Ferguson signs executive orders related to abortion, housing minutes after inauguration

Gov. Bob Ferguson signed his first three executive orders Wednesday afternoon, his first official acts after being sworn in as Washington’s 24th governor.

In his inaugural address, Ferguson said the orders are meant to streamline the state’s administrative process, ease red tape around home construction and strengthen reproductive rights for women. All three executive orders took effect immediately and offer the first sign of how Ferguson will govern in the coming years.

“As your governor, I will continue this focus on measurable, and ambitious, goals,” Ferguson said. “I will have a bias for action.”

Ferguson signed the orders from the governor’s office in the state Capitol moments after taking the oath of office, saying that the orders “are on three important topics for the people of the state of Washington.”

In his first order of business, Ferguson directed the Department of Health to convene a roundtable of medical providers, experts and lawmakers to “recommend strategies for protecting reproductive freedom.”

“I’m proud of the robust legal protections we have in Washington state, including the nation’s strongest health data privacy law – but I am confident there is even more we can do,” Ferguson said.

The order references the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in 2022 to overturn Roe V. Wade, a ruling the executive order says “was the catalyst for a nationwide reproductive care-access crisis, particularly as to abortion care.

“Despite its longstanding commitment to robustly protecting reproductive freedom, Washington is not immune from this nationwide crisis and must be proactive in taking steps to preserve reproductive freedom within this state,” the executive order states.

Following the speech, Republican state Rep. Chris Corry of Yakima said while he appreciated Ferguson’s desire to work with the Trump administration and find commonality, the focus on reproductive health care may “be a bit much.”

“Incoming President Trump has said it’s a state’s issue, and Washington state has been very clear, both as legislators and as citizens who voted on this,” Corry said.

Ferguson, who said last week that Washington must build more than 1 million homes over the next 20 years to meet anticipated demand, also directed state agencies Wednesday to “review all regulations that impact housing, permitting and construction” and identify provisions that can either be streamlined or eliminated.

“Washingtonians need more housing, lots more housing,” Ferguson said during his inaugural address. “We must make it easier, faster and less expensive to build housing of all kinds.”

Ahead of taking office, Ferguson proposed spending $600 million from the state budget to build more housing supply and reduce the cost, part of $800 million in new spending over the next four years that the governor has suggested.

Last week, Ferguson also received a 42-page report with 20 recommendations how to more housing in the state. Ferguson said that adopting the recommendations are one his “top priorities” in office.

“Housing is too expensive, and there’s not enough of it,” Ferguson said during his inaugural address. “Our state government is bogged down by too much bureaucracy.”

Ferguson also called on Washington to streamline its permitting process, a call that received widespread cheers in the House chamber Wednesday afternoon.

“Few things frustrate me more than bureaucracy that creates delays, confusion or extra hurdles when people and businesses need questions answered and results delivered,” Ferguson said. “Our state employees work hard, and we are thankful for their public service. We must do a better job listening