| Social and Economic Policy The League supports legislation that would promote a flexible, equitable tax structure that provides robust support for all government obligations and is based on sound economic policy, including measures that will support savings in government costs to do business. Issue Team Chair: Cynthia Stewart, cstewart@lwvwa.org |
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Overview of the 2024 Legislative Session The state of Washington continues to have the most regressive tax structure in the US, in spite of recent adjustments, such as enactment of the capital gains tax and the working families tax exemptions. An income tax is frequently discussed as a solution to this problem but is not being considered. In light of that, additional bills that would shift some of the tax burden to the higher income people in Washington, such as the wealth tax, will continue to be considered in 2024. Additionally, an additional source of income to the state which is intended to improve the state’s greenhouse gas emissions is the Climate Commitment Act’s cap-and-invest fund, which has raised $1.3 billion in three quarterly emissions allowance auctions. While not a General Fund revenue, it is a significant source of funding for the very expensive greenhouse gas reductions needed. This is being challenged through an initiative to the legislature and will be extensively discussed.
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Please see the weekly update above for the list of bills.
- If you are interested in a particular bill, use the links above to go to the webpage for that bill. These pages include staff summaries and reports including who testified PRO versus CON on the bill. There is also information about how to access videos of hearings that have been held.
- Read and take action through the LWVWA Legislative Action Newsletter, distributed each Sunday during the legislative session.
- Contact Cynthia Stewart, Housing and Homelessness Issue Chair, with questions or for more information.