TJ Martinell
TJ Martinell is a native Washingtonian and award-winning journalist. Born and raised in Bellevue, he’s been involved in the news industry since working at his high school newspaper.
His investigative reporting for various community newspapers in the Puget Sound region has been recognized by the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association and the Society for Professional Journalists.
A graduate of Eastern Washington University, he has a B.A. in journalism and was the news editor of EWU’s student university newspaper.
Amid uncertainty and despite some objection, lawmakers finalize operating budget
The state legislature voted to approve a final 2020 supplemental budget that adds just under $1 billion in new spending for the 2019-2021 biennium,...
Aerospace tax bill passes legislature
The state legislature has passed SB 6690, a measure that removes aerospace industry tax incentives in order to avoid possible retaliatory tariffs. The bill...
Coronavirus outbreak creating industry uncertainty
The outbreak of the coronavirus in Washington state has led to a state of emergency declaration by Governor Jay Inslee, the closure of numerous...
Bill increases state aid to local infrastructure improvement
The state legislature could pass a bill increasing state contributions to a local government financing program intended to improve infrastructure needed for economic development....
Bill allows sports gambling on tribal lands, excludes card-room casinos
A House bill allowing sports gambling on tribal lands has cleared the legislature after a 2018 U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) decision ruled that states...
‘McCleary mandate’ for carbon reduction?
A House bill that would revise state greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction goals set up in 2008 has cleared the state legislature, though legislators...
Drought bill clears legislature
A measure to improve the state’s response to drought that was introduced last year has finally cleared the legislature following several work sessions last...
Committee to reconsider Tolkienesque name for mountains
The state Board of Natural Resources (BNR) is asking the state Committee on Geographic Names to reconsider a recommendation to name several peaks on...
Plastic bag ban or paper bag tax?
A plastic bag ban proposal that cleared the Senate last year but failed in the House might make it out of the legislature this...
Proposal would incentivize hydropower investments
During the floor debates prior to passage of the Clean Energy Transformation Act (CETA) last year, some legislators called attention to the absence of...
Making Washington airports self-sustaining
The state legislature two years ago approved an aviation loan program to improve community airport infrastructure, and now, legislators are taking a second run...
New Clean Air Rule proposal could be costly for consumers
While scores of truckers, loggers and other stakeholders testified this week against ESHB 1110 which would create a low carbon fuel standard (LCFS), its...
As battle over LCFS continues, stakeholders turn out in force
Stakeholders who oppose a low carbon fuel standard (LCFS) proposal turned out in full force to share their perspectives in Olympia during a critical...
New operating budget adds over $1 billion in new spending
The state legislature swiftly approved the Senate’s proposed 2020 supplemental operating budget just days after both it and the House version were released. SB...
New EIS opposes Snake River dam removal
A U.S. District Court judge in 2016 issued a ruling mandating that a new draft environmental impact statement (EIS) conducted by the three federal...
GMA reform: To wait – or not
Stakeholders are divided over whether state lawmakers should pass HB 2342 sponsored by Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon (D-34) or wait until a possible Growth Management...
Tax incentive bill reveals economic ties
The state legislature in 2003 enacted several tax incentives for aerospace manufacturers such as the Boeing. In a strange turn of events, the company...
“It’s so important that we reduce the risk of punishing tariffs that have already...
– McGregor Company Chairman Alex McGregor testifying on SB 6690 eliminating Boeing’s preferential B&O tax rate.
Washington’s future in “final frontier” economy
State lawmakers in recent years have monitored the emerging private space economy developing in Washington state, and while previous proposals have struggled to take...
Lawmakers and LCFS: ‘Let’s make a deal’
In the ongoing push to implement a low carbon fuel standard (LCFS), more than 30 House Democrats last week cosigned a letter stating that...
No additional tax increases – or cuts – in budget proposals
The state House and Senate operating budget proposals released Feb. 24 call for no additional taxes outside of the business and occupation tax increase...
Stakeholders: Wildfire premobilization bill need adjustment
A bill that would allow premobilization of state resources to local wildfire incidents cleared the state House unanimously on Feb. 18. Now, some stakeholders...
Some emotions run high with new climate proposal
The emotional temperature in Olympia ran high in some quarters during and after a public hearing of the Senate Environment, Energy & Technology Committee...
“We see the passage of a clean fuel standard as a precondition to the...
- a letter to House Transportation Chair Jake Fey and Senate Transportation Chair Steve Hobbs signed by more than 30 House Democrat legislators.
