Home  |  About David  |  News & Media  |  Email Updates  |  The Ledger  |  Contact

May 2, 2025

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

The 2025 legislative session is officially over after the Legislature passed the state’s three operating budgets on Sunday, along with billions of dollars in new taxes and fees. The last three and a half months have been a whirlwind for me as a freshman legislator. I have met many great people and learned so many new things. Overall, I’m grateful to be a part of the state Legislature, but I wish there were more bipartisan collaboration to bring the best results to the people of Washington.

Why Is Washington Facing a Budget Deficit?

As you’ve heard many times during the last several months, Washington is facing a budget deficit of about $10 billion. Click here to see a detailed explanation of how we got here. If you’ve been following House Republicans and the media, you know the state is not in a deficit. The economy has slowed just as the state’s chief economist warned it would. However, revenue from state tax collections is still growing year over year. Unfortunately, state government continues to overspend. But first, I want to focus on some good news.

Capital Budget Wins for the 17th District

Unlike the operating budget, the capital budget is primarily funded through bond sales, not general fund state (GFS) revenue. It focuses on long-term physical investments such as public schools, water systems, and community facilities.

The capital budget has a set amount of funding, meaning this money does not affect the deficit in the operating budget or require new taxes. The final capital budget spends $7.57 billion, with more than $15.4 million coming to the 17th District. I voted in favor of this bill. Here are a few highlights.

• $3 million for the White Salmon River Conservation Lands acquisition.
• $2 million for Trout Lake recreation program.
• $1.8 million for the Washougal Community Library building project.
• $1.5 million for the White Salmon Valley pool.
• $1.03 million for the Hemlock Commons at Play Frontier
• $1 million for Skyline Health’s critical hospital infrastructure.
• $940,000 for Western Skamania County public safety complex.
• $618,000 for Klickitat County Courthouse rehabilitation.
• $155,000 for safety equipment for Camas/Washougal firefighters.

For a complete list of our local projects included in the final budget, click here and select “Proposed Compromise” in the “version” menu and the 17th Legislative District in the “district” menu. Then, hit the “View Report” button.

Inflated Operating Budget and Increased Taxes

Now to the operating budget. The majority party originally proposed increasing taxes over the next four years by about $20 billion. Ultimately, they passed a record-setting $77.9 billion 2025-27 operating budget, which included an 8% increase in spending and $9.5 billion in tax increases. I voted against this budget because I believe there’s a more responsible and fair way to invest in Washington’s future.

Our goal should be a budget that reflects our values and works for everyone in Washington. That said, I recognize the importance of working together to move our state forward. While I wasn’t in office when this deficit was created, I understand my role in addressing it now. This budget isn’t perfect, but it contains things we can build on and I’m committed to working with my colleagues to improve life for all Washingtonians.

These are some of the tax bills that passed this session to help fund the budget, which are expected to disproportionately affect already struggling families:

• House Bill 2049: Allows local property taxes to increase and creates McCleary 2.0.
• House Bill 2077: Tesla tax. Excise taxes on the sale or banking of zero-emission credits held by Tesla.
• House Bill 2081: Increases the B&O tax on most businesses, including manufacturers, food producers, financial institutions, and retailers, which will be passed to consumers.
• Senate Bill 5390: Increases the Discover Pass fee by 50%.
• Senate Bill 5583: Increases hunting and fishing license fees.
• Senate Bill 5813: Increases capital gains and estate taxes.
• Senate Bill 5814: Increases the sales tax on various services and goods, including sales tax on cigarettes to more than $5 per pack and a 95% tax on Zyn and other tobacco products.

At a time when many Washingtonians are struggling to make ends meet, state government should be living within its means, not spending more than it has and passing the bill onto taxpayers. The media agrees.

