gov. jay inslee

Washington becomes first state to offer public health insurance option, long-term care benefit

By • May 13, 2019
Austin Jenkins / Northwest News Network

Washington is poised to become the first state in the nation to offer a public health insurance option, as well as a new, employee-paid long-term care benefit.

Gov. Jay Inslee, a Democrat who is running for president, signed both landmark measures into law Monday at a packed bill signing ceremony in the State Reception Room at the Capitol in Olympia.

Gov. Inslee's security unit balloons as he travels U.S. for presidential campaign

By • Mar 25, 2019
Austin Jenkins / NW News Network

To keep up with Gov. Jay Inslee as he campaigns around the country for president, the Washington State Patrol is preparing to nearly double the size and more than double the budget of the specialty unit that protects him.  

Washington bumps presidential primary vote to March

By • Mar 14, 2019
Austin Jenkins

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, a candidate for the 2020 Democratic nomination, signed legislation Thursday to bump the state’s presidential primary from late May to early March. It’s a move designed to make Washington, a frequently overlooked state with just 12 electoral votes, more relevant in the nominating process.

Clean electricity rule to phase out fossil fuel plants passes WA state Senate

By • Mar 1, 2019
Legislation just passed by the Washington state Senate could accelerate the closure of the coal-fired Colstrip power plant in eastern Montana, co-owned by Bellevue-based PSE and Spokane-based Avista Utilities.
Flickr Photo/Spot Us/Rachel Cernansky (CC BY-SA 2.0) / https://flic.kr/p/aJaQVF

Electric utilities in Washington state would have to phase out all coal power, and eventually, natural gas-fired generation under a measure passed by the state Senate on Friday.

The 100 percent clean electricity mandate is a priority of Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee and environmental groups, but Republican critics decried it as a big rate increase in the making.

Inslee makes tracks to New Hampshire as he weighs presidential bid

By • Jan 22, 2019
In this file photo, Gov. Jay Inslee speaks to reporters after an appearance in January at Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire.
Austin Jenkins / NW News Network

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, on a mini-barnstorm of cold, snowy and wind-whipped New Hampshire, discussed climate change with students on two college campuses Tuesday. The Democrat's trip to the first-in-the-nation primary state comes as he says he's "seriously considering" a run for president in 2020.

Inslee calls for action on climate change, mental health and orcas in State of the State address

By • Jan 15, 2019
Climate change topped Gov. Jay Inslee's list of priorities in his 2019 State of the State speech.
Northwest News Network Photo/Austin Jenkins

Warning that Washington state is at a "tipping point," Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee on Tuesday delivered a State of the State address that called on lawmakers to address carbon pollution, "transform" the mental health system and save Puget Sound orcas.

Inslee’s out-of-state travel schedule will cost an extra $1.3 million, state troopers say

By • Nov 18, 2018
Clay Masters / Iowa Public Radio

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee's busy out-of-state travel schedule has put a strain on the state troopers who protect him and resulted in a spike in overtime costs. As a result, the Washington State Patrol has requested an additional $1.3 million to protect the governor and first lady over the next two years.