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Legislation highlighted in inaugural address signed at Tri-Cities event

KENNEWICK — At a signing event in the Tri-Cities this week, Governor Bob Ferguson signed a bill sponsored by Rep. Tom Dent (R-Moses Lake) aimed at making it easier for farmers buy fuel exempt from fees from the Climate Commitment Act. Governor Ferguson highlighted the measure in his inaugural address as part of his commitment to supporting farmers.

Agricultural producers and transporters are exempt from paying fees on fuel related to the Climate Commitment Act, but in practice, it has been difficult to find exempt fuel. House Bill 1912, which passed nearly unanimously, requires the Department of Ecology to provide easily accessible information to farmers so they know where they can buy exempt fuel. It also clarifies which fuels are exempted and extends the exemption for an additional two years.

“Washington’s agriculture is among the best in the world because of the hard work of Washington farmers,” Governor Ferguson said. “Our agricultural industries operate on thin margins, and they can’t afford to pay unnecessary fees. I appreciate Rep. Dent’s leadership on this important issue. I’m proud to support our farmers.”

“The Legislature promised our agricultural industry this exemption when the Climate Commitment Act was originally passed,” Dent said. “It was time we honored that promise to make it easier for farmers to access lower-cost fuel and lower the costs of fuel for our farmers. This issue came up way back in November when the Governor asked me to be on his transition team, and this surfaced as one of the prime issues we were going to face in agriculture. He’s kept his word and he helped me work through this, as this was a heavy lift. It is absolutely a top priority to support our agriculture producers, after all they feed us. I am pleased to have worked with the Governor and had his full support along with strong, bipartisan support within the Legislature to find a solution for this issue.”    

Governor Ferguson signed the bill on Thursday at the Tri-City Development Council in Kennewick, along with 10 other bills from Central and Eastern Washington lawmakers:

• House Bill 1253 – Allows cities and public utility districts to enter into joint use agreements with private companies to develop transmission, energy storage, and energy generation facilities. Sponsored by Rep. Alex Ybarra (R-Quincy)
   
• House Bill 1258 – Clarifies city-county sharing of 9-1-1 excise tax revenue to help support public safety in Spokane County. Sponsored by Rep. Timm Ormsby (D-Spokane)
   
• House Bill 1648 – Extends the deadline for child care providers to meet credential requirements and improves access to training. Sponsored by Rep. Tom Dent (R-Moses Lake)
   
• House Bill 1934 – Prevents victims of workplace harassment from being revictimized by an abuser who may figure out their identity through a public records request by restricting personal identifiers from being released in records released through the Public Records Act. Sponsored by Rep. Rob Chase (R-Liberty Lake)
   
• Senate Bill 5303 – Extends the timeline for continued development of projects and permits that support the Yakima Basin Integrated Plan by 10 years. Sponsored by Sen. Judy Warnick (R-Moses Lake)
   
• Senate Bill 5323 – Increases penalties for theft of essential equipment for firefighters and emergency medical service providers. Sponsored by Sen. Judy Warnick (R-Moses Lake)
   
• Senate Bill 5485 – Extends the Department of Agriculture’s Livestock Identification Program through July 1, 2030, in order to help track ownership, deter theft and support the health and safety of the state’s livestock industry. Sponsored by Sen. Judy Warnick (R-Moses Lake)
   
• Senate Bill 5543 – Increases access to post-secondary education by expanding eligibility for the College Bound Scholarship to students with GEDs. Sponsored by Sen. Matt Boehnke (R-Kennewick)
   
• Senate Bill 5682 – Grants a 5-year extension for the Washington Customized Employment Training Program B&O tax credit to help employers cover the costs of employee training. Sponsored by Sen. Judy Warnick (R-Moses Lake)

Video of the event is available here.

Coalition asserts the illegal, arbitrary tariffs cause disproportionate, serious harm in Washington state

OLYMPIA — Governor Bob Ferguson filed an amicus (“friend of the court”) brief yesterday supporting a multistate lawsuit to block the Trump Administration’s illegal tariffs. Ferguson is leading a coalition of 24 public and private partners arguing that the “unlawful, arbitrary, and ever-changing tariff policy” is causing wide-ranging, significant and disproportionate harm in Washington state — one of the most trade-dependent states in the country.

Ferguson’s amicus brief states: “If allowed to remain in effect, the President’s tariffs will continue to wreak havoc on Washington-based interests by disrupting established supply chains, forcing businesses and consumers to pay more for goods, equipment, and services, and interfering with the Governor’s ability to shape and implement a state budget and pursue state policy priorities amid the significant uncertainty, chaos, and adverse economic conditions caused by the tariffs.”

