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OLYMPIA — Governor Bob Ferguson offered the following statement on Justice Mary Yu’s announcement that she will retire from the bench at the end of this year:

“I want to thank Justice Yu for her 25 years of extraordinary service as a judicial officer, including 12 years on the Washington Supreme Court.

“I’ve known Justice Yu for a long time — since we both began our public-service careers working for King County. It’s no surprise to me that she ended up ascending to our state’s highest court. My respect for her has only grown over the years.

“Aside from our shared professional history, Justice Yu and I have something unusual in common: We’ve both been featured on the Jimmy Kimmel Show. In her case, she was invited onto the show because her name — Mary Yu — was perfectly suited to her work. As a judge, she officiated the first same-sex marriages in Washington after our state’s voters recognized these unions in 2012. Justice Yu has married many other happy couples in our state.

“Throughout her time on the bench, Justice Yu has demonstrated her commitment to respect, dignity and fairness for all. As the first in her family to go to college — and as the first LGBTQ+ justice, the first Asian-American justice and the first Latina-American justice on the high court — she brought her perspective to bear in seeking to make our court system more accessible, equitable and effective. She understands and appreciates the value of diverse perspectives in our state courts, and she is an excellent mentor and role model for newer attorneys. Her legacy is in bending Washington state further toward justice.”

Governor Ferguson will appoint a new justice to fill the upcoming vacancy on the Washington Supreme Court. He expects to make an appointment by Dec. 1 and is immediately beginning a process to select a worthy successor to Justice Yu.

On Jan. 1 at least 80,000 Washingtonians could lose health care if ACA’s Enhanced Premium Tax Credits are allowed to expire 

BELLEVUE — At a press event Friday, Governor Bob Ferguson joined members of Congress at Overlake Medical Center in Bellevue to warn Washingtonians about the federal government’s latest threat to health care access and affordability.

Unless Congress extends them, the Enhanced Premium Tax Credits under the Affordable Care Act will expire at the end of this year. These credits make private health plans through the state’s Health Benefit Exchange more affordable. Without them, at least 80,000 Washingtonians could be priced out of the exchange and lose their health care coverage, compounding the health care crisis already created by the administration’s cuts to Medicaid.

Ferguson spoke to reporters Friday alongside House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) and Congresswoman Kim Schrier, M.D. (WA-08), as well as impacted community members.

In all, if these tax credits are allowed to expire, the estimated loss in savings for Washingtonians statewide totals approximately $285 million.

“The cruel attacks on health care access by the Trump Administration and Congressional Republicans are morally bankrupt,” Ferguson said. “Failing to extend these common-sense tax credits is one more way the federal government is making health care less affordable and less accessible to residents across our state. Congress must act now to extend these credits and protect health care access for tens of thousands of Washingtonians.”

Right now, approximately 286,000 Washingtonians are enrolled in private health care plans through the Health Benefit Exchange. At least 80,000 Washingtonians can only afford their private plans from the exchange because of the Enhanced Premium Tax Credits. If the credits go away, so do their health care plans. For those who lose the tax credits but manage to keep their coverage, their premiums will increase significantly starting Jan. 1.

The savings from these tax credits are significant. Washingtonians who use them save an average of $1,330 annually in premiums. For seniors, it is even greater, with an average of $1,910 in annual savings.

If these tax credits go away, the state’s Health Benefit Exchange estimates that a family of three living in King County making $52,000 a year could see their annual premiums increase fivefold, from $490 per year to more than $2,800 per year.

As with the Medicaid cuts, rural Washington will be disproportionately affected if the tax credits expire. Residents in Central and Eastern Washington will see net premium increases of 80 or 90 percent. For example, a senior living in Yakima County making $41,000 a year who is currently paying $70 a year in health insurance premiums could see those premiums spike to almost $2,000 a year.

