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Week one of the 2025 Legislative Session is officially in the books. Aspects of it remained fairly consistent with a typical first-week-of-session: freshman legislators being sworn in; legislative committees – some of which even had a facelift
this year – held work sessions on the ins-and-outs of their respective committees; Leadership from both parties weighed in on their caucus priorities this year; and we had a few bombshell bills introduced, some of which already had the first
of their two policy committee hearings. There were bright-eyed legislators touting their shiny new policy proposals, lobbyists conniving in the halls, baby-faced Pages looking a mixture of lost and stressed – all the familiar signs of session
were in attendance.
This week certainly was not a standard beginning to session, though. In fact, what surprised everyone the most happened during Governor Ferguson’s inaugural address. He spelled out his first term as governor with a surprisingly Republican-sounding
speech, vowing to adopt “reasonable limits” on the governor’s emergency powers, cut down on government bureaucracy and red tape, and enact a budget based on fiscal responsibility. Predictably, the left wasn’t thrilled about
the messaging, while the right was cautiously optimistic about bipartisanship in Olympia for the first time in years. In fact, much of the big progressive legislation introduced this year will include aspects that directly contradict Ferguson’s
policy agenda – and the Gov specifically said he will veto any legislation that creates an unsustainable bow wave of spending in future years. He could not have made it clearer that this will be a year without any new tax-and-spend bills passing
into law – though he did reiterate his promise to pour some much-needed cash into our K-12 public schools.
If Ferguson’s policy agenda is to become realized, we may indeed be entering into a new era of Washington State politics. But the guy at the top can only do so much; if the progressive majority decides to play by their own rules and force a standoff
with him, it’s reasonable to assume he’ll acquiesce. Whether Democratic leadership would ever turn against their own party’s governor is the real question, and it would be shocking if they do. But we live in pretty shocking political
times already, so nothing can be ruled out.
Of course, much remains to be seen. This is a long, 105-day session, and the tenor of the legislature will undoubtably change multiple times throughout. When it does, I’ll have the analysis ready to help make sense of it all, and I’ll be there
to answer your questions to the best of my ability.
About Casey Brown
| | As the Director of Government Relations in S360’s Olympia office, Casey offers expertise in political strategy and public policy at the state, local, and tribal level. Prior to joining S360, Casey served as Senior Policy Associate for Cascade Government Affairs, an Olympia-based lobbying firm. He advocated on behalf of a wide array of clients, participating heavily in policy discussions between the Washington
State Legislature and industry stakeholders. During his time at Cascade, he helped influence energy regulatory policy, address agricultural concerns, craft organics management policy, and participate in the future of aviation and aerospace
in Washington. Casey graduated with a degree in Economics and Environmental Studies from Western Washington University. An advocate for those living with mental illness, he is a board member of NAMI Pierce County, serving as the board’s legislative
policy director. |