TJ Martinell
TJ Martinell has five-plus years of news reporting experience, and has worked as an SEO specialist. He is a graduate of Eastern Washington University.
Navigating a post-McCleary classroom
After six years and $9.5 billion in new spending, the Washington State Supreme Court ruled last week that the state legislature was finally in...
Is ST3 car tab tax unconstitutional?
A class action lawsuit recently filed against Sound Transit and Washington state by seven plaintiffs could answer the question already asked by some lawmakers...
Seattle businesses decapitate head tax
Following a rowdy public comment period and unruly attendees, the Seattle City Council voted at a Tuesday special meeting to repeal the ordinance that...
Supreme Court sides with tribes in culvert ruling
In a split decision, the United States Supreme Court has upheld a lower court ruling ordering Washington state to remove fish barriers that local...
Will Seattle job tax affect state economy?
If Seattle’s recently approved job tax survives a voter initiative backed by the local business community and possible legislative action, its direct impact on...
Preserving Washington’s prosperity
Eight years since Washington voters overwhelmingly rejected Initiative 1098 that would have created a progressive income tax, state revenue has grown from approximately $29...
The new ‘battle for Seattle’
It’s a fight where the battlefields are drawn by political jurisdictions, casualties are measured by lost economic output, and victories are determined by new...
‘Right to work’ ruling could change public sector landscape
The state of Illinois is in a financial mess; every resident owes $11,000 for $150 billion in unfunded public pension liabilities. The state’s credit...
Lens Video: Washington prepares for wildfire season
Lens was on site at a controlled burn May 16 outside of Yakima as part of the state Department of Natural Resources' interagency wildfire...
Trial by fire: State prepares for wildfire season
In recent years, prescribed burning has regained popularity as a one way for state and federal agencies to restore the millions of acres of...
Right to work for public employees?
A case currently before the United States Supreme Court may soon determine whether public employees throughout the country have to pay union dues –...
“Taxing jobs is ‘counterproductive”
King County Executive Dow Constantine on Seattle’s proposed head tax.
Lens Reflections: Washington’s Arrested Development
In recent years, major development efforts in Washington state have floundered due to environmental regulations that in the past would have stymied major infrastructure...
Closing the lid on soda tax
As Seattle’s business community pushes back against a proposed head tax, a coalition of employers and workers unions wants to quarantine the city’s soda...
Congress may decide fate of the lower Snake River dams
A U.S. House resolution backed by three Washington Republican lawmakers protecting the lower Snake River dams from breaching to improve endangered salmon species populations...
Digital world solutions to physical world problems
New technology can bring uncertainty about its impact on society. As companies such as Waymo begin rolling out self-driving vehicles, safety concerns have led...
First GMA appeal under new Hirst law
Earlier this year state lawmakers and Governor Jay Inslee approved a law addressing rural growth restrictions imposed by the State Supreme Court’s 2016 Hirst...
High stakes in fish barrier ruling
Under consideration by the U.S. Supreme Court is a case between Washington state and Native American tribes concerning treaty fishing rights and the removal...
Carbon tax initiative raises numerous questions
Although efforts in the state legislature earlier this year to enact a carbon tax were unsuccessful despite Democrat control of both chambers, proponents could...
Initiative opens government labor talks to public
Governor Jay Inslee’s Office of Financial Management (OFM) next week will begin collective bargaining agreement (CBA) negotiations with public unions in meetings that are...
App demand for road user charge fee
One planned feature of the Washington State Transportation Commission’s (WSTC) ongoing road user charge (RUC) pilot program is obtaining frequent participant feedback on their...
How safety shapes driverless car technology
A new state law that takes effect in June creates a state work group that assists the Washington State Transportation Commission on making annual...
End of “fire-borrowing” era
In recent years, the rising cost of fighting wildfires in National Forests has forced the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) to pay for fire suppression...
The politics of congestion tolling
Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan has announced plans to toll certain roads in the city to reduce congestion and carbon emissions. Although the details aren’t...
The cost of McCleary compliance
With another billion in new basic education spending for teacher salaries included in the 2018 supplemental budget by the state legislature this session, lawmakers...
How healthy is Washington’s manufacturing industry?