Moreover, expiration of these tax credits would compound the devastating health care crisis caused by Medicaid cuts that were previously passed by Congressional Republicans. The approximately 80,000 Washingtonians who could lose their health care because of expiring tax credits would be in addition to the 250,000 Washingtonians who are expected to lose their health care as a result of the cuts to Medicaid in the Big Betrayal Bill. In fact, the Health Benefit Exchange estimates Washington’s uninsured rate of 4.8 percent could double if these tax credits expire on the heels of Medicaid cuts.

For more information about Washington’s Health Benefit Exchange, visit www.wahbexchange.org.

KENNEWICK – At a press event Friday, Governor Bob Ferguson joined elected officials, tribal leaders and labor representatives to send a clear message: Washington state will take legal action to hold the Trump Administration accountable to its obligation to Hanford’s multi-billion-dollar Waste Treatment Plant.

The facility is weeks away from beginning operations to turn millions of gallons of highly radioactive and chemically hazardous waste into glass through a process called vitrification – a milestone in the cleanup process that has taken years to get to. Once vitrified, Hanford’s waste would remain stable in the glass for thousands of years, and could be safely disposed of, no longer at risk of leaking from degrading tanks, seeping through the soil into the groundwater, and eventually reaching the Columbia River.

Ferguson spoke to reporters Friday alongside the Washington State Department of Ecology Director Casey Sixkiller and community representatives.

The federal government’s decision to halt operations at the Waste Treatment Plant would be “a stunning waste of resources, a violation of multiple legal agreements and a slap in the face to the workers who have brought us to this point,” Governor Ferguson said.

“We’re all here today to send a clear message to the Trump Administration. We will hold the federal government accountable to its obligation here at Hanford – to live up to its responsibilities and clean up what they left behind,” Ferguson said.

Hanford’s waste

In 1943, the U.S. military picked what is now the Hanford Site in southeast Washington to make plutonium. From World War II through the cold war, more than 60 percent of the nation’s plutonium was made at Hanford, including what was used in the Fat Man bomb dropped over Nagasaki.

When production ended in 1989, state and federal regulators and the surrounding community uncovered the magnitude of the contamination left behind: 56 million gallons of highly radioactive and chemically hazardous waste. The waste is stored in 177 huge underground tanks at the Hanford Site, and all of them are past their 25-year design life. Cleaning up and disposing of this waste is some of the most dangerous and complicated cleanup work left at Hanford.

Watch the press conference on TVW.

What you need to know: In the vacuum left by the Trump Administration’s chaos and politicization of science, the West Coast Health Alliance today issued unified, science-based vaccine recommendations ahead of the winter virus season.

OLYMPIA –  Today, Governor Bob Ferguson of Washington, Governor Gavin Newsom of California, Governor Tina Kotek of Oregon, and Governor Josh Green of Hawaii announced coordinated winter virus vaccination recommendations through the West Coast Health Alliance (WCHA). These recommendations include the 2025–26 COVID-19 vaccine, influenza, and RSV.

“Our states are united in putting science, safety, and transparency first — and in protecting families with clear, credible vaccine guidance. The West Coast Health Alliance stands united in protecting public health and always putting safety before politics.”

– Joint statement from Governors Newsom, Kotek, Ferguson, and Green
 

Vaccination is safe, effective, and the best protection available against respiratory viruses like COVID-19, influenza, and RSV. Seasonal vaccination is also a critical public health tool to reduce serious illness, community transmission, and strain on hospitals.

“Vaccines protect more than just ourselves — they help safeguard our families, neighbors, and communities. By staying up to date, Washingtonians can reduce the spread of illness and keep our state strong this season. The Alliance’s recommendations are rooted in science, giving our communities confidence in the guidance we provide.” –  Washington State Secretary of Health Dennis Worsham.

