday said the state is committing another $1.5 billion to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani to help his new administration plug budget gaps over the next two years. Hochul said the new funding for the Big Apple “protects services and puts the city on …
(The Center Square) – Once slated for 2035 retirement, energy reliability through modernization of two dual-fuel plants in North Carolina will extend their lifespan to at least 2040. Owned by Duke Energy Carolinas, the investment at Belews Creek Steam Station in the Stokes County community of Sauratown Township is part of a six-project package valued …
(The Center Square) – Conflict over budget priorities is already growing, just one week after the State Budget Office presented Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s spending plan. This is Whitmer’s eighth and final budget proposal, as a new governor will take office this coming year. The fiscal year 2026-2027 budget recommendations included record-high K-12 education spending, …
(The Center Square) – Last week’s jobs report said the U.S. added 130,000 jobs in January. But the more consequential news landed in the fine print: the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ annual benchmark revision drastically rewrote 2025. Payroll growth for 2025 was revised down from +584,000 to +181,000 – about +15,000 jobs per month – …
(The Center Square) – Texas Republicans are expressing alarm about a GOP state comptroller candidate, Don Huffines, for secretly purchasing a New Mexico ranch owned by convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. They and many others are calling for transparency and an investigation. Huffines’ LLC purchased the ranch in 2023 with the owners’ names and purchase …
A new bill in Washington state would target parked vehicles for expired registration. Senate Bill 6172 could be voted on by the Senate soon. The measure received backlash from local radio and online news publications, as many feel it is another push to punish drivers for an unfair valuation system that sends driver fees to …