House Bill 2414, which would create a criminal street gang activity nuisance law, was made eligible today by the Senate Rules Committee for a vote by the full Senate. The measure’s chief supporter in the upper chamber of the Legislature, Sen. Curtis King, R-Yakima, said such a law would give...

The Washington State Senate on Tuesday unanimously passed Senate Bill 6524, which would ease the penalty for businesses that fail to pay their unemployment insurance tax in a timely manner. The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Curtis King, R-Yakima, said reducing that burden will help small businesses that are struggling to survive....

Today the Washington State Senate adopted Senate Resolution 8690, sponsored by Sen. Curtis King, R-Yakima, honoring those whose hard work and dedication assisted in the swift recovery effort following the Nile Valley Landslide on Oct. 11. “On October 11 the Nile Valley landslide devastated our community, forcing many people out...

The Washington State Senate on Tuesday passed Senate Bill 6843, which would suspend a key provision of the taxpayer protection law created by Initiative 960. SB 6843 would repeal the two-thirds legislative vote requirement for final passage of any tax increase bill until July 1, 2011, which covers the 2010...

The Senate today took a break from voting on the 99th day of its scheduled 105-day session to unanimously approve a resolution recognizing the career of Ben Soria, who is stepping down June 30 after nine years as Yakima School District superintendent and 21 years of service as a school...

Sen. Curtis King says the Valley Mall Boulevard/Interstate 82 interchange project, which was at risk of being delayed to 2016, will remain on schedule now that the Legislature has passed a bill to appropriate about $340 million in federal transportation stimulus money. “Representatives Johnson and Ross helped move the bill...

Legislation purporting to help child care centers by allowing collective bargaining is likely to have the opposite effect, taking money from centers while raising costs for parents, say Sen. Janéa Holmquist, R-Moses Lake and Sen. Curtis King, R-Yakima. They serve on the Senate Labor, Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee, which...

Sen. Curtis King and Rep. Charles Ross have scheduled a pair of town hall meetings for Saturday, March 29. The meetings will be in southeast Yakima from 10 to 11 a.m. and in West Valley from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Ross, R-Naches, and King, R-Yakima, will report to residents of...

The Legislature should be willing to reopen the two-year state operating budget approved in 2007 if that’s what it takes to bring spending more in line with revenue, said Sen. Curtis King, R-Yakima. The state’s quarterly revenue forecast was released this afternoon. It predicts the state treasury will take in...