• Editorial: Ruling Democrats, your tax hikes come at a cost to all WA residents – The Seattle Times
• Editorial: Gov. Ferguson, scrub the budget carefully – The Seattle Times
• Editorial: Ferguson weighs risky approach to bottom line – The Columbian

Transportation Budget Comes with Additional Taxes

In addition to the new taxes in the operating budget, the transportation budget will spend $15.5 billion, including $1 billion in Climate Commitment Act funding and $3.2 billion in new revenue. It does not include the House proposal to have $1 billion in reserves over six years. The largest investments include: WSDOT ($11.8 billion); Washington State Ferries ($1.7 billion); Washington State Patrol ($758 million); public transportation ($753 million); and the Department of Licensing ($446 million).

However, this budget relies on $3.2 billion in new taxes and fees, including a $.06 per mile gas tax increase. I voted against the tax increases to fund this budget. Still, I ultimately voted in favor of the budget, which includes $31 million for 2025-27 for the 17th District, with $28.8 million going toward the I-5/179th Interchange. The Hood River to White Salmon Bridge was also funded in this budget with $115 million for this biennium. While the bridge is in the 15th District, it also plays a huge role for commerce and transportation in the 17th District as well.

I know many of you will be disappointed to hear that funding for the Slough Bridge didn’t make it into this budget cycle and I share that disappointment. This project is a top priority for me because I know the danger it presents and how much it matters to our community. The good news is the committee chairs now fully understand the urgency of the issue and know I won’t stop pushing until we get the funding to replace the bridge. While we didn’t get everything we hoped for, this budget does include important investments that our district needs. I’ll keep working to shape future policy, so it better reflects our priorities and serves everyone in our community.

Other Big Issues

Below are several bills we worked hard to oppose. Despite tens of thousands of Washingtonians registering to testify and expressing their opposition, these bills were still passed into law.

Senate Bill 5041: Unemployment Benefits – The majority party passed Senate Bill 5041, which extends unemployment insurance (UI) benefits to workers during a labor strike. This is bad policy and will hurt businesses, especially small ones. We should not pay unemployment benefits to people who choose to go on strike.

House Bill 1296 and Senate Bill 5181: Parental Rights – HB 1296 and SB 5181 override the Parents’ Bill of Rights initiative passed last year. It gives unprecedented rulemaking power to the state superintendent, adds new mandates to local schools, and forces controversial gender-related policies into classrooms and administrative rules. It even includes penalties for schools that don’t comply. These bills remove parental rights, reduce transparency, and push parents out of the equation.

House Bill 1217: Rent Control – Our affordable housing crisis is not improving under the majority party. The Democrats’ answer is House Bill 1217, which will cap annual rent increases at 7% plus inflation, or 10%, whichever is less. People struggle to pay rent, but rent control is not the answer. It harms tenants by causing immediate rent increases. It also reduces the rental housing supply and slows new housing development. Other states have tried this approach with negative results. This is a bad policy that will hurt struggling Washingtonians even more.

Good Legislation to Become Law

The following are just a few of the good bills that passed this session:

House Bill 1539: Establishes the Wildfire Mitigation and Resiliency Standards Work Group.

House Bill 1609: Allows the superintendent more time to supervise the administration of school policies and procedures by sending a designee in his or her place to meetings about timber sales that fund schools.

Senate Bill 5303: Extends water supply milestones to implement the Yakima River Basin Integrated Water Resource Management Plan.

Senate Bill 5358: Specifies that school districts are allowed to enroll sixth grade middle school students in exploratory career and technical education (CTE) courses.

House Bill 1205: Expands the conduct that constitutes criminal impersonation in the second degree to include knowingly distributing a forged digital likeness.

Election-year Restrictions – But Please Continue Reaching Out

Due to election-year restrictions that begin on May 5, I will not be able to send you email updates until after the November general election results are certified. In fact, all my legislative communications will be limited or restricted over the next six months in compliance with state ethics laws. The exception would be if a special session is called.

That said, I am still your full-time state representative and can respond to constituents who contact me throughout the year. I invite you to email, call, or send me a letter anytime, and I will respond as quickly as possible. Thank you for your support. It’s an honor to serve you.

Sincerely,

David Stuebe