“We want the people who live and work in our states to know that there is a strong public health, healthcare & scientific community that will continue to stand together to provide and use the data and evidence needed for you to make healthy choices, and we are here to protect our communities.” – Dr. Erica Pan, Director of the California Department of Public Health

"As a physician, I swore an oath to do no harm—and we know vaccines are among the most powerful tools to prevent illness and save lives. As a new mother, I want the same protection for my newborn that every Oregon family deserves. At a time when Washington is undermining our most basic public health safeguards, Oregon is charting a different course. Our actions today affirm that here, public health is about protecting people, not playing politics—and that every family who wants protection this respiratory virus season should be able to get it simply, safely, and affordably.” – Dr. Sejal Hathi, MD, MBA, Director, Oregon Health Authority

Truth under assault

In recent weeks, Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has aggressively weaponized the CDC by purging its vaccine advisory committee, firing all 17 members and replacing them with cherry-picked appointees who include vaccine skeptics. He’s forced out the CDC director, triggered high-level and career-staff resignations, and scheduled expedited meetings where this reshaped panel will vote on critical recommendations that guide national vaccine policy and insurance coverage. Public health leaders warn these moves dismantle independent, science-based oversight and inject politics into decisions that protect Americans’ health — undermining the CDC’s credibility at a moment when trust and clarity are most needed.

States stepping in

Alliance states are fighting back against the Trump administration’s assault on science — sharing a commitment to ensuring that health recommendations are guided by safety, efficacy, transparency, access, and trust. To develop these recommendations, Health Officers, who are all medical doctors, and subject matter experts from each of the WCHA states reviewed guidelines from credible national medical organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), and the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP). Our alliance believes that all clinically recommended vaccinations should be accessible to the people of our states.

The WCHA will continue to build its structure, evaluate new evidence and recommendations as they become available, and determine how to ensure the review process is transparent. WCHA is committed to sharing any updated assessments with our communities.

The Alliance recommendations, available here, provide a baseline for member states. The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) COVID-19 vaccine recommendations build on this baseline. In September, Washington DOH issued a standing order advising everyone 6 months and older to stay up to date on COVID-19 vaccinations. 

OLYMPIA – Today Governor Bob Ferguson announced the appointment of current Cowlitz County Superior Court Commissioner Jill Karmy to the position of Cowlitz County Superior Court Judge. Karmy’s appointment, effective Nov. 1, fills the position that Judge Marilyn K. Haan’s resignation will vacate.

Karmy is a career public servant with more than two decades of legal experience as a superior court commissioner, civil attorney and prosecutor. She has served more than three years in her current role as Cowlitz County Superior Court Commissioner in Kelso, where she presides over a wide range of civil and criminal dockets.

In addition to her role as a Court Commissioner, Karmy runs a solo-practice law firm, where she has represented plaintiffs and defendants in a variety of cases and claims. She also serves as a contract prosecutor for the cities of Battle Ground, Ridgefield and La Center, handling criminal prosecution and city code enforcement matters.

“Jill Karmy has deep roots in the southwest corner of our state doing exceptional work on behalf of Washingtonians,” Governor Ferguson said. “Her expertise and passion for public service will serve Washington well on the Cowlitz County Superior Court bench.”

“It has been an honor to serve the people of Cowlitz County as an attorney and a Court Commissioner, and I am deeply humbled by the opportunity to continue that service as a full-time Judge,” Karmy said. “I am committed to upholding the rule of law with fairness, integrity and unwavering dedication to this community and our state.”

Earlier in her career, Karmy spent several years a partner at Parham, Hall & Karmy in Longview. She also served as an associate attorney at several firms in and around Portland, OR. She served on the Washington State Bar Association Board of Governors from 2014-2017, including one year as the state bar Treasurer, representing Southwest Washington’s Congressional District 3.

Karmy’s community work has included volunteerism to support incoming Afghan refugees by working with community businesses and partners to create and run a pop-up clothing and school supply shop. She has also worked with immigrant women and children to prepare them for asylum hearings in immigration court.

Outside of work, Karmy spends time skiing and snowboarding with her children as often as possible and running with or after her German Shepherds. She also recently began scuba diving certification classes.

Karmy earned her bachelor’s degree from Pacific Union College and her law degree from Lewis & Clark Law School.