Ferguson is joined by State Treasurer Mike Pellicciotti; 10 state legislators; the mayors of Seattle and Spokane; five labor unions; the Washington Economic Development Association, a trade association whose members include Washington-based economic development organizations, cities, counties, ports, tribes, businesses, education and community-based organizations; and other business and economic development interests.

The Attorney General’s Office appointed attorneys Steven Fogg and Kathryn Joy of Corr Cronin LLP as special assistant attorneys general to handle the brief pro bono, at no cost to the state.

The multistate lawsuit, filed April 23 in the U.S. Court of International Trade, challenges four of President Donald Trump’s executive orders that claim the power to increase tariffs worldwide without Congressional approval.

The Constitution grants Congress, not the President, the authority to impose tariffs.

“Our coalition is ensuring the voices of Washington’s workers and businesses are heard,” Governor Ferguson said. “Our economy faces significant harms because of the president’s chaotic and illegal approach to tariffs. We must all stand up for hardworking businesses, workers and consumers.”

“IAM District 751 supports this amicus brief and believes that tariffs should be used in a strategic and purposeful way to support and preserve our industries, our workers, and the communities we live in,” said Jon Holden, IAM District 751 President and Directing Business Representative. “These actions should be well thought out and guided by decisions that the U.S. Congress, after careful consideration, has determined to be most appropriate."

“When our organization, the Washington Economic Development Association — which represents about 200 economic development organizations across the state — was asked to join in stating our position against the federal tariffs implemented and proposed in recent months, we didn’t hesitate,” said Suzanne Dale Estey, Executive Director of the Washington Economic Development Association. “We had been hearing alarming concerns about the federal tariff proposals from economic developers who had been hearing from their local businesses, large and small. They were initially concerned about all of the uncertainty and turmoil that had been created and the impact on their operations, supply chains and growth strategies. More recently, we are now facing very real and very deep economic impacts, serious challenges for supply chains, job layoffs and potential revenue losses in the billions of dollars — and the overall drastic threats to Washington State’s economic competitiveness caused by federal tariffs. Our organization and our position on this issue is not partisan — it is about jobs — jobs which support families, and jobs which support communities.”

President Trump’s executive orders announced higher tariffs on virtually every nation in the world. These include a 145 percent tariff on most products from China — which has been temporarily reduced to 30 percent — as well as a 25 percent tariff on many products from Canada and Mexico, and 10 percent tariffs on most products from the rest of the world.

Article I of the Constitution vests Congress, not the President, with the “Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises.” Trump’s executive orders cite the powers granted by the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), but that law applies only when an emergency presents an “unusual and extraordinary threat” from abroad and does not empower the president to impose tariffs. Congress enacted IEEPA in 1977. No other president has imposed tariffs based on IEEPA.

The multistate lawsuit, which Ferguson’s brief filed today supports, asserts that the president does not have the authority to impose these steep tariffs without Congressional approval. It also challenges Trump’s plan to raise tariffs on imports from 46 other trading partners, scheduled to go into effect July 9.

Ferguson argues that the economy, businesses, and consumers in Washington, which is the country’s ninth-largest state exporter of goods, will “suffer unique and disproportionate harm from President Trump’s reckless and unprecedented tariffs.”

For example, China, Canda and Mexico are three of Washington’s top trading partners. Together, these three countries account for nearly half of Washington’s imports. In 2024, Washington companies exported $12 billion in goods to China, $7.9 billion in goods to Canada and $4.3 billion in goods to Mexico.

In all, Washington companies shipped $57.8 billion worth of goods to the world in 2024. Nearly $120 billion in exports and imports flowed through Washington state ports last year. As of 2022, Washington goods exports supported an estimated 160,000 jobs across the state, almost 18 percent above the national average.

The tariffs imposed by the Trump Administration on Canada, China, and Mexico in March 2025 alone were projected to add $4 billion in costs to Washington state imports from those countries. Altogether, the illegal tariffs could cost Washington companies an estimated $18 to $21 billion. By comparison, last year Washington companies paid just $2 billion in total tariffs on all imports from all countries — meaning the new tariffs could increase the state’s tariff burden tenfold.   

The economic uncertainty and upheaval spurred by Trump’s tariffs are already causing severe disruptions for Washington businesses, including halting hiring and expansion plans and raising prices on goods. Tariffs are projected to raise the cost of everything from electricity transmission and new homes to coffee and children’s toys.

Moreover, retaliatory tariffs from other countries are particularly burdensome to smaller manufacturers, which operate on tighter margins with less flexibility to absorb or pass on increased costs. Of the more than 12,000 companies that export goods from Washington, 90 percent are small- and medium-sized businesses.

The Governor’s coalition includes unions, such as Teamsters 117, which represents members at hundreds of worksites across Washington. These members work in cold storage, warehousing, light manufacturing and production. If the tariffs are allowed to continue, they could cost Teamsters members their jobs.

The coalition also includes business owners, such as North Cascades Builders Supply in Okanogan County. The company has operated for 27 years, a majority of those in partnership with a Canadian window manufacturer. While they are not yet facing tariffs, the uncertainty caused by the tariffs has caused the company to lose large projects totaling a quarter million dollars in sales.  

Studies of Trump’s first-term tariffs show that 95 percent of the costs were paid by American consumers. The Federal Reserve and the International Monetary Fund project that this round of tariffs will cause inflation.

Attorneys general in 12 states joined the lawsuit challenging Trump’s illegal tariffs. They are: Oregon, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York and Vermont.

Parties that signed onto Governor Ferguson’s brief include:

• Teamsters 117
• Washington Economic Development Association
• Greater Everett Chamber of Commerce
• International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District 751
• North Cascades Builders Supply
• Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace, IFPTE Local 2001
• Northwest Regional Counsel, Sheet metal, Air, rail & Transportation Local 66
• Iron Workers Local Union 86
• Susan Yirku, Pacific County Economic Development Council
• Man Wang, Executive Director of Washington State China Relations Council
• Mike Pellicciotti, Washington State Treasurer
• Jamie Pedersen (D-43), State Senate Majority Leader
• Manka Dhingra (D-45), State Senate Deputy Majority Leader
• Joe Fitzgibbon (D-34), Washington State House
• Noel Frame (D-36), Washington State Senate
• Marko Liias (D-21), Washington State Senate
• June Robinson (D-38), Washington State Senate
• Jesse Salomon (D-32), Washington State Senate
• Chris Stearns (D- 47), Washington State House
• Derek Stanford (D-1), Washington State Senate
• Javier Valdez (D-46), Washington State Senate
• Lisa Brown, Mayor of Spokane
• Bruce Harrell, Mayor of Seattle

Acting DSHS Secretary Cheryl Strange retires, recruitment for permanent secretary nearing completion

SEATTLE — Governor Bob Ferguson today appointed Debbie Driver to his Executive Leadership Team as his Legislative Director. He also announced the retirement of Acting Secretary of the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services Cheryl Strange, and the appointment of Bea Rector as the new acting secretary as the office finalizes the recruitment for a permanent secretary.

New Legislative Director

Debbie Driver has a deep background in working with elected officials. She previously served as Governor Jay Inslee’s Transportation Senior Policy Advisor, the Washington State Department of Transportation Legislative Relations Director, and as a policy and fiscal analyst with the Washington State House of Representatives serving multiple committees, including transportation, appropriations, higher education and energy. 

“Debbie brings a broad range of skills and expertise to our Executive Leadership Team,” Governor Ferguson said. “She is well suited to tackle the most consequential issues affecting Washingtonians and I look forward to working with her to improve our state.”

Driver currently serves as the Northwest Division Government Relations Director at HNTB, where she oversees government relations in Washington, Oregon, Colorado and Utah. She earned her Master of Public Administration from the University of Washington Evans School of Public Policy and Governance, where she currently teaches a Legislative Relations course to aspiring public policy leaders.

Driver lives in Olympia, where she enjoys reading, traveling, and mountain biking. Her appointment is effective June 3, 2025.

Congratulations to Cheryl Strange, new Acting Secretary Bea Rector 

After more than 40 years of public service, Acting DSHS Secretary Cheryl Strange retires on May 23. 

Strange served as Deputy Secretary of the Department of Corrections from 2008-2011, and Secretary from 2021-2025. At DOC, she spearheaded reentry, work release and behavioral health initiatives and implemented a culture of change and innovation that continues today. As a two-time Secretary of the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services, and as the Chief Executive Officer at Western State Hospital, Strange led the charge to transform the hospital and the way in which all agency services are delivered, never wavering in her commitment to improving the lives of those the agency serves. 

“Cheryl has a remarkable gift for cultivating human-centered and equitable organizational cultures and delivering noteworthy results,” Governor Ferguson  said. “She has been a public servant in every sense during her distinguished career. I am grateful for her service. Thank you to Bea for stepping in to take the reins as we finalize our search for a permanent secretary.”

Bea Rector is the Assistant Secretary of the Home and Community Living Administration in Washington State’s Department of Social and Health Services. She has worked at DSHS for 25 years, holding senior leadership positions for 18 of those years. 

She holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of Washington. In 2008 Bea received the Governor’s Award for Leadership in Management.

Washington stands to lose approximately $2 billion in Medicaid funding

SEATTLE — At a press conference Thursday at Harborview Medical Center, Governor Bob Ferguson joined health care workers and hospital leaders to urge Congress to abandon its proposed cuts to safety net services, including Medicaid. Nearly 2 million Washingtonians — roughly 1 in 5 — are enrolled in Apple Health, the state’s Medicaid program, including 800,000 children.

A bill passed in the middle of the night by Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives makes nearly $1 trillion in cuts to critical safety net programs, including $700 billion in Medicaid cuts. The proposal now moves to the Senate.

Medicaid is a critical partnership between federal and state governments. Washington stands to lose approximately $2 billion in Medicaid funding over the next four years. The bill also threatens access to health care and food stamps.

The proposed Medicaid cuts aim to reduce federal spending by slashing federal reimbursement for hospitals, nursing homes and providers. Medicaid is a foundational pillar of funding for Washington’s healthcare system. If Congress cuts Medicaid reimbursement, it impacts access to care for all Washingtonians, not just Medicaid enrollees.

“Medicaid is a lifeline to affordable, quality healthcare — and these cuts would impact everyone in Washington who relies on it,” said Governor Ferguson. “Fewer services, fewer doctors and fewer clinics mean Washingtonians in every corner of the state face reduced access to health care. It is both cruel and catastrophic.”

Medicaid in Washington

Washington spends $21 billion on Medicaid annually. Approximately $8 billion of that is paid for by the state, and $13 billion is paid for by the federal government.

More than 105,000 Washingtonians depend on Medicaid for long-term care, and the program covers 3 in 5 nursing home residents and 3 in 8 people with disabilities. It’s the largest payer for opioid use disorder treatment in the state. And more than 45 percent of births in the state are covered by Medicaid — in rural Washington, that number goes up to more than 70 percent.

Impacts of Medicaid cuts in Washington

The legislation that passed the House will:

• Cut federal Medicaid funds to Washington by approximately $2 billion over the next four years.
• Cause approximately 200,000 Washingtonians to lose their health care coverage at the end of 2026.
• Cause hospitals and nursing homes to close. Many are already struggling, and these cuts will push some into closure.

Cuts to other safety net programs

Congress’ proposed cuts go beyond Medicaid, targeting other critical federal programs that support low-income Washingtonians, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, commonly known as food stamps. The legislation cuts SNAP by $267 billion over 10 years, shifting those costs to the states. Those cuts would shift an estimated $300 million in costs to Washington state annually.

Liu joins the King County bench after nearly 17 years at the state Attorney General’s Office

OLYMPIA – Today Governor Bob Ferguson announced the appointment of Kent Liu to the King County Superior Court. Liu’s appointment, effective June 4, fills the position being vacated by Judge Susan H. Amini, who resigned from the bench effective May 31.

Liu is a career prosecutor with three decades of experience, including nearly 17 years at the Washington State Attorney General’s Office. Liu’s broad experience working for the Attorney General has included prosecuting criminal cases, working to civilly commit Sexually Violent Predators, and defending state agencies. Most recently, Liu served as a managing assistant attorney general as the inaugural chief of the office’s Organized Retail Crime Unit.

“Kent Liu has prosecuted many challenging cases in courtrooms across Washington,” Governor Ferguson said. “His expertise and professionalism will make him an excellent King County Superior Court judge.”

“I am extremely honored by Governor Ferguson’s appointment and grateful for the trust placed in me to serve as a judge for King County Superior Court,” Liu said. “I have devoted my career to public service, and I look forward to continuing that service as a Superior Court judge.”

Before joining the Attorney General’s Office, Liu served four years as a special assistant U.S. attorney for the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington. Liu was appointed to the position under the Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative, focusing on prosecuting firearm and violent crimes in federal court. He led investigations and prosecutions of bank robbery and gang-related offenses, including a murder case on Fort Lewis involving six co-defendants. Prior to that, Liu worked as a deputy prosecuting attorney in Pierce County for 12 years, prosecuting a range of cases including homicide, sexual assault, firearm and drug distribution cases.

Outside the courtroom, Liu has participated in community programs aimed at combating firearm-related crimes and providing training to law enforcement agencies. Liu has also volunteered with the King County Bar Association Neighborhood Legal Clinic in Seattle’s International District to provide legal services to low-income families, many of whom speak English as a second language.

Liu has also served as a pro tem judge for Seattle Municipal Court since 2016.

Liu earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington and his law degree from Seattle University School of Law.