How electric cars could affect state grid
A bill introduced this session would require all new cars sold starting in 2030 to be electric vehicles (EV). Although the legislation failed to...
A move to regulate drinks for kids clears state Senate
The Feb. 13 Senate floor debate over a bill restricting what default beverages a restaurant can offer on its kids’ menu transformed into a...
‘Last ditch’ effort for harvest plan consensus
It’s been five years since the Washington Farm Forestry Association (WFFA) first submitted its alternative harvest plan to the Forest Practices Board (FPB) as...
Angling for LCFS policy continues
Although a low carbon fuel standard (LCFS) bill reintroduced from last session and passed by the state House appears to be going nowhere in...
Hefty bank tax stands as judge upholds title-only bills
This legislative session three bills proposing to end the use of title-only legislation failed to clear their original committees prior to the cutoff date....
High court upholds ST3 car tab tax
The Washington State Supreme Court ruled this week in a 7-2 decision that a provision in a 2015 state law authorizing the ST3 motor...
Foresters highlight need to fund existing support programs
A new proposal in the state legislature to promote urban forestry has some foresters vocalizing the need to fund existing support programs before any...
Bill proposes driverless car regulations
A bill to implement some recommendations made last year by the Washington State Transportation Commission (WSTC) regarding autonomous vehicles (AV) cleared the House Transportation...
Bill requires all new cars sold be electric by 2030
With a state law mandating that Washington utilities provide 100 percent carbon-neutral energy by 2035, a House bill sponsored by Rep. Nicole Macri (D-43)...
Is a measure of car tab relief on its way?
The Senate Transportation Committee has cleared a bill backed by key Senate Democrat leaders that would alter the way Sound Transit calculates its motor...
RUC bill clears Transportation Committee
SB 6586, a measure sponsored by Senate Transportation Vice Chair Rebecca Saldaña (D-37) that creates a road usage charge (RUC) program for electric and...
Clean Air Rule bill advances
A revised HB 289 granting the state Department of Ecology the broad authority to regulate “indirect” carbon emission as part of its Clean Air...
Amid warnings of hit to business community, B&O tax clears legislature
The state House voted 52-45 on Feb. 6 in favor of SB 6492 creating a new set of business and occupation (B&O) taxes and...
Bill would shorten building permit deadlines
As the debate continues over how best to address the cost of housing, building industry stakeholders say that along with housing impact fees, another...
Pierce County’s ‘Trexit’ from ST3
Pierce County voters in 2016 voted by 55 percent in opposition to the $54 billion ST3 transit and light rail tax package. In November,...
Lawsuit drives I-976 proposals
Three bills introduced in the state Senate would codify into law most of Initiative 976 approved by 53 percent of voters in November. Driving...
Another run at jobs tax
Almost two years after opposing a job tax in Seattle that later was rescinded by the City Council with another local business tax possible,...
Stakeholders warn expanding DOE authority could jeopardize business
The Washington State Supreme Court last year invalidated parts of the state Department of Ecology’s (DOE) Clean Air Rule due to a lack of...
B&O tax shuffle gets mixed reviews
The state legislature last year enacted E2SHB 2158, which imposes the business and occupation (B&O) tax surcharge on certain businesses to pay for higher education...
Stakeholders question need to rework water rights
House lawmakers have introduced a proposal that would place some restrictions on water rights transfers in order to address concerns over public interest with...
GMA reform bill lands public hearing
One of the ways policymakers have sought to address the state’s housing crisis is by reforming provisions of the state Growth Management Act (GMA)...
Debate continues over road usage charge
Although state gas tax revenue used to fund state highways has remained stable, state lawmakers behind SB 6586 say now is the time to...
LCFS proposal “destroys our competitiveness”
The state House has voted 52-44 in favor of a low carbon fuel standard (LCFS) program via HB 1110; introduced last year and at...
State bank bill revived
In recent legislative sessions Majority Caucus Vice Chair Bob Hasegawa (D-11) has pushed for the creation of a state bank to fund public infrastructure...
Bills could restructure housing impact fees
Two bills that could affect the structure of local impact fees imposed by cities on new housing construction with the goal of improving housing...
Legislators plan to tweak urban density law
HB 6334 sponsored by Rep. Jesse Salomon (D-32) and its companion bill HB 2343 introduced by Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon (D-34) tweak several provisions in...
Bill would boost salmon production
The House Committee on Rural Development, Agriculture, & Natural Resources is scheduled to vote today on a bill seeking to improve Southern Resident killer...
