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Hosted by Mike McClanahan, The Impact is TVW’s weekly news show, covering decisions at the State Capitol and how they impact you.
Episodes & Posts
Episodes
Posts
12 FEB 2026 · From taxes to public defense funding and the federal phase out of the penny, House Finance Committee leaders from both sides of the aisle weigh in on hot topics for 2026. Guests: Democratic Chair April Berg and Ranking Republican Member Ed Orcutt.
5 FEB 2026 · From surveillance pricing to property tax breaks. Leaders of the House Technology, Economic Development, and Veterans Committee weigh in on a slate of bills dealing with artificial intelligence, consumer protection, and Washington’s tech economy.
Guests: Committee Chair, Democratic Rep. Cindy Ryu and Ranking Republican Member, Rep. Stephanie Barnard.
28 JAN 2026 · New limits on public defender caseloads are rolling out, but Washington is facing a chronic defender shortage. How will the lower caseloads impact recruitment and local government finances? What happens if there aren’t enough lawyers? Snohomish County Office of Public Defense Director Jason Schwarz and Washington State Office of Public Defense Deputy Director Katrin Johnson break down the stakes, the staffing crunch, and what comes next.
22 JAN 2026 · The Impact -- from expanded collective bargaining to the costs of business regulation, we examine the labor and business flashpoints driving the 2026 session.Hear from April Sims, President of the Washington State Labor Council, and Morgan Irwin, Vice President of Government Affairs at the Association of Washington Business.
15 JAN 2026 · An inside look at the high-stakes policy and revenue battles set to dominate Olympia as the 2026 Legislative Session begins. This episode features key takeaways from interviews with Governor Bob Ferguson and top Democratic and Republican leaders in both chambers.
9 DEC 2025 · The Impact breaks down the two major 529 options for college savings in Washington: the GET (Guaranteed Education Tuition) plan and WA529 Invest, a market-based savings portfolio. Luke Minor, Senior Director of Postsecondary Affordability for the Washington Student Achievement Council, offers practical guidance for families who aren’t sure where to begin.
3 DEC 2025 · From chasing stories to leading change, The Impact interviews former investigative reporter Jesse Jones about his new role as director of Your Washington, the state government improvement unit.
19 NOV 2025 · This is a special edition of The Impact taped on-location at the Washington Digital Government Summit in Tacoma, organized by GovTech magazine. The episode features a panel discussion with state, city, and county-level technology leaders answering questions about the use of artificial intelligence in government decision making, workforce displacement, and oversight. The panel also explored the privacy implications of smart infrastructure— such as vehicle-tracking sensors— and efforts to promote digital equity in a rapidly evolving technological landscape.
Panelists:
- Jake Hammock, Seattle Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)
- Bill Kehoe, WaTech Director and Washington State Chief Information Officer (CIO)
- Stephen Heard, interim Chief Information Officer for King County Information Technology
13 NOV 2025 · From wolf conflicts to owl culls — inside Washington’s toughest wildlife decisions. Guest: Julia Smith, WDFW's endangered species recovery manager
6 NOV 2025 · Political writers wade into early returns from the fall election, and what that says for the direction of the legislature next year. "We had a record package of tax increases in the legislature this year. The majority Democrats paid no price at the ballot box," said Paul Queary, Washington Observer.
"I would look for this session for folks who have been hiding things in their back pocket that they didn't use to try to balance the budget last time,” said Jerry Cornfield, Washington State Standard.We also cover the automatic voter registration system error discovered in two counties.Then, we look at why Instagram and Facebook’s parent company, Meta, is in a showdown with the state over Washington’s campaign ad laws.
Hosted by Mike McClanahan, The Impact is TVW’s weekly news show, covering decisions at the State Capitol and how they impact you.
Information
| Author | TVW |
| Organization | TVW |
| Categories | Politics , Government , Education |
| Website | tvw.org |
| programming@tvw.org |
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