Fixes we can get behind

1-Reducing barriers to entry for local businesses.

Streamline Permitting and Licensing

Modernize Zoning Codes

Reduce Fees and Red Tape

Improve Financing process:
-Local bank & credit union subsidies
-Low or no-interest loans for ag workers

2-Building Local Capital Access for Homegrown Businesses

Revolving Loan Funds (RLFs)

Microloan Programs

Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs)

Local Investment Networks

3-Encouraging Light Manufacturing, Trades and Skilled Production

Small-Scale Manufacturing Hubs

Building a manufacturing work force to help out Fairchild AFB

Zoning for “Production-Friendly” Uses

Workforce Training and Apprenticeships

Trade schools for jobs Fairchild AFB could utilize (welding, plumbing, cooking, etc.)

Increased infrastructure and industrial park investments

4-Leveling the Playing Field for Small Businesses (Fair Competition Policies)

Enforce Anti-Monopoly Laws

Strict overview of big-box retailers pricing out local businesses

Bring One-Click Cancellation to Washington

Limit Subsidies to Big-Box Retailers & provide subsidies to local businesses that accept SNAP

Local Procurement Preferences

Land Use Tools to Check Chains

Foster a Small-Business-Friendly Built Environment

5-Workforce Housing, Live-Work Zoning, and Place-Based Investment to Retain Talent

Expanding Workforce Housing Options

Enabling Live-Work Communities

Place-Based Investment and Placemaking for Talent Retention

1-Automatic Enrollment (with Opt-Out): Cover More Washingtonians without Mandates

Whenever someone interacts with a state system – for example, filing taxes, renewing a driver’s license, or applying for other benefits – Washington would automatically check if they’re uninsured, and if eligible, enroll them in a basic health plan (such as Apple Health Medicaid or a low-cost Exchange plan)

Individuals have the option to opt out

2-Expand Cascade Care Savings: Help Middle-Income Families Afford Insurance

Raise the eligibility for state subsidies to, for example, 400% of Federal Poverty Level (FPL) or higher, ensuring moderate-income families (not just the poorest) get some premium assistance

3-Enforce Healthcare Cost Benchmarks: Hold Big Players Accountable for Excessive Costs

If a hospital system in Spokane continuously hikes prices above the benchmark without clear justification, the state could require it to submit a corrective action plan and potentially levy fines or rate caps if it fails to improve

4- Incentives for Rural and Underserved Providers: Strengthen the Healthcare Workforce in Eastern Washington

Loan Repayment and Scholarships

Rural Residency Programs

Telehealth Support and Infrastructure

Scope-of-Practice Reforms

Local Training Pipelines

5-Simplify Insurance and Improve Transparency: Make the System User-Friendly

Standardized Insurance Plans and Clearer Choices

Insurance Form and Billing Simplification

Drug and Provider Price Transparency

Searchable drug formulary mandate

Simplify Eligibility and Transitions

One-Stop Help for Consumers

All policies with the ultimate goal of moving towards some form of universal healthcare

If insurance companies need to compete with a state funded plan, the companies will need to make their policies more attractive.

1-Lower Rent by Increasing Housing Supply Where LD‑06 Needs It

Reduce upward pressure on rent and home prices by legalizing modest infill, shortening permitting timelines, and lowering non‑construction costs.

-Legalize and Normalize Small Infill Housing

Allow du/tri/fourplexes, and small apartment buildings with min parking requirements near jobs, schools, and services

-Reduce the “Permitting Tax”

Time delays raise financing costs, which are passed directly into rents.

-Stop Loading Housing With Unrelated Costs

2-Lower Childcare Costs by Expanding Supply

Reduce childcare costs by making it easier to open, expand, and staff childcare providers while protecting safety standards.

-Streamline Childcare Licensing and Zoning  

Eliminate duplicative licensing steps, prioritize safety, protect small in-home providers from exclusionary zoning

-Fix Subsidy Cliffs

Reduce income eligibility phase-outs to prevent small raises from triggering large cost increases, increase outreach to eligible families

-Incentivize Capacity Creation

Target tax incentives and grants towards providers creating net-new slots, support employer-based childcare partnerships only when they expand capacity

3-Tax Relief and Transparency for Working Families

Lower the effective cost of living through targeted tax relief and clear visibility into how tax dollars are used.

-Expand the Working Families Tax Credit

Increase outreach and simplify enrollment, consider modest eligibility expansions focused on working households below median income

-Property Tax Fairness

Modernize property tax relief programs for seniors and low-income households, explore broader circuit-breaker protections to prevent residents from being taxed out of their homes

-Radical Transparency

Create a statewide “taxpayer receipt” showing where tax dollars go, require clear, plain language explanations for new local levies