(The Center Square) – The Seattle City Council has begun discussions on a proposed bill that would amend the city’s App-Based Worker Minimum Payment Ordinance. The bill, sponsored by Seattle City Councilmember Sara Nelson, attempts to reduce labor costs for network companies, while still guaranteeing a minimum earnings standard for app-based workers. Council Bill 120775 would remove minimum wage adjustments, reduce the per-mile rate, and remove the mileage factor from the current minimum wage law,
(The Center Square) – Washington State University announced that T. Chris Riley-Tillman has been selected as the institution of higher learning’s new provost. He will succeed Elizabeth Chilton, provost and executive vice president, starting July 1. The hunt for a replacement ended Thursday on a search began in January after WSU President Kirk Schulz acknowledged the need to separate the chancellor and provost positions. Chilton became provost and executive vice president in 2020 and then
(The Center Square) – The Washington state primary is still more than three months away, but state Democrats are making clear which of the leading Democrats running for governor they will support. There’s no official endorsement at this point, but an organizing effort called the “Coordinated Campaign” has decided to put its eggs in the basket of outgoing Attorney General Bob Ferguson. State Sen. Mark Mullet, D-Issaquah, says he was told about a month ago
(The Center Square) – Washington state’s preemption doctrine limits local governments’ ability to enact policies regarding controlled substances, but Spokane Valley is looking for a way around that. The state’s “Blake fix” drug possession law that went into effect on July 1, 2023, makes illegal drug possession and public drug use gross misdemeanors, with the maximum jail time for the first and second offense up to 180 days per offense. A third arrest could mean
