We’re two weeks into a new legislative session – and what an eventful two weeks it has been!
The 2025 session began with what served as a farewell speech from outgoing Governor Jay Inslee, which portrayed Olympia as a shining example for the nation to follow – and conveniently ignored the host of challenges facing Washingtonians.
To the surprise and delight of many of us in the Legislature, incoming Governor Bob Ferguson took a different approach. In his inaugural address, he highlighted the affordability crisis plaguing our families, called for additional resources to hire, train and support law enforcement, and discussed bipartisan, commonsense solutions he planned to support – even solutions sponsored by Republicans. And while he didn’t rule out new taxes, he signaled that they should be a last resort, not the first choice.
The contrast between their words could not have been starker. But as President Reagan used to say, we have to “trust, but verify.” It is the new governor’s actions, not his words, that will matter most throughout this session.