(The Center Square) – The Washington Electric Vehicle Coordinating Council approved its first transportation electrification strategy intended to guide the state’s transportation sector away from fossil fuels and toward clean energy, primarily EVs. Although the vote approved the TES executive summary and the council’s annual report to the Legislature, the actual TES has yet to be finalized. That work is to be completed by the Rocky Mountain Institute, a nonprofit organization, and submitted to the Legislature by the end of January. However, the draft TES as of Nov. 29 contains many of the rec ..read more

(The Center Square) – Washington U.S. Rep. Adam Smith said his home in Bellevue was vandalized on Nov. 30 due to his stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Dec. 1 press release did not state how his home was vandalized but attributed it to “people advocating for a ceasefire in Israel and Gaza. This attack is sadly reflective of the coarsening of the political discourse in our country, and is completely unwarranted, unnecessary, and harmful to our political system.” He further wrote that “throughout the course of my career, my staff and I have continually met with groups from all part ..read more

(The Center Square) – The conservative majority of Spokane County commissioners this week voted to forego a state-allowed 1% property tax increase that would have taken hundreds of thousands of additional dollars from residents in 2024. In the 3-2 decision, commissioners Mary Kuney and Al French supported the motion by commissioner Josh Kerns for a 0% tax hike instead. Commissioners Chris Jordan and Amber Waldref dissented. In a statement Friday, Kerns said he was pleased the majority “held the line on taxes and has budgeted in a fiscally responsible way. We must continue to live within our m ..read more

A record number of states have passed universal school choice so far this year, but it seems Texas won’t be among them. Given the lack of universal school choice in multiple bills this year, I’m relieved it hasn’t passed in Texas yet. I’ve long been a researcher and staunch supporter of universal school choice. The way to do this is by making the eligibility and funding for education savings accounts (ESAs) available for all 6.3 million school-age students. ESAs put the power of choosing kids’ schooling in parents’ hands by picking public, private, home, co-op, micro, or other types of school ..read more

(The Center Square) – The state of Illinois recorded its lowest index score for tax climate over the past ten years in the latest Tax Foundation State Business Tax Climate report. Wirepoints President Ted Dabrowski said he could have predicted Illinois’ record poor showing. “Illinois leadership continues to ignore how important companies and businesses are to creating jobs and generating tax revenues,” Dabrowski told The Center Square. “We continue to disrespect them. We charge them the highest tax rates in the country, in particular property taxes, and that continues to eat away at companies ..read more

Today is World AIDS Day. Every year on December 1, the world unites to observe World AIDS Day — a solemn yet hopeful occasion that serves as a reminder of the ongoing fight against HIV/AIDS and a call to action to support those affected by this global pandemic. The inception of World AIDS Day traces back to December 1, 1988, making this year its 36th anniversary. Conceived by the World Health Organization (WHO), the day was established to raise awareness, commemorate those who have lost their lives to AIDS-related illnesses, and show solidarity with individuals living with HIV/AIDS. As we ma ..read more

(The Center Square) – Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs is facing a complaint filed with the Washington State Executive Ethics Board. The complaint arises out of a contract with an international cybersecurity firm to monitor private citizens’ communications on social media. The Washington State Republican Party, in filing the complaint on Wednesday, objected to the use of public funds to surveil critics of the majority party. “It is a violation of state laws and ethics rules on the use of public resources,” party Chair Jim Walsh said in a news release. “More importantly, it is an inti ..read more

(The Center Square) – Gov. J.B. Pritzker is proposing a new state agency that will handle all early childhood programs, lifting some of the responsibility off of the Illinois Department of Child and Family Services. However there are concerns over the impact on licensed child care centers and how this would fix the issues within DCFS. In October, Pritzker proposed a new state agency that will handle all early childhood development programs and the funding that goes with it. The programs currently are split up across three different state agencies, including DCFS, which cutrently oversees and ..read more

A new Biden administration rule forces schools to comply with progressive ideology on gender and sexuality or risk losing the federal aid for free and reduced-price school lunches. Legal observers say this is just the first in a slew of new rules on the horizon tying federal education funding to far-left policies on gender and sexuality. The school lunch funding controvesy began in May 2022, as The Center Square previously reported, with an announcement from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which handles federal help for school lunches. The USDA said at the time it would change its longsta ..read more

(The Center Square) – Opponents of Washington’s carbon credit auction have pounced on a former state economist’s retaliation claim against the state after his refusal to keep quiet about his calculations showing Washington’s cap-and-trade program would increase gas prices by 45 to 50 cents per gallon. KING 5 first reported on a legal claim filed Thursday by the Citizen Action Defense Fund on behalf of Tumwater’s Scott Smith, 64, who worked for the state Department of Transportation as an economist. The complaint argues Smith was threatened to keep his prediction of gas price hikes from the pu ..read more