Rep. Fey: Here’s what WA House’s $13 billion transportation budget means for ferries, SR-167
On Monday, the Washington state House of Representatives passed a new transportation budget for the 2023-2025 fiscal biennium, providing a spending authority of $13.6 billion. This budget reflects several legislative priorities and a strong bipartisan effort. The budget funds will be used to implement last year’s historic and transformative Move Ahead Washington package (almost $17 billion) over a 16-year period, as well as projects from the 2015 Connecting Washington package (a $16 billion investment), also over a 16-year period. This budget honors our commitment to the people of Washington — a commitment to keeping key projects funded and on schedule, improving our ferry system, restoring fish passages, and a commitment to our promise to combat climate change. Let’s look at key projects. Continue reading at News Tribune. (Legislative Support Services)

WA AG Ferguson joins antitrust suit against Google over online ad business
Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson said Monday he is joining a U.S. Department of Justice lawsuit against Google over what he describes as the company’s monopolization of online advertising. “An open marketplace encourages competition and creativity,” Ferguson said in a statement. “When Google muscles in and dominates the market, everyone loses — except Google.” The lawsuit centers around online ads, which website publishers use to earn money. According to the lawsuit, Google now controls critical parts of the online ad market, including the technology that many online publishers use to offer ad space, the “leading tools” advertisers use to buy ad space, and the biggest ad exchange matching publishers with advertisers, the AG’s office said. Continue reading at Seattle Times. (Daniel Kim)

A TikTok ban, a bridge toll and a sort of end to masking
It’s Day 85. Here’s what’s happening in the 2023 session of the Washington Legislature: Starting today, the state Department of Health encourages, but no longer requires wearing of face coverings inside health care, long-term care and adult correctional facilities. Next, nearly half the states have banned TikTok from state agency devices. Not Washington. At least not yet. Finally, if a new bridge is ever built on I-5 across the Columbia River into Oregon, you’ll pay a toll to cross it. Senate Bill 5765, introduced late last week, names the bridge a “toll eligible facility” and lays out dos and don’ts of how it would work. Tuesday is cut-off for action on legislation with a price tag. The Senate Ways and Means Committee and House Appropriation Committee are looking to vote on roughly 150 bills combined by the deadline. I won’t be surprised if there are votes this week on bills imposing new rules for buying guns, banning the sale of assault weapons and protecting those seeking and providing abortions as those are caucus priorities which could absorb a few hours. Continue reading at Everett Herald.