Washington
3 of Washington's 6 citizen initiatives will get legislative hearings
Citizen-backed changes to police pursuit, state income tax, and parental rights laws will get their moment in front of lawmakers.
Democratic leaders in both the House and the Senate announced Friday they will hold hearings on three citizen-backed initiatives, while rejecting consideration of three others.
The ones moving forward:
Senate Majority Leader Andy Billig, D-Spokane, and House Speaker Laurie Jinkins, D-Tacoma, said they will hold joint public hearings on I-2111, I-2081 and I-2113 on Feb. 27 and 28. Exact times have not yet been determined.
Previous reporting from Kate Stone: Initiative to repeal police pursuit restrictions certified
Other initiatives head straight to the ballot
The Democratic majority in both chambers confirmed the other three initiatives will not be considered. That decision fast-tracks them to the November ballot for voters to decide.
- Initiative 2117 is a repeal of the state’s controversial Climate Commitment Act (CCA) that passed in 2021 and taxes the state’s biggest polluters.
- Initiative 2109 is a repeal of what’s known as the capital gains tax. Passed three years ago, it calls for 7% on profits from the sale of some financial assets like stocks and bonds, but not real estate. The first $250,000 is exempt.
- Initiative 2124 is also known as the long-term care tax. The legislature created the program in 2019, designed to help people in Washington pay for care as they age by taking a small percentage of each paycheck for the majority of full or part-time employees, unless they have already received an exemption. This initiative would allow people to opt-out of the program, which Democrats argue is tantamount to killing it.
A total of six initiatives are certified for the general election. Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs’ office confirmed they met the threshold of valid voter signatures.
All of them are spearheaded by conservative activist group Let’s Go Washington, which raised $7 million for the effort. The group’s founder Brian Heywood is a hedge fund manager and significant Republican donor.
Earlier coverage: More on Brian Heywood and Let’s Go Washington
“The fact Democrats in the legislature have scheduled three hearings is a step in the right direction,” Heywood said in a statement sent to KIRO Newsradio Friday. “Next, they need to pass those three initiatives into law to stop an income tax, restore reasonable police pursuit, and reestablish parents as the primary stakeholders in their children’s lives.”
Notably, the three initiatives that will not receive hearings all carry significant financial implications for the future state budget and expected costs for Washington citizens. The CCA is closely tied to the state’s current future transportation projects. The capital gains tax revenue is earmarked for childcare and K-12 education funding around the state, including new construction projects. And the long-term care tax is meant to alleviate some of the state’s burden to provide for seniors, by requiring them to fund at least part of their medical needs post-retirement.
Billig and Jinkins explained their decision in a joint statement Friday:
“The three initiatives we are not taking action on would have a dire effect on the day to day lives of every single Washingtonian. These would dramatically decrease quality of life and devastate progress on K-12 education, childcare, clean air, clean water, climate action, and aging with dignity – matters that are important to people across the state.”
Chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, and fellow Democrat, Marko Liias of Edmonds, warned the stakes of repealing the CCA are particularly high. Speaking to reporters this week, Liias emphasized that eliminating the cap-and-invest program would rip a $5 billion hole in the state’s transportation budget, take away free public transit rides for young people, funding for bus routes, and more.
Jinkins said the cost of dismantling the long-term care tax is equally problematic. “That would continue to force our seniors to spend themselves into poverty,” she told reporters in Olympia this week.
By contrast, the three initiatives Democrats greenlit for hearings are largely policy changes, which would not necessarily trigger immediate financial deficits.
“The effect of the remaining three initiatives is less obvious,” Billig and Jinkins said. “Hearings will allow us to gather more information and hear from the public and others so that we can make informed decisions.”
Heywood, in his statement, questioned the Democrats’ decisions.
“At the same time, voters who signed these initiatives have been asking why only these three are getting hearings,” Heywood said. “What about the hidden gas tax, the hidden income tax, and the mandatory payroll tax? It is intriguing to me that the pet projects of (Washington Gov.) Jay Inslee and his crony union bosses won’t be getting hearings. Voters have said that all six of these issues are important, and they deserve to be heard.”
From Dave Ross: Initiatives will be the stars of November ballot
What happens during the hearings
For the three initiatives moving ahead, the joint hearing will give lawmakers an opportunity to discuss the proposals.
They have three options: Pass the initiatives as-is (with no changes) — propose an alternative version that would appear next to the initiative on the ballot — or decide to take no action following the hearing.
