Washington State University President Elson Floyd talks about its partnership with Everett Community College at a scholarship fundraiser Tuesday.

Washington State University President Elson Floyd talks about its partnership with Everett Community College at a scholarship fundraiser Tuesday.

Washington State University President Elson Floyd talks about its partnership with Everett Community College at a scholarship fundraiser Tuesday.

Washington State University President Elson Floyd talks about its partnership with Everett Community College at a scholarship fundraiser Tuesday.

Washington State University President Elson Floyd talks about its partnership with Everett Community College at a scholarship fundraiser Tuesday.

Washington state appears to be the first major government to seriously explore the possibility of pushing workers into the federal health exchange.

Washington State University President Elson Floyd talks about its partnership with Everett Community College at a scholarship fundraiser Tuesday.

The state just completed a six-year effort to rewrite its laws using gender neutral language.Terms like fisherman and freshman were replaced by "fisher" and "first year student." "Penmanship" became "handwriting."

Washington State University President Elson Floyd talks about its partnership with Everett Community College at a scholarship fundraiser Tuesday.

Washington state lawmakers have found a creative way to pass a large chunk of their health care expenses along to Washington, D.C.

Washington State University President Elson Floyd talks about its partnership with Everett Community College at a scholarship fundraiser Tuesday.

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — In a move that would capitalize on provisions under President Barack Obama's health care law but could cost the federal government millions of dollars, Washington state lawmakers have found a creative way to pass a large chunk of their health care expenses along to Washington, D.C. — and analysts say others are likely to follow suit.        

Washington State University President Elson Floyd talks about its partnership with Everett Community College at a scholarship fundraiser Tuesday.

Washington State University President Elson Floyd talks about its partnership with Everett Community College at a scholarship fundraiser Tuesday.

Washington State University President Elson Floyd talks about its partnership with Everett Community College at a scholarship fundraiser Tuesday.

The measure, which would avoid a tax increase, passes by a 25-23 vote and heads to the House, where a majority favors raising tax revenues.

Lawmakers abandon extending the beer tax, which one budget writer thinks might have been subjected to a ballot challenge from large brewers.

Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee passed on Monday a ban on gender-specific words in state laws, calling for the rewrite of legislation that mention terms like "fisherman" and "freshman." Now state officials will have to go back and replace the texts with words like "fisher" and "first-year student," the Toronto ...

A transportation revenue package funding several large highway projects and paid for in part by a 10-cent increase in Washington state's gas tax advanced from a House committee Monday. Among the projects ...

By Laura L. Myers SEATTLE, April 22 (Reuters) - Washington state's governor signed into law on Monday the final piece of a six-year effort to rewrite state laws using gender-neutral vocabulary, replacing terms such as "fisherman" and "freshman" with "fisher" and "first-year student."