2024 In Review: Running Through the Tape
2024 was Jay Inslee’s 12th and final year as governor. The governor promised in his State of the State address to “run through the tape,” and that’s exactly what he’s doing. Here’s a look back at some of the biggest moments and readers’ top 5 most-read Medium stories from an action-packed 2024.
Most-read Medium story: Preparing for artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is moving fast. Its possibilities and challenges are growing by the minute. A biochemist at the University of Washington was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his team’s creation of an AI model that predicts the structure of nearly 200 million possible proteins, for example.
In January, Inslee issued an executive order to begin exploring the use of AI to support state operations. The order laid out a process for agencies to assess the feasibility, benefits, and challenges of adopting AI technology.
“We’ve seen how AI is already revolutionizing several industries in good ways — like more efficiency, reduced costs and greater accuracy in some fields,” said Katy Ruckle, the state’s chief privacy officer in the Office of Privacy and Data Protection. “Our goal is to help the state continue using generative AI in ways that help the public while putting up guardrails around uses that present a lot of risk.”
#2 Medium story: Smoothing reentry from prison
When someone is released from prison in Washington state, their only support used to be a little ‘gate money’ and a bus ticket. During the past 12 years, however, Washington has transformed the reentry experience. Those efforts are yielding solid results — a drop in recidivism from 34% in 2015 to 22% in 2020. In another step forward, the governor in September signed a commitment to Reentry 2030, a national initiative to improve reentry success for individuals released from prison.
State agencies are helping individuals released from prison acquire identification, housing and jobs. These efforts are contributing to one of the lowest recidivism rates in the country.
The United States spends $52 billion on corrections each year but leads the world in recidivism. Washington is bucking the national trend. After all, the most successful prison is the one where those released never have to come back.
#3 Medium story: Releasing a future-focused budget
Washington is among several states facing a budget shortfall. The cost to sustain essential services is increasing at a faster pace than revenues. Caseloads are increasing for social safety net programs, a symptom of compounding income inequality. The governor could have proposed a budget that slashed benefits and retreated from progress, but he went another way.
Inslee’s 2025–27 budget proposal includes $2 billion in efficiency savings, and additional revenue from new wealth tax and B&O tax changes. When announcing his proposal, Inslee pointed out Washington’s strong economy has at the same time exacerbated a widening disparity between those with extraordinary wealth and those who struggle to make ends meet. The wealth tax would assess a modest 1 percent tax on the 3,400 Washingtonians with global wealth in excess of $100 million.
“Rolling back our work in areas like mental health, housing and education is not something we can afford, particularly at the moment we’re finally seeing the results of years of work and investments,” Inslee said. “This is a budget that keeps us moving forward, puts working families first, and continues creating a fairer tax system.”
#4 Medium story: Turning the tide on fentanyl
Fentanyl is cheap, available, addictive and deadly. This combination has led to massive loss of life to overdose nationwide. Washington has not been spared.
Gov. Jay Inslee and the Legislature responded with urgency during the 2024 legislative session. A wave of laws passed this year require fentanyl education in schools, wide distribution of overdose-reversing medication, and set aside funding for Tribal substance abuse prevention efforts. And the state continued to invest in recovery resources like newly-opened Evergreen Recovery Center in Everett.
“Somebody asked me about the best thing about being governor,” said Inslee. “For me, it’s stories of healing. It’s when a guy in Vancouver showed me his little pallet shelter and told me about his progress in treatment. Those are stories I want to replicate.”
#5 Medium story: Advancing Equity
2024 was a year of decisive action advancing equity.
In December, Inslee signed two executive orders advancing hiring equity and accessibility within state government. The state had fallen short on prior goals to hire equitably, and the latest EOs commit to removing more barriers to encourage more progress. Among those barriers were arbitrary degree and experience requirements. By removing the requirement of a college degree, Inslee’s Executive Order 24–04 prioritizes an applicant’s professional work experience over their education path.
