News & Stories
Policy is personal. So, we want to share more than just data.
Stay up to date with our legislative updates, organizational news, media mentions, and more.
This country has always been a nation of immigrants, and for good reason.
Our state had an important visitor last week. Not a movie mogul, not a billionaire, not a high-tech Amazonian full of hubris. Someone much more important, with a message for building the quality of life for all Washingtonians. Her name is Anu Partanen. Partanen is an American citizen, an author, a researcher, a spouse, and […]
On Friday, the New York Times printed an article on Jeff Bezos’ recent attempts to create a personal brand. The article came on the heels of his and his wife’s $33 million donation to a nonprofit that provides college scholarships to Dreamers, young immigrants brought to the United States illegally as children. “Some of the […]
Last Friday, January 5, we lost a good and great leader in our state. His name is Floyd Jones. Floyd died at the age of 90, having lost a battle with cancer, but more importantly, having worked for and won a life of personal success and social good. Floyd grew up in dire poverty, as […]
For a PDF of this factsheet, please click here. The Washington State Legislature has the chance in the winter 2018 session to pass an updated equal pay bill. In each of the past three years, the state’s House has passed an equal pay bill with bipartisan majorities, but those bills have died in committee in […]
Leaders will use a good story to be effective, because that’s its great power over human behavior. We can all also apply critical thinking to look through a good story to see the reality carried within it.
Communities across Washington will get a boost to health and economic well-being in January 2018 when the new paid sick and safe leave law goes into effect. Employees who previously had to go to work with the flu or when a child is sick will be able to take time off to prioritize health and […]
When he was 12 years old in 1824, Charles Dickens worked 10-hour days in a rat-infested shoe-polish factory for six shillings a week. That’s the equivalent of £30.68 or $41.06 in 2017 currency. It was all the money he had to get by. His father, mother, and five siblings aged 2-11 were in prison because […]
Washington State has begun implementing new standards to help workers stay healthy and protect their loved ones. These new laws are the result of the activism and collaboration of many individuals, community groups, labor unions, advocacy organizations, business owners, and policymakers. Healthy Pregnancies, Healthy Starts – In Effect Statewide Since July 23, 2017 New Rights: […]
The King County Superior Court ruled this week in favor of the wealthy plaintiffs regarding Seattle’s Income Tax. That was not unexpected. This case involves a challenge to an 80-year-old interpretation of the state constitution, and lower courts generally do not overturn state Supreme Court precedent. But this case will go to the Washington State […]
We’re officially halfway through the Affordable Care Act’s 2017 open enrollment period. If this news comes as a surprise to you, you should know—that was the point. In August, the Trump administration announced plans to shorten this year’s enrollment period from 3 months to 6 weeks and slash its outreach and advertising budget by 90 […]
by Sara Ainsworth and Marilyn Watkins Sara Ainsworth is advocacy director of Legal Voice, a progressive feminist organization using the power of the law to make positive change for women and girls in the Northwest. Marilyn Watkins is policy director of the Economic Opportunity Institute, a nonpartisan policy center focused on building an economy that […]
In old mythology, during the reign of Zeus and Hera, there lived a large tribe of tiny people called the Pygmies. Only two and a half feet tall, they were industrious craftspeople, creating the finest silver, cotton and silk wares in the ancient world. But every winter, flocks of cranes would darken the sky. The […]
The next time you hear a Very Serious Person’s pronouncement about Social Security’s supposedly impending doom, remember: an individual’s interest in seeing Social Security thrive is usually a) inversely proportional to their wealth but b) directly proportional to their empathy for others. How else to explain the effort by the Trump administration and certain members of Congress to pull the economic rug out from under a […]