Washington 'millionaires tax' sparks longest Olympia debate in recent memory

Jim Brunner, The Seattle Times on Mar 10, 2026

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OLYMPIA — What started as an evening debate Monday has turned into a marathon at the state Capitol.

By Tuesday afternoon, the state House was still debating a proposed income tax on high earners, more than 21 hours after lawmakers first took up this bill around 5:30 p.m. Monday.

Bleary-eyed lawmakers cycled through speeches and gulped down coffee as they still kept going.

Most lawmakers had not strayed from the House floor as the marathon session continued. Some were able to nab power naps in shifts in rooms off to the side of the chamber. But as they slogged through some 80 amendments, they had to stay close at hand for the votes.

Rep. April Berg, D-Mill Creek, was eating hash browns in a small takeout container as the debate continued Tuesday morning.

"The cafeteria opened at 7 a.m. I've never been so happy in my life," she said.

Berg said she'd gotten 30 minutes of sleep in a "ladies lounge" off the House chamber. "My body just shut down," she said.

As chair of the House Finance Committee, she sponsored the revised version of what Democrats have labeled a "millionaires tax." The measure would create a new state income tax of 9.9% on earnings of more than $1 million a year, helping to fund schools and other state services, while offering some limited tax relief for small businesses and families.

The outcome was not in doubt. Democrats hold a solid majority in the House and were steaming toward passing the bill. But debate stretched through the night as lawmakers considered dozens of amendments, with members allowed up to three minutes to comment on each one.

Early Tuesday morning, to make a point about tax impacts on military service members, Rep. Jeremie Dufault, R-Selah, started belting out the U.S. Army Song.

"And it's hi hi hey! The Army's on its way. Shout off the cadence out and strong, two, three four!" he sang, before getting cut off.

Many of the amendments proposed by Republicans, and a few Democrats, would have cut other taxes, such as the state sales tax, to offset the new income tax on the wealthy.

But Democrats largely stuck together on party line votes rejecting the proposals, sticking to a deal on the income tax proposal that Gov. Bob Ferguson has said he will sign.

"I don't necessarily think every amendment is offered in good faith," Berg said. But she said as eager as Democrats were to pass the new tax, Republicans are equally passionate about blocking it, "so you have to give them their say."

At the very least, Republicans were determined to make it take as long as possible.

"It represents a bad direction for Washington state, and our constituents want us to use every tool at our disposal to try to stop it, even if we can't," said House Minority Leader Drew Stokesbary, R-Auburn, who estimated he was running on 20 minutes of sleep.

Rep. Andrew Barkis, R-Olympia, holding a latte Tuesday morning, said he'd been up for 25 hours, but was energized by messages from supporters who were cheering on the GOP effort to stymie the tax.

"It's just unbelievable the amount of people who are reaching out. I'm just inundated with texts and Facebooks and everything else," he said.

A final House vote on the bill, expected to be wrapped up by some time Tuesday afternoon, would send the measure back to the Senate, and then on to Ferguson.

It was the longest debate in recent memory, several lawmakers said.

House Clerk Bernard Dean said it was the longest debate he recalled since he started working for the Legislature in 2000.

"The fact that we're still here is a testament to the fact that we respect the democratic process, for better or worse, nitty and gritty," said Rep. Brianna Thomas, D-West Seattle.

Rep. Julia Reed, D-Seattle, said majority Democrats have tools they could have used to cut off the debate, "but we're choosing not to use them because we think that this debate should play out."

Even if after 21 hours, with lawmakers not breaking for showers, "there is starting to be a definite funk out there, she said.

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