Being a parent is nonstop hard work, which makes following all the news happening in city, state, and U.S. decision-making circles challenging. Here are highlights of Washington political news from last week (May 5 to May 11) and a hint at what’s up this week.
Handing over the shame
Washington state has the country’s second most regressive tax code due to our heavy reliance on sales and property taxes.
I’m not proud of this family legacy — my great-grandfather, a senator from Sunnyside, Washington, was one of the code authors in the 1930s. It’s a family joke. Sort of. But ever since great-grandpa’s first term, Washington’s tax system has hit the state’s low- and middle-income families hardest.
Voices for Children: Hear Attorney General Nick Brown in June
Washington State Attorney General Nick Brown was instrumental in advancing a bill to protect kids from the harmful effects of unregulated social media. He has launched or joined 13 lawsuits challenging a range of executive orders signed by President Donald Trump and impacting kids, families, and needed programs across the state and country. Hear Brown speak at the Children's Alliance "Voices for Children" event, where he will discuss what it means to resist injustice, how to strengthen the movement for equity, and how advocacy makes a difference in protecting children and youth. Register for the event at ch ildrensalliance.org.
“They have to spend a higher percentage of what they earn on basic needs, like food and housing,” explained Stephan Blanford, Children’s Alliance executive director. In an end-of-session legislative round-up last week, Blanford applauded state lawmakers for their efforts to balance the currently unfair tax burden among Washington residents.
“State Democrats boldly put forward a historic package of progressive revenue proposals, [including] a modest tax on extreme wealth, a payroll tax on employers of high earners, and a reduction in the state sales tax,” said Blanford. Unfortunately, Gov. Bob Ferguson has made it clear that the budget he signs will not include a wealth tax.
The budget now sitting on the governor’s desk, in hopes of his signature, includes a capital gains tax increase for profits of over $1 million. It also includes a marginal business and occupation (B&O) tax increase for high-profit businesses and corporations.
What it lacks is a wealth tax, otherwise known as a “financial intangibles tax.” A wealth tax would bring the state’s wealthiest residents closer to paying their fair share of taxes. Senate Democrats passed a wealth tax earlier this year, although it died in session.
“Although this was a largely symbolic vote, it is an encouraging show of support for the bill within the Democratic party,” said Blanford. “The Senate vote is considered symbolic since a wealth tax was not in the budget; Gov. Ferguson made it clear he would not sign the budget if it included a wealth tax.”
Hopefully, the governor will approve the tax increases that are in the budget handed to him by the Legislature. But even if he does, it won’t be enough. Washington needs a wealth tax.
I first learned about my ancestor’s role in Washington’s unfair tax system when I was a teen, and I admit, I walked around with a teeny bit of guilt for the next 40 years. And anger, since my income is modest. But today, I’m symbolically handing that guilt over to the governor.
Mr. Ferguson, you have the power to right the tax scales. A “financial intangibles tax” is the only way to do it. In the meantime, approve the income-generating taxes on your desk now.
Youth Mental Health: What happened to those bills?
So what happened to that bill aimed at holding social media corporations accountable for the harmful impacts of their products on youth mental health? A collaborative effort between lawmakers, the Children’s Alliance, and the Attorney General’s Office, Senate Bill 5708 drew a lot of media and parent attention. It passed the Senate on a bipartisan vote. Unfortunately, it was never heard in the House of Representatives.
Still, “The progress we made was not for nothing,” Blanford said. “The bill will start its journey from where it left off when reintroduced next year.”
Legislation aimed at creating a youth behavioral health account funded by a modest tax on the profits of social media corporations also fizzled this year. Blanford said the Children’s Alliance will continue to build support for this priority legislation in the coming year.
“Our state is currently ranked 48th in the nation for youth mental health, and 80,000 adolescents in the state are suffering from major depression without professional care, Blanford said. “We must keep working until all of Washington’s kids get the behavioral health support they need.”
Is your teen considering a private college or university?
They may want to rethink that. The state budget plan awaiting Gov. Ferguson’s signature cuts financial aid for low-income Washington students at private four-year colleges. According to a report in the Washington State Standard, students attending any of the state’s nine independent colleges, such as Gonzaga University, Pacific Lutheran University, Seattle University, and Whitman College, would see state tuition assistance under the Washington College Grant and College Bound Scholarship programs cut to 50% of the average level awarded to students at public universities. Get the full picture: read “Students at WA’s private colleges would see financial aid slashed under new state budget” online at Washington State Standard.
SPS parents to SPS: Give us our options
Each year, about 10% of students in Seattle Public Schools put in applications to attend “option schools,” that is, schools other than the one the district assigns them. Many of them do not get their pick, a fact that leads some parents to pull their kids out of the district.
SPS parents and other members of the advocacy group All Together for Seattle Schools (ATSS) have been pushing the district to stop putting applicants on waiting lists or denying entry to popular schools and programs, especially when they appear to have room.
In an open letter to the Seattle School Board, ATSS called the district on the issue.
“SPS’s misguided enrollment practices have caused thousands of families to be turned away from their preferred schools in the last several years. Over 2,000 students were not enrolled from waitlists for the 2024-2025 school year alone, even though there was space to accommodate them and teachers willing and ready to teach them. These failures negatively impact students and their families district-wide, as many families subsequently leave SPS for other options, worsening the district’s budget crisis.”
According to The Seattle Times, the district is artificially capping enrollment at popular option schools. The result? Over time, enrollment in those programs or schools shrinks along with their staff. And you know where that goes: low enrollment schools and programs are usually at the top of the list when conversations of school closures come up … Read the Times report: “Why some Seattle students can’t attend the school of their choice.”
More from the White House
I can’t let a column go by without a review of the Trump administration’s ongoing antics of impact on families. Here are my top three from last week:
Let them eat dolls
President Donald Trump told American children they don’t need “30 cheap Chinese-made dolls” under their holiday tree or around their birthday tables. Instead, he implied that their parents should pay for more expensive non-Chinese dolls. And poof! The huge burden of Trump tariffs will be relieved this holiday season. Beyond the lack of acknowledgment of the shortages and price hikes the U.S. toy industry faces in the wake of tariffs, the president is entirely out of touch with families here in Washington and across the country.
In Washington state, roughly 10% of households fall below the federal poverty line, and an additional 24% are considered ALICE (Asset-Limited, Income-Constrained, Employed) households — they earn above the poverty line but still struggle to afford basic needs. Additionally, a recent study found that 28% of Washington households struggle to afford basic needs.
The children in these families, Mr. President, weren’t looking to receive 30 Chinese-made dolls as gifts. Sadly, they may receive little to nothing during the holidays as their parents struggle to make ends meet in an economy where all prices rise due to tariffs, from dolls to food. Check out “A Too-Deep Dive Into Trump’s Doll Comments” from New York Magazine.
The sad firing of Carla Hayden
On May 8, Trump fired the first woman and African American to serve as Librarian of Congress. Carla Hayden was appointed for a ten-year term by President Obama in 2016 and summarily removed from her office via email. Not only is such a dismissal tacky, but it should be an affront to all parents who care about kids’ open access, now and in the future, to books and documents that represent the country’s culture and history. The move is one more volley in the administration’s war on American cultural heritage. Read more in the New York Post.
Yes, it IS the president’s job to uphold the constitution
“I don’t know.”
If it were any president other than Donald Trump, I would not have believed those words coming out of their mouth when MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell asked if their job was to uphold the Constitution of the United States. But there Trump was: “I don’t know.”
He added that he’d have to check with his lawyers.
Friends, call your children of all ages close. Gather them around your table and explain this crucial fact to them in simple words:
The first and most critical job of the president of the United States is to protect and uphold the Constitution of the United States. In fact, that IS the oath the president takes to become president.
“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States and will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.”
That oath should guide and direct every presidential action.
On Politics is a weekly column by Managing Editor Cheryl Murfin covering Washington political news.