The state also advanced environmental justice, which prioritizes climate action in communities suffering the most from the effects of manmade climate change. Residents in the state’s 16 communities most impacted by pollution die 2.4 years earlier on average. Climate Commitment Act investments in these communities encompassed air quality monitoring, home weatherization, tree plantings, school air purification, and more.
Other top stories from 2024
Ending capital punishment
Criminal justice reform took another stride forward this year through the formal closing of the state’s last relic of capital punishment. The death chamber at the Walla Walla State Penitentiary was decommissioned for good in September.
Inslee first issued a moratorium on capital punishment in 2014, and the Washington Supreme Court later abolished the practice with a 2018 ruling.
“There is too much at stake to accept an imperfect system,” said Inslee.
Choosing Washington’s course
Perhaps the most consequential decisions in state government this year were those made by voters during the recent election.
By massive margins, Washingtonians voted to preserve the state’s cap-and-invest system, its long-term care insurance system, and its progress towards righting an upside-down tax system.
Initiative 2117, which would have repealed the state’s Climate Commitment Act, “failed massively” and has given hope that other states can similarly pursue ambitious carbon-reducing programs. CCA funds are being put to work across Washington state to benefit families, schools, workers and more.
Voters likewise saw justice in protecting Washington’s capital gains tax which fairly taxes a few of the richest Washingtonians on their extraordinary profits on stocks and bonds. Those funds support school construction and early learning. Voters also chose to continue the state’s new long-term care program known as WA Cares. Advocates and legislators have been fine-tuning the program to ensure its success, most recently making it “portable” so people who paid into the program but leave Washington state can still access funds.
Revolutionizing behavioral health
This year was a banner year for behavioral health in Washington state. New investments and reforms are leading to new capacity. In 2024, the state is finally meeting the terms of the Trueblood settlement, and criminal defendants found incompetent for trial are receiving timely care.
A new psychiatric teaching hospital opened at the University of Washington. New wings at Maple Lane, Western and Eastern state hospitals opened.
And a new hospital broke ground in October at Western State Hospital in Lakewood, first opened in 1871 as the Insane Asylum of Washington Territory. As many as 350 new beds will open once the state’s newest forensic hospital opens in 2028.
Championing paid leave
Washington’s best-in-the-nation Paid Family and Medical Leave celebrated its fifth anniversary this year. That milestone coincided with another, much larger milestone: the system’s millionth claim.
As of June, Washington Paid Leave has granted more than 200 million hours of paid leave across over 1 million unique claims to help Washingtonians avoid lost wages around childbirth, family medical issues, or military deployments.
“I didn’t need any other stress,” said Helen, a Paid Leave beneficiary as she healed from a medical issue. “Paid Leave really helped take that away and let me concentrate on listening to what the doctor said.”
Saving salmon
Salmon have swum in Washington for 6 million years, but their own numbers are threatened. Urgent state interventions might save the day.
2024 saw yet another in a long series of cooperative water rights agreements to satisfy the needs of Tribes, agriculture, communities, and fish. An innovative new fish passage facility in Cle Elum opened, a major milestone for an effort Gov. Jay Inslee first joined as a congressman from Selah. And the Biden-Harris Administration struck a deal with the states of Oregon and Washington and Northwestern Tribes regarding salmon recovery and clean energy production along the Columbia River. The historic agreement established a 10-year pause on litigation and will encourage cooperation to save salmon, examine replacement of the benefits of the Columbia River dams, and more.
WSDOT continued its ambitious culvert repair work which has so far opened 680 miles of potential habitat. The Climate Commitment Act is funding hundreds of habitat restoration and barrier removal projects statewide. Also in 2024, the Legislature passed new limits for toxic chemicals including 6PPDs to improve water quality for salmon. And the governor signed an executive order to keep the state committed to salmon recovery far into the future.
Slowly, salmon are returning to migratory channels they had lost. And collaboratively, state agencies, the federal government, Tribes, and communities are improving their chances to thrive again.
