Rachel La Corte
Rachel La Corte covers politics and the Washington state Legislature for The Associated Press.
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Steve Hobbs has been sworn in as Washington’s 16th secretary of state. He's the first person of color to head the office and the first Democrat to hold the position in 56 years.
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Gov. Jay Inslee has appointed Democratic state Sen. Steve Hobbs as the state’s 16th secretary of state, marking the first time a Democrat will hold the office since the mid-1960s. Hobbs will replace Republican Secretary of State Kim Wyman, who will leave office Nov. 19 to start a top election security job in the Biden administration.
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Opponents of a mandatory payroll tax to fund Washington state’s new long-term care program have filed a class action lawsuit in federal court seeking to stop the January start of the payroll premium for most employees in the state. The suit was filed on behalf of three businesses in the state and six individuals.
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Washington's Republican secretary of state who challenged former President Donald Trump’s false claims of election fraud in 2020 will lead the Biden administration’s effort to protect future elections. Kim Wyman has led elections in Washington state for years, and she was reelected to a third term in November.
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The Office of Financial Management says that more than 1,800 state workers have been fired, resigned or retired due to the COVID-19 vaccination mandate for state employees.
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Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is extending the state's eviction protections through the end of October. The extension comes every concerns that counties aren’t getting federal COVID-19 relief funds intended for rental assistance out fast enough ahead of the current moratorium that was set to expire Sept. 30.