A fresh batch of Washington state laws took effect on 1 July, touching everything from traffic fines to taxes. Here is a look at some of the biggest changes now in force across the state.
Drivers face steeper penalties in work zones. The fine for a first work-zone speed-camera infraction has risen from nothing to 125 dollars, while repeat violations carry a higher set penalty.
The camera program has grown quickly. Officials said the cameras have been used more than 900 times at around 50 job sites since the program began, and the state is now expanding the number of work-zone cameras.
Retirees received a boost to their benefits. Those in Plan 1 of the state's public employees' and teachers' retirement systems will get a one-time three percent cost-of-living adjustment, capped at 110 dollars.
Some data centers will pay more. As of 1 July, operators can no longer use a sales-tax exemption to replace or refurbish old server equipment, though newly built data centers remain eligible for an exemption on their equipment.
Estate taxes are also changing. A new law restores the state's estate-tax rates to their earlier brackets, which range from 10 to 20 percent.
Another change links mortgage lending to wildfire funding. A state requirement for mortgage lenders is being replaced with a financial threshold tied to the size of a lender's annual originations, with the resulting revenue directed toward wildfire preparation and firefighting.