Statehouse
Statehouse
Latest reporting from the Statehouse desk.
Statehouse
View MoreThurston County ballots on track despite SCOTUS mail ruling
Thurston County Auditor Mary Hall confirmed Tuesday that November election ballots will be mailed Oct. 8-12 and all 31 drop boxes will remain open, because a second federal injunction still blocks USPS from enforcing Trump's mail-ballot executive order despite Monday's Supreme Court ruling.
Statehouse
View MoreState librarian plans to move 2M-item collection to Olympia
Incoming Washington State Librarian Melody Sky Weaver plans to relocate the state's 2-million-item library collection from Tumwater, where it has been since the 2001 Nisqually earthquake, back to the Capitol Campus in Olympia to restore its $12 million budget and expand public access beyond the current Thursday-only appointment window.
Statehouse
View MoreState task force targets media literacy, youth crisis funding for WA schools
A 28-member state task force convened Friday in Seattle to take up seven recommendations that could bring digital media literacy curricula to Olympia and Tumwater schools, restore funding for the HearMeWA youth crisis program, and direct new grant money to community organizations statewide.
Statehouse
View MoreState lists 2 downtown Olympia buildings for sale at $2.7M
The Washington Department of Enterprise Services is selling two state-owned commercial buildings one block from the Capitol Campus, opening half a downtown Olympia block to private buyers after more than 40 years of state ownership.
Statehouse
View MoreDunning leads Clouse in early District 5 primary returns
Lacey City Councilman Nicolas Martinez-Dunning leads incumbent Emily Clouse in early Thurston County Commissioner District 5 primary returns, with both advancing to the Nov. 3 general election and third-place finisher Michelle Gipson eliminated.
Statehouse
View More44 state lawmakers push Ferguson to save developmental disabilities program serving Thurston families
Forty-four Washington legislators from both parties urged Gov. Bob Ferguson to preserve the $900,000-per-year Parent to Parent program, which pairs Thurston County families of children with developmental disabilities with experienced parent mentors, as its DSHS contract expires Monday, August 31.
Statehouse
View MoreOlympia marks fourth year recognizing Muslim American Heritage Month
The Olympia City Council proclaimed July as Muslim American Heritage Month for the fourth straight year at its July 14 meeting, with Commissioner Dr. Amna Qazi, Mayor Dontae Payne, and Rep. Lisa Parshley speaking about the city's ties to the Islamic Center of Olympia and its diverse Muslim community.
Statehouse
View MoreTenino stone carver's apple headed for 250-year stay in U.S. Capitol
A 79-year-old Tenino master stone carver's sandstone apple has been selected to represent Washington state in the U.S. Capitol's 250th anniversary time capsule, connecting south Thurston County's quarrying heritage to a national milestone that won't be revisited until 2276.
Statehouse
View MoreDES director on leave with no explanation from agency or governor
Matt Jones, director of the state Department of Enterprise Services that manages Olympia's Capitol Campus, has been on leave since at least July 9 with no public explanation from the agency or Gov. Ferguson's office.
Statehouse
View MoreGovernor Ferguson proposes FAFSA graduation requirement affecting Olympia, Tumwater seniors
Governor Bob Ferguson announced a proposal on Monday, July 13, to require all Washington high school seniors to complete the FAFSA or WASFA, or sign a formal opt-out, as a graduation requirement — a change that would affect Olympia and Tumwater students if the legislature passes it in January 2027.
Statehouse
View MoreWashington budgets millions for Medicaid work-requirement systems ahead of 2027 deadline
Washington state's 2026 supplemental budget includes more than $43 million for DSHS to build eligibility systems and hire temporary staff to comply with new federal Medicaid and SNAP work requirements by January 2027, while the state has joined a 26-state lawsuit challenging the rule's narrowed "medically frail" exemption.
Statehouse
View MoreFederal food stamp penalty will cost Washington $90 million a year, pressuring DSHS budget
Washington's 6.98% SNAP error rate will trigger more than $90 million in new annual costs starting October 2027, adding budget pressure to DSHS — the state's largest agency and a major Olympia-area employer — even as it hires quality-control staff to prevent the bill from growing.
©2026 Capitol Record
Powered by Surround Sound Media