If any of the initiatives do not pass in their current form, they will head to the ballot. Lawmakers cannot block that, no matter what.
Republicans like Sen. Chris Gildon, R-Puyallup, say the doomsday prophecies about the initiatives’ impacts are largely overblown.
“People have heard a lot of reports from the Department of Revenue that if these initiatives pass, it will blow a hole in the budget and the sky is falling and we’re not going to be able to fund K-12,” he said Friday on an episode of “The Elephant in the Dome,” the official podcast of the Washington State Republican Caucus. “From my perspective it’s a little bit of fearmongering.”
Gildon added that top priorities will get money before other items.
“We funded K-12 education before the capital gains income tax, we’re going to continue to fund it after,” he said. “You always fund your priorities first.”
A Crosscut/Elway poll conducted before the start of the legislative session in January shed some light on voters’ opinions of the initiatives. (A PDF of the poll results and report can be viewed here.)
While the poll did not specifically ask about the initiatives, it revealed nearly two-thirds of those surveyed support eliminating restrictions on when police can engage in pursuits of a suspected criminal.
An almost equal percentage said the supported giving parents the ability to review public school textbooks, obtain discipline records and opt their children out of sexual education courses.
A combined 57% favored repealing the state’s capital gains tax. The poll did not address the topics of state income or long-term care taxes, or the CCA’s future.
Regardless of the outcome of the hearings, all six measures are likely to take center stage in what could become a long political fight throughout the year.
“Washington voters will hear a lot between now and November on any initiatives that end up on the ballot,” Jinkins and Billig said. “It will be up to them to decide what sort of state they want to live in.”
Mathematicians and statisticians from around the world descended onto Pullman to attend the regional conference of the International Biometric Society (IBS) in early June. Joining leading experts in data science and biometrics were several special guests: high school students from the Kalispel Tribe in northwestern Washington.
The eleven students from Cusick are participants in a collaborative tutoring program between the WSU Department of Mathematics and Statistics and the Camas Learning Center (CLC), an in-school and after-school program managed by the Kalispel Tribe. They were invited to the IBS conference by Regents Professor Jan Dasgupta, department chairperson and the current president of the IBS western North American region. Dasgupta saw an opportunity to share the Pullman academic experience with both leading researchers and the students tutored by her undergraduate students.
“The IBS conference includes an Access and Opportunity workshop focused on engaging local students, and we wanted them to experience WSU and see the possibilities that exist in STEM education and careers,” Dasgupta said.
Undergraduate students from the WSU “Future Teachers of Math” club typically tutor the high schoolers via one-on-one Zoom consultations, supported by CLC staff. The tutoring program has evolved since 2023, but the focus has always remained on student math preparation, for those learning and those teaching the subject. The partnership creates stronger pathways to both higher education and STEM opportunities for students in rural and tribal communities across Washington.
Integrating high school students into the IBS conference proceedings is not a new concept. In 2024, the annual conference’s Access and Opportunity Workshop invited community college students from the Denver area to network with attendees and participate in a data skills seminar. The next year, the workshop invited students from around Whistler, B.C. to the conference proceedings. This year, it was time for the students from Cusick.
Eleven students and four chaperones made the trip from Pend Oreille County to Pullman, where they stayed in Stimson Hall as an on-campus dormitory experience. While the students’ conference activities included hands-on experiences with biostatistics, data science, and biometry analysis, they were also treated to a campus facilities tour. Physics professor Guy Worthy provided a tour of the WSU Planetarium, and Squeak Meisel from the Department of Art led students on a tour of the art facilities and the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at WSU. Other tour locations included the Veterinary Teaching Hospital and the University Recreation Center for some earned relaxation time in the pool.
Cross-discipline researchers also sat down for a panel discussion with the students, discussing their education, career, and life experiences. The speakers included Denise Dillard, director of the Institute for Research and Education to Advance Community Health (IREACH); Mikaela Nishida, PhD scholar in statistics from University of California, Irvine; and Courtney Meehan, Dean of the WSU College of Arts and Sciences.
“One of the most important things we can do as a university is help students see new possibilities for themselves,” said Dean Meehan. “Hosting international conferences like this on our campus creates powerful opportunities for students to interact with researchers and explore potential career paths firsthand. These connections can have a lasting impact long after they leave Pullman.”
NAVASOTA, Texas (KBTX) – For many Texans, the Fourth of July is about fireworks and family cookouts. At Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site, it’s also about standing where Texas’ own independence story began, and marking a milestone in how the Lone Star State became part of the nation it celebrates.
