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-Land of the Free

All Your (Fill in the Blank) Belong Us - Soviet of Washington: Has Washington Found a Way to Stop People From Moving Out of the State?

2026-03-20

[Townhall] As more and more people flee blue states and their high-tax, soft-on-crime, expensive cost-of-living environments, Democrats are going to become more desperate to stop the population hemorrhaging. Some places, like California, have tried exit taxes. New York Governor Kathy Hochul begged wealthy New Yorkers to return to fund her fraudulent, expensive welfare programs.

In Washington, they're now forcing people to prove their houses have an acceptable "home energy score" before they're allowed to sell.

According to KOMO News, the new ordinance in Thurston County, the home energy score would "encourage people" to "invest in improvements that lower utility bills and reduce carbon emissions." This means homeowners need a review of their insulation systems, electrical systems, water-heating systems, and more before they can even think about selling their house.
So you have to Agents of The State enter and inspect your house
This doesn't go into effect until next March. Realtors are concerned about the housing market.

If you’re planning to move anyway, sell now and rent until you’re ready.

Opponents say the assessment can cost $350, but low-income households — read, those most likely to be least energy efficient — are exempt. And that's before the costs to make things "energy efficient."

Realtor Dawn Baker said there aren't enough energy assessors to do this work. "With no way to actually gain a score or an assessment, that means we can't list any homes," Baker said. The nearest assessors are in Portland.

The Olympia City Council is set to vote on this measure, too.

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