GOP legislative staff OK contract as Democratic employees say no
In the first-ever collective bargaining for legislative employees in Washington, Republican staff in the state House and Senate got contracts but their Democratic counterparts did not. Legislative assistants in the GOP caucuses unanimously approved two-year agreements with pay hikes of 3% on July 1, 2025 and 2% a year later, the same amount offered to other state employee unions. But Democratic caucus employees in the two chambers rejected proposed contracts, a stinging disappointment as some fought for the 2022 law that cleared the way for them to unionize and negotiate terms and conditions for the workplace. Continue reading at Washington State Standard. (Jerry Cornfield)
New grant will allow more Washington nurses to take Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner training
The State of Washington does not have enough nurses trained to best help victims of sexual assault. However, health leaders say a new federal grant will make some improvements. MultiCare Health System just received a $1.5 million grant that will allow them to create a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) training program. The program will start next year and allow the healthcare system to hold four trainings annually for the next three years. Continue reading at King 5.
Budgets in Washington state tighten as population growth slows
It’s budget season in Washington state, and lawmakers are looking at cuts. Proposed cuts at King County have the assessor worried he won’t have enough appraisers for the growing region’s new construction. The state government expects to miss its revenue forecast for this fiscal year by about $500 million. There are lots of reasons for these tight margins — including ones you’ve probably heard a lot about, like inflation — but there’s one driver you likely haven’t heard much about: slowing population growth. For the record: Washington state is still growing, just not as fast as it was. And new construction is still happening, although not enough to keep up with demand, by some experts’ estimations. Continue reading at KUOW. (Sharon McCutcheon)
Capital Press
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Columbian
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Spokesman Review
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WA State Standard
GOP legislative staff OK contract as Democratic employees say no
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Broadcast
KING 5 TV (NBC)
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New grant will allow more Washington nurses to take Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner training
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NW Public Radio
Walla Walla Community College buys land to grow its Farm to Fork program
Web
MyNorthwest
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The Urbanist
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