The Texas historic site, set on 293 acres of parkland along the Brazos River, is known as “Where Texas Became Texas.” It is the place where 59 delegates met and signed the Texas Declaration of Independence from Mexico on March 2, 1836, launching what would become the Republic of Texas.
From 1836 to 1846, Texas existed as a separate nation, before the question of annexation came to the forefront. Site staff say Washington-on-the-Brazos offers a “bookended” look at the Republic’s decade-long history because discussions about joining the United States also took place there and were ultimately voted on in the property.
This year’s July 4 programming is designed to connect those chapters of Texas history with the national holiday, including a commemoration tied directly to the Lone Star being added to the American flag.
“This is also the 180th anniversary of when Texas was added to the American flag,” said Chandler Wahrmund, assistant site manager for the Fanthorp Inn State Historic Site, which is part of the broader Republic of Texas Complex.
A historic site with multiple stops
Washington-on-the-Brazos includes several major attractions:
- Visitor Center: The recommended starting point for guests. It features interactive exhibits presenting a timeline of the Texas Revolution and includes the Museum Store, with snacks and Texas-themed items. The Visitor Center is free and is where visitors can gather information and purchase entry tickets for the site’s paid attractions.
- Independence Hall: A replica building that sits on the spot where the Texas Declaration of Independence was signed, allowing visitors to visualize where that pivotal moment unfolded.
- Star of the Republic Museum: A central museum on the grounds focused on the Republic era.
- Barrington Living History Farm: A living-history area that interprets life in the Republic of Texas period through demonstrations and activities.
The historic site is also the core of the Republic of Texas Complex, which includes Fanthorp Inn, a preserved 19th-century stagecoach inn in nearby Anderson.
July 4 events across the grounds
Staff say this year’s July 4 celebration will include activities happening throughout the site, with scheduled programs at key times.
According to site staff, the day includes:
- Flag raising ceremony at 11 a.m.
- Readings of the American Declaration of Independence at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.
- Star of the Republic Museum cockade-making, creating patriotic lapel decorations
- Barrington Living History Farm games, including trap ball, a precursor to baseball
- Townsite activities at Hatfield’s Exchange, a recreated high-class bar from the period, with lemonade and other period-inspired nonalcoholic drinks for visitors
Wahrmund said the day is a chance to revisit the country’s founding words, and understand why they still matter.
“I love to read the words of Thomas Jefferson on the day, July 4th, to really understand why we exist as a nation,” he said.
Hours and admission
Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site will be open 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on July 4, and admission is free all day.
Copyright 2026 KBTX. All rights reserved.
How Fourth of July became a celebration of history and hope
From revolution to massive fireworks, July Fourth evolved into a celebration of history, heritage and America’s values.
With 150,000 people expected to attend Saturday’s Fourth of July festivities on the National Mall in Washington DC, locals and tourists alike may be looking for alternative options to view fireworks on America’s 250th birthday.
Washington DC will offer a secondary firework show on the 4th, and there will be plenty of areas in the city and surrounding neighborhoods to catch the big firework display at the National Mall.
Here’s a look at some of the best places to watch the July 4 fireworks in Washington DC.
Where can you watch fireworks in Washington DC on July 4th?
The National Mall will be the most popular area to watch fireworks, with President Donald Trump promising “the largest fireworks show in history.” Officials say 850,000 firework shells will be launched, potentially breaking a Guinness World Record.
But you don’t need to be at the crowded mall and its strict security measures in order to watch the display.
The organizers of the firework show, Freedom 250, say there will also be viewing spots at Hains Point, Columbia Marina, Gravelly Point, RFK Stadium, Meridian Hill Park, Union Station, Lower Senate Park and Upper Senate Park.
Other popular areas to watch the fireworks include the Cardozo Education Campus in Columbia Heights, the Washington National Cathedral in northwest DC, Lady Bird Johnson Park off the Potomac River and the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court Building on Capitol Hill.
Washington DC officials have also released an interactive map that allows you to see your view of the fireworks from any place in the city.
Are there any other fireworks shows in Washington DC on July 4th?
Anacostia Park will serve as the viewing area for a separate fireworks display that will be concurrent with the National Mall fireworks, which are expected to begin at 11 p.m.
DC officials say you can enter the park through Marion Barry Ave. SE, Nicholson St. SE or the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail near the Skate Pavilion.
The event is free to the public, as is the National Mall’s show.
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