Crime, taxes and artificial intelligence on tap as WA lawmakers prep for session
Rising costs of transportation projects. Using artificial intelligence in Washington classrooms. Preserving affordable housing. Spending proceeds from the state’s new capital gains tax and recent cap-and-trade auctions. Those are a few topics state lawmakers will delve into when they return to Olympia for committee days, an annual fete in which they get schooled on issues that may arise in an upcoming session. In this case, it’s the 60-day session that begins Jan. 8. Continue reading at WA State Standard. (Jerry Cornfield)
Why have Washington eviction cases doubled in the past six months?
A growing number of Washington renters are at risk of losing their housing. Eviction filings in Washington more than doubled over the past six months. Monthly filings topped 2,000 in October, a rate that exceeds pre-pandemic levels. The state is on track to eclipse the rate of 2019, when more than 15,000 evictions were filed. The sharp rise in filings comes after recent years of historic lows, held off by a combination of unprecedented federal aid, temporary moratoriums on evictions and rent hikes, and legislative reforms that fundamentally restructured the legal process landlords must clear to remove a tenant from their home. Continue reading at Crosscut. (Genna Martin)
The second shift: Child care crisis forces families into grueling schedules
Child care costs have spiked 220% since 1990, and the crisis is especially acute in Washington state. It has the fifth-highest average weekly cost of child care in the nation, and Seattle is the second most expensive city, trailing only San Francisco. Even if parents can afford child care or receive government aid, they still face the hurdle of low availability. It’s typical for day cares to have years-long waitlists. Long waitlists and low availability are typical in child care. Despite the high cost of tuition, child care workers often make close to minimum wage, leading to high rates of burnout and attrition. Margins are extremely thin for child care centers because of regulations that mandate employee-to-child ratios. The high cost of staffing, combined with insurance and other expenses, means no one feels like they’re getting a good deal. Continue reading at KUOW. (Megan Farmer)
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