Politics
WA House Democrats look to tax ‘extraordinary profits’ to pay for education, mental health
A new $52.6 billion budget proposal would rely on about $1.4 billion in new taxes over the next two years.
Melissa Santos
Melissa Santos is formerly a Crosscut staff reporter who covered state politics and the Legislature. She came to Crosscut from The Seattle Times editorial board, where she wrote columns and opinion pi
Latest work
Politics
Teens caught sexting in WA will no longer be treated as criminals
Teens who send nude selfies will no longer face felony sex charges that carry a requirement to register as a sex offender.
Politics
WA nears a first: Offering a public option for health insurance
Lawmakers have already moved to protect people with pre-existing conditions. Now they may make Washington the first state to offer a public health care option.
Politics
In Washington, teen sexting is a felony — but that could change
Lawmakers are reconsidering a law that charges teens who swap nude selfies as harshly as adults who deal in child pornography.
Politics
Fight over safe injection site in Seattle threatens opioid treatment bill
A last-minute attempt to pull funding from agencies that run safe-injection sites is complicating things in Olympia.