Lynda Wilson

OLYMPIA…  A relatively small slump in state government’s newest revenue projection won’t affect funding for existing state services and programs, says Sen. Lynda Wilson, budget leader for Senate Republicans, adding the real concern is the many billions of dollars’ worth of new spending requests anticipated in the governor’s upcoming budget...

Thanks to Initiative 2113, the police-pursuit law that had been weakened by Democrats in 2021 has been fixed and can again serve as a deterrent to would-be car thieves and other criminals (this photo shows the joint Senate-House committee hearing on I-2113, from late February). Unfortunately, the effort to add...

When a tax doesn’t produce as much money for government as expected, or desired, watch out for efforts to either raise the rate or make more people subject to the tax. That happened this year when the Democratic majority again tried to lift the 1% cap on the rate of...

OLYMPIA… The budget leader for Senate Republicans says a sharp decline in the amount of state capital-gains tax being collected is behind the largest negative state-revenue forecast since the COVID-19 pandemic. Sen. Lynda Wilson, R-Vancouver, is concerned the drop-off in income-tax revenue may prompt an effort from legislative Democrats to...

SEATTLE… Republican state senators who have been out front on increasing access to behavioral-health treatment and fighting the state’s opioid epidemic are marking today’s opening of a major new facility that combines treatment with training: the Center For Behavioral Health and Learning, on the University of Washington campus in Seattle....

Hello Friends and Neighbors, It’s been well over a month since our 2024 session ended, but it sure doesn’t feel like it because of all the things that have continued to happen in the legislative arena. There’s the controversial decision from a federal judge that redrew the boundaries of our...

Hello Friends and Neighbors, My 10th and final session as a state legislator (the video of my announcement is here) ended on time Thursday – several hours ahead of the midnight deadline, in fact. It was also free of the drama I’ve seen in other years as legislators try desperately...

OLYMPIA… Two Republican bills addressing Washington’s fentanyl crisis are headed to the governor’s office for final consideration, but senators say they are surprised by a cutback in this year’s budget for local law enforcement drug task forces. Senate Republicans offered proposals this year to combat the spread of deadly fentanyl...

OLYMPIA… Sen. Lynda Wilson announced today that she will not seek another term in the Legislature. Wilson, R-Vancouver, was elected to the Senate in 2016 after a term in the House of Representatives. She won a second term in 2020 but will not be a candidate for the 17th District...

OLYMPIA… The Legislature today followed through on three requests from Washington voters by approving initiatives that will lift restrictions on police pursuits, ban any income tax in Washington and create a parental bill of rights in public education. Sen. Lynda Wilson helped pass Initiative 2111, Initiative 2081 and Initiative 2113...