Of recent interest to both state lawmakers and the business community is the health of Washington’s manufacturing industry. Since 2000, the sector has shrunk...
Pacific Salmon population explosion
As Washington stakeholders and policymakers explore ways to increase the state’s population of certain salmon protected as endangered species under federal law, the Pacific...
Washington’s B&O tax ‘injustice’
This year’s legislative session ended without a reduced business and occupation (B&O) rate for manufacturers, a major priority for the state business community. The...
Avoiding a misfire with Cascadia bullet train
Proponents of an ultra-high-speed rail line between British Columbia, Seattle and Oregon recently achieved another necessary step toward realizing that vision, while recent nightmare...
Treading lightly on “no man’s land”
The state Wildland Fire Advisory Committee isn’t wasting any time thinking of ways to combat wildfires in areas outside of any jurisdiction, also known...
Treasurer warns of raiding rainy day fund
Washington state is expected to receive billions in unexpected revenue in the 2017-19 biennium, and the legislature’s intent via the 2018 supplemental operating budget...
Running the circuit for electric vehicles
A state sales tax exemption for electric vehicle purchases in Washington state is set to expire after reaching a threshold set by the legislature...
Seattle ripe for ‘cottage’ industry
The city of Seattle has 55,000 ways to add more rentals to the market without developing new land. That’s according to a recent article...
Truckers oppose road mileage charge
Washington state is conducting a road user charge (RUC) fee pilot program to test different ways drivers might one day track and pay a...
When driverless cars and public policy collide
A recent deadly accident in Arizona involving a self-driving Uber vehicle and the company’s decision to halt their use on roads indicates the level...
Wildfires in “no man’s land”
Outside the jurisdiction of Washington’s 417 fire departments and fire stations are regions of the state known as “no man’s land”; territory where no...
Seasonal worker housing divides small town community
A controversy within a tiny Central Washington community over a proposed housing unit on private land along its Main Street for foreign seasonal workers...
Navigating a road mileage charge
Washington’s road user charge (RUC) fee pilot program is underway with 2,000 volunteer drivers testing out a variety of ways to keep track of...
Roadmap for Sound Transit future
Puget Sound drivers who want a reduced ST3 car tab tax may have to get as loud as the Seahawks stadium at gametime if...
Supplemental budget tax-free, no B&O relief
The Washington legislature has agreed to a supplemental operating budget for the 2017-19 biennium that does not include new taxes as originally proposed in...
The cost of a property tax cut
Washingtonians could get a state property tax rate reduction next year, but it may cost them more than they want to pay.
After debating the...
Senate fight tables tax relief bill
A narrowly split Washington Senate is at an impasse for the moment over a bill that calls for what some say is an illegal...
The route to driverless cars
Driverless vehicle technology is still under development, but Washington stakeholders aren’t waiting to encourage its inclusion in regional transportation policy. A presentation last year...
Aviation loan program clears runway
For the first time in 10 years, Bowerman Airport in the Port of Grays Harbor announced that all of its 28 hangers are leased...
The dark side of carbon tax’s demise
After the election of Sen. Manka Dhingra in the 45th legislative district gave Democrats control of both legislative chambers and the governorship, some wondered...
The striking cost of “meager” ST3 tax relief
In the fight to reduce the new ST3 car tab tax for Puget Sound drivers, no matter who wins, Sound Transit still wins.
It’s a...
Keeping WA energy affordable
A consortium of legislation introduced this session aims to reduce the state’s carbon emissions, which are already among the lowest in the nation. On...
Legislator: Fear, speculation driving net neutrality action
After a brief but spirited debate, the Washington state Senate approved the first state-level net neutrality legislation in the nation.
SHB 2282 imposes several regulations...
How long will Washington’s good times last?
On the surface, Washington appears to be in good economic shape.
In only eight months, the state’s Economic and Revenue Forecast Council (ERFC) has added...
A “report card” for tax breaks
A frequent debate among legislators is whether excluding an industry or business from a state tax is an incentive that brings more jobs and...
The great rainy day fund raid
State property tax relief for Western Washington homeowners has become a major topic in this year’s legislative session after lawmakers passed EHB 2242 to...
