Steve Tharinger

This bill would increase funding to the education legacy trust account by making the capital gains and estate taxes more progressive, sharply raising the burden on successful families and entrepreneurs. It doubles down on Washington’s war on savings, investment, and wealth creation. CPAC opposes capital gains and estate tax hikes that punish success and drive capital out of the state and opposed this bill. The House passed this bill on 2025-04-23 by a vote of 53-45. The bill later became law.

This bill expands the child welfare housing assistance program, increasing state support for housing costs in cases tied to child welfare involvement. It grows another niche social program instead of pursuing broader pro-family economic policies. CPAC is wary of expanding permanent subsidy programs rather than addressing root economic and regulatory drivers and opposed this bill. The House passed this bill on 2025-03-03 by a vote of 62-35. The bill later became law.

This bill revises rules related to the safety and health of working minors, imposing additional requirements on employers. While framed as protection, it risks adding compliance burdens that make it harder for teens to find entry-level work. CPAC supports youth employment opportunities and opposes excessive regulation that discourages hiring minors, so it opposed this bill. The House passed this bill on 2025-03-10 by a vote of 60-35. The bill later became law.

This bill extends eligibility for the students experiencing homelessness and foster youth program to an accredited tribal college, expanding a targeted support program. It further fragments aid through institution-specific carve-outs rather than broad, neutral policy. CPAC prefers neutral, less bureaucratic solutions over ever-expanding specialized programs and opposed this bill. The House passed this bill on 2025-02-20 by a vote of 62-33. The bill later became law.

This bill adds a voting student member to the state board for community and technical colleges, inviting more short-term political pressure onto a governing body that should focus on long-term stewardship. It risks turning governance into another forum for campus activism. CPAC opposes restructuring state boards to institutionalize transient activist voices and opposed this bill. The House passed this bill on 2025-03-11 by a vote of 75-20. The bill later became law.

This bill standardizes basic training and certification requirements for long-term care workers who provide in-home care for their own family members, including spouses or domestic partners. It treats family caregivers like formal agency staff and burdens them with state coursework and credentials. CPAC opposes imposing rigid licensing-style mandates on families caring for their own loved ones and opposed this bill. The House passed this bill on 2025-02-06 by a vote of 88-8. The bill later became law.

This bill authorizes community and technical colleges to provide tuition waivers for tribal elders. It expands a narrow, identity-based benefit rather than pursuing broad-based tuition relief or cost reduction. CPAC prefers universally lower tuition and opposes ever-expanding identity-targeted waivers and opposed this bill. The House passed this bill on 2025-04-12 by a vote of 78-17. The bill later became law.

This bill adopts the respiratory care interstate compact, allowing licensed respiratory therapists to practice more readily in Washington if licensed in member states. It reduces duplicative licensing barriers and enhances patient access to care. CPAC supports interstate licensure compacts that lower occupational licensing hurdles and supported this bill. The House passed this bill on 2025-03-04 by a vote of 97-0. The bill later became law.

This bill adds two voting members who are transit users to the governing boards of public transportation benefit areas. It risks tilting transit governance toward activist riders rather than fiscal responsibility and system performance. CPAC opposes restructuring local boards in ways that can sideline taxpayers and property owners and opposed this bill. The House passed this bill on 2025-03-05 by a vote of 64-33. The bill later became law.

This bill allows employees to use paid sick leave to prepare for or participate in certain immigration proceedings. It repurposes employer-funded benefits to subsidize immigration-related legal processes. CPAC opposes expanding workplace mandates to underwrite immigration advocacy and opposed this bill. The House passed this bill on 2025-03-06 by a vote of 58-39. The bill later became law.

This bill changes the Washington college grant and college bound scholarship programs to broaden eligibility and increase state-backed higher education subsidies. It further entrenches taxpayer-funded college entitlements rather than focusing on affordability through market reforms. CPAC opposes continuously expanding open-ended higher education subsidies that fuel tuition inflation and opposed this bill. The House passed this bill on 2025-04-24 by a vote of 55-43. The bill later became law.

This bill designates civil immigration enforcement activities by bail bond recovery agents as unprofessional conduct, effectively chilling their ability to assist lawful federal enforcement. It turns state licensing rules into a weapon against border security. CPAC supports immigration enforcement and opposes efforts to intimidate those who assist it, so it opposed this bill. The House passed this bill on 2025-04-10 by a vote of 58-37. The bill later became law.

This bill requires social equity impact analyses as part of performance audits and legislative public hearings, embedding DEI ideology into core oversight processes. It shifts focus from efficiency and accountability to activist narratives about race and equity. CPAC opposes mandatory DEI and equity mandates in government decision-making and opposed this bill. The House passed this bill on 2025-04-09 by a vote of 59-39. The bill later became law.

This bill revises the sustainable farms and fields grant program, tying agricultural practices more tightly to environmental and climate mandates. It nudges farmers toward government-approved models instead of letting markets and landowners lead. CPAC opposes climate-driven micromanagement of agriculture and opposed this bill. The House passed this bill on 2025-04-09 by a vote of 93-5. The bill later became law.

This bill restructures business and occupation tax surcharges and rates, including adding a temporary B&O surcharge on large companies while tweaking existing deductions. It leans on the private sector yet again to feed ever-growing government spending. CPAC opposes new and higher business taxes that drive investment and jobs out of the state and opposed this bill. The House passed this bill on 2025-04-22 by a vote of 50-48. The bill later became law.

This bill modifies child care and early childhood development programs, further entrenching state-managed systems and complex regulations. It centralizes decisions best left to parents, private providers, and local communities. CPAC opposes expanding government-run child care bureaucracies at the expense of family choice and opposed this bill. The House passed this bill on 2025-04-23 by a vote of 87-10. The bill later became law.

This bill expands voter registration services through more government agencies, moving Washington closer to de facto automatic voter registration. It increases the risk of bloated and inaccurate voter rolls vulnerable to abuse. CPAC supports secure, intentional voter registration and opposes bureaucratic mass-registration schemes, so it opposed this bill. The House passed this bill on 2025-04-11 by a vote of 59-37. The bill later became law.

This bill restricts employers from certain workplace actions that reference or involve an employee’s immigration status, effectively weaponizing labor rules against cooperation with immigration enforcement. It risks turning basic employer communications into potential legal traps. CPAC opposes attempts to undermine immigration law enforcement and burden employers with vague liability and opposed this bill. The House passed this bill on 2025-04-14 by a vote of 59-38. The bill later became law.

This bill modifies eligibility for the college bound scholarship to advance so-called “equity” objectives in how aid is distributed. It shifts awards further away from merit and financial need toward politicized criteria. CPAC opposes DEI-style redistribution and identity-based preferences in education and opposed this bill. The House passed this bill on 2025-04-10 by a vote of 89-5. The bill later became law.

This bill tightens requirements for the purchase, transfer, and possession of firearms, layering new hoops and delays on law-abiding gun owners. It advances the gun-control agenda while doing little to deter criminals who already ignore the law. CPAC defends the Second Amendment against incremental infringements and opposed this bill. The House passed this bill on 2025-03-08 by a vote of 58-38. The bill later became law.