WA House Republicans

🚨BREAKING: After 24 hours of nonstop debate, House Democrats rammed through an unconstitutional state income tax, paving the way for a Washington IRS.

Gov. Bob Ferguson has signed SB 5974, allowing an unelected state board to effectively remove your sheriff from office.

“'We don’t know whether fraud exists or not,' Penner said. 'The auditor says it can’t conclude that fraud occurred, but there are red flags that need to be looked into. There could be fraud — there’s just not enough information.'”

“‘Seeing this come out is like putting a knife into a wound,’ said Rep. Josh Penner, R-31st District. ‘It’s frustrating because we knew this was a problem. We didn’t even have to agree that fraud existed. We knew this black hole of billing was a problem, and it was not addressed.’”

On Monday, Gov. Bob Ferguson signed the Democrats’ unconstitutional Washington state income tax bill into law.   Marketed as a “millionaires’ tax,” supporters have made sweeping claims to build support for an idea Washington voters have rejected 10 times over the past century.   House Republican Caucus Chair Peter Abbarno debunks some of those claims:   ❌ Makes life more affordable. ✅ No broad-based tax relief.   ❌ Free breakfast and lunch for K-12. ✅ Isn’t in law, just stated as intent.   ❌ Will only ever apply to millionaires. ✅ Will apply to everyone eventually.

Washington voters have rejected a state income tax 10 times: 2010 — Initiative Measure 1098 YES: 36% | NO: 64% 1982 — Initiative to the People 435 YES: 34% | NO: 66% 1975 — Initiative to the People 314 YES: 33% | NO: 67% 1973 — House Joint Resolution 37 YES: 23% | NO: 77% 1970 — House Joint Resolution 42 YES: 32% | NO: 68% 1944 — Initiative to the People 158 YES: 30% | NO: 70% 1942 — Constitutional Amendment (Article VII, Section 2) YES: 34% | NO: 66% 1938 — Senate Joint Resolution 5 YES: 33% | NO: 67% 1936 — Senate Joint Resolution 7 YES: 22% | NO: 78% 1934 — House Joint Resolution 11 YES: 43% | NO: 57%

🚨BREAKING: Gov. Bob Ferguson has signed the unconstitutional state income tax bill into law — advancing a Washington-style IRS and overturning nearly a century of voter rejection of income taxes.

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Why does Washington have such high gas prices? Here's what goes into the price at the pump. ebx.sh/Sp7y82

As global oil prices continue to rise, Washington drivers feel it more sharply thanks to Olympia’s regressive energy policies. The carbon tax enacted by legislative Democrats, known as the Climate Commitment Act, is designed to make driving more expensive and adds an estimated 52 cents per gallon to the cost of gasoline. In 2025, Democrats also increased the state gas tax to 55.4 cents per gallon, the third highest in the nation, with automatic 2% annual increases.

Democrats took full control of the state Legislature in 2018.

Every year this century – until recently – Washington saw a net gain of income from migration. The 2023 data are now in, and for the second consecutive year, the state recorded a net loss of income from migration. This reversal reflects the cumulative impact of policy decisions by legislative Democrats: higher taxes, mismanagement of our K–12 system, and soft-on-crime policies. For years, House Republicans have sounded the alarm and proposed solutions to address this trend, now reflected in IRS data.

The budget House Democrats passed on Feb. 28 increases state spending by more than $2 billion. Compared to the 2023–25 budget, spending is up 11% when combined with last year’s increases, continuing a multi-year pattern of spending more than the state is projected to collect in revenue. “This budget is like maxing out one credit card and trying to pay it off with another. Eventually the bill comes due, and the people of Washington are the ones left paying for it.” —Rep. Travis Couture

“We raised rates 13% on Jan. 1st and all of that was to meet power costs driven by this Legislature.” —Matt Steuerwalt, senior vice president of External Affairs for Puget Sound Energy. Puget Sound Energy is now looking to increase its electric rates by almost 30% over the next three years:

Despite high prices and limited supply, residential construction permits have fallen to levels not seen since 2013, according to the state’s September revenue forecast. House Republicans have proposed several solutions to build more homes: ▶️ House Bill 1096 increases housing options through lot splitting (signed into law in 2025). ▶️ House Bill 1164 would require certain cities and counties planning under the Growth Management Act to expand urban growth area boundaries to include specified parcels, subject to exclusions. ▶️ House Bill 1438 would allow architects or engineers to approve housing permits and require cities to approve or deny permits—with cause—within ten days, or the permit would be automatically approved. ▶️ House Bill 1022 would create the Homes for Heroes program, providing down payment assistance to workers in high-demand essential fields such as nurses, police officers, and firefighters.

In 1990, the median home value in Washington was $93,200 – about $273,500 in today’s dollars. In 2026, the median home price exceeds $600,000, the fourth highest of any state. In other words, housing costs have more than doubled in real terms over the past 36 years. The reason is simple: Washington does not have enough housing. In fact, our state ranks last in the nation for housing supply. Decades of policies enacted by legislative Democrats have made it increasingly costly and difficult to build new housing. As long as supply remains constrained, prices will stay elevated.

Good morning. Washington has the second-highest average price for regular gas in the nation – 44 cents per gallon higher than Oregon. This is a feature, not a bug, of policies enacted by legislative Democrats in Olympia. The state’s carbon tax, known as the Climate Commitment Act, adds an estimated 52 cents per gallon to the cost of gasoline. In 2025, Democrats also increased the state gas tax to 55.4 cents per gallon, the third highest in the nation, with automatic 2% annual increases.