State Rep. April Berg’s focus in Olympia has become, in her words, the intersectionality of tax policy and “absolutely everything.” As chair of the House Finance Committee, the Mill Creek Democrat understands the state’s financial position in a way few other state lawmakers do.
Lately, that position has been worsening and Berg, as House finance chair, owns some of that. While Legislative Democrats have since 2023 outspent tax revenues, the current total two-year budget has doubled to $80 billion in 10 years. Budget writers have resorted to using one-time money for ongoing operations, levying record tax increases and drawing down reserves to the lowest levels of any state. Washington state’s sterling credit rating is now at risk.
Though Berg acknowledges lawmakers will have to fix mistakes, she has few regrets about the decisions. Berg and her colleagues must muster the fortitude to rein those practices in and return the state to sound fiscal footing. In an interview with the editorial board, Berg expressed a willingness to take on the thorniest of challenges.
Her opponent, Republican Tonya Stadlman, initially demurred and then did not respond to several attempts by The Times editorial board to schedule an interview. The 44th District includes the communities of Snohomish, Mill Creek and Maltby.
One of the trickiest tasks will be efforts to reform the state’s tort liability. Lawsuit payouts this fiscal year surged to a record $614 million. The Legislature can make sensible changes that maintain victims’ access to justice but don’t become so costly they further harm state and local governments’ budgets. Berg is committed to helping on that critical effort.
A former Edmonds and Everett school board member, Berg was first elected to the Legislature in 2020. As finance committee chair, Berg authored the striking amendment in the House — the numerous alterations to the state’s income tax on millionaires, following its Senate passage — that became the income tax bill Gov. Bob Ferguson signed into law earlier this year. The Times editorial board has recommended voters reject the repeal of that law but argued previously that the tax relief was inadequate for such a sweeping tax policy.
If reelected, Berg plans to challenge Rep. Laurie Jinkins, D-Tacoma, to be the House Speaker. Competition for the position is a good thing, within a House Democratic Caucus that may hold a supermajority of seats following this fall’s elections. Give Berg credit for the courage to aspire wrangling a caucus with wide-ranging priorities and personalities.
Berg has not shied away from tough policy discussions. As the backlash against data centers spread throughout the country, both left and right-wing politicians seized on that rage. But Berg brushed aside the notion they should be banned outright. Instead, policymakers should debate publicly ways they can be properly regulated, she has argued.
Berg has also been circulating the prospect of a business “margins” tax, which could once and for all tax businesses not on their gross receipts but rather net income. That’s another herculean lift but worthy of discussion in this next session.
Because of her smarts, willingness to take on difficult debates and a lack of a credible challenger, Berg deserves another chance in Olympia to tackle the myriad challenges facing the state.
