By Bill Lucia | Editor
State Rep. Tarra Simmons will get a chance to defend herself in a public hearing next month against allegations she violated state ethics rules. The charges have brewed for more than a year. They hinge on claims involving how the Bremerton Democrat used her influence as a lawmaker and leftover campaign funds to assist two nonprofit groups. The issues include her pressing for state dollars to go to a nonprofit where she previously worked. Simmons has a high profile as the first formerly incarcerated member of the Washington Legislature and as speaker pro tem, a role where she frequently presides over floor proceedings during sessions.
Also in today’s edition…
Food stamp enrollment drops in Washington.
A new Amtrak train arrives in the region.
And, how a handful of states are looking to force oil companies to cover rising insurance costs.
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The Legislative Ethics Board is set to hold hearings next month on allegations that Rep. Tarra Simmons violated state ethics laws. (Photo courtesy of Legislative Support Services)
By Jerry Cornfield
Simmons denies wrongdoing and says the allegations against her in the ethics case are unsubstantiated. As the situation has dragged on, she also says her political foes have seized on it in an ongoing campaign of harassment. This comes during a year when she’s running for reelection. “Even if all of the facts were true, which they are not, there is no evidence that I violated any ethical rules,” Simmons said.
But the Legislative Ethics Board concluded last fall that “reasonable cause existed” that Simmons did break conflict of interest and special privilege laws. Simmons rejected the finding, setting the stage for a public hearing in Olympia on June 8 and 9. These hearings are rare. The last one was about a decade ago. If she’s found to have breached the rules, she could be fined $5,000 per violation and ordered to pay the state’s costs.
By Jake Goldstein-Street
Food stamp enrollment in Washington fell sharply between last summer and early this year amid federal cuts and as fewer immigrants accessed benefits. Households receiving food assistance dropped from 548,000 in March 2025 to 525,000 in March this year. State officials say some of the decrease can be attributed to last fall’s federal government shutdown, which threatened the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, and similar food programs.
In Washington, Basic Food benefits include the federal SNAP program and the state’s Food Assistance Program, which mirrors SNAP but extends benefits to immigrants with lawful status who don’t qualify for the federal version. Noncitizen enrollment in Basic Food has plummeted roughly 23%, from over 47,000 households to 36,500. The peak was nearly 50,000 in fall 2024, before President Donald Trump retook office.
New Amtrak Cascades train arrives for final testing
By Tom Banse
The first of eight modern new trains slated for the Amtrak Cascades line rolled into western Washington over the weekend to begin a final testing stage.
"A new era for passenger rail arrived in Seattle," Amtrak crowed in an announcement Sunday, sure to warm the hearts of train enthusiasts in the Northwest.
The first of eight new Airo trains coming to the Amtrak Cascades route was spotted Sunday at Amtrak's Seattle rail maintenance yard. (Photo by Tom Banse)
Amtrak placed a large order for new trains in 2021 as part of a nationwide modernization campaign. The Amtrak Cascades service will be the first to receive the next-generation railcars from the national fleet renewal order.
The new model is named an Airo trainset. It features greater passenger capacity than the decades-old trains now in use on the Amtrak Cascades route. The Airo trains have large windows, power outlets at every seat, movable headrests and a revamped cafe car, among other amenities.
Amtrak said that before it can welcome passengers on board, it still needs to do staff training, along with practice runs and testing on the Cascades line. The railway estimated its new trains will enter service sometime in the fall.
The Amtrak Cascades route stretches from Eugene, Oregon, to Vancouver, Canada. The Oregon and Washington state transportation departments subsidize the regional service.
For more on the new trains, see: New Amtrak trains coming soon to Pacific Northwest, but not in time for World Cup
By Alex Brown
In at least three states, Democratic lawmakers introduced bills this session to allow insurance companies or state attorneys general to take action against oil companies to offset rising insurance costs.
None of the measures became law. But they signal the increasing urgency in states where wildfires, floods and other disasters have driven up insurance premiums and led some insurers to stop writing new policies.
The states where lawmakers introduced the bills include California, Hawaii and New York.
California has seen a surge of policies on its state-backed “last resort” insurance plan as residents fail to find coverage on the private market. California’s plan was hit with billions in losses and sought rate hikes after the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires.
ICYMI
Judge rejects lawsuit against rewrite of WA parental rights law | by Jake Goldstein-Street
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