Washington State Governor Under Increasing Pressure to Allow Building and other Work to Restart Now

Governor Jay Inslee of Washington State issued his current “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order on March 23rd and extended it on April 2nd. It is set to expire on May 4th. However, state lawmakers are pushing the governor to consider allowing a specific set of businesses to reopen, provided they adhere to strict public health guidelines. At the very top of the list are home building and online auto sales, both of which are the state’s top two sources of excise tax revenue. Followed closely by landscaping and in-house cleaning services. Currently, only essential retailers like grocery stores and pharmacies are allowed to operate.