Author: Lauren Dake

U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler signaled early on in her third term she could let her personal experience with her daughter drive a policy agenda. Herrera Beutler’s second term was marked, […]

Republican Sen. Don Benton has never shied away from using fighting words. The Vancouver legislator once called the editor-in-chief of this paper a “scumbag!” More recently, a press release from his office said […]

Sen. Patty Murray has made it clear she plans to run for a fifth term in 2016. The Seattle Times reported the Democrat from Washington saying, “A lot of people say […]

Washington state made national headlines this year when lawmakers approved a budget slashing tuition for four-year college students by up to 20 percent by next year. And the state could prove […]

Lawmakers from all over the nation descended on Seattle to talk policy this week. The National Conference of State Legislature summit allows legislators to share resources and explore topics ranging from […]

On Aug. 1 the state’s gas tax goes up. As Jim Camden, with The Spokesman-Review, recently wrote, drivers might not notice the price hike at the pump right away. But this legislative […]

Washington legislators broke a record this year for the longest ever single-year legislative session. There were surely a few lobbyists who had to cancel vacation plans. And when they had a chance […]

  A Democratic staffer who works in Olympia sent me an email last week, asking if I knew why Sen. Don Benton, R-Vancouver, was at the signing ceremony for the transportation […]

Do you think Washington should increase the gas tax to pay for new roads? This November, if you’re a registered voter, you can weigh in. Voters can decide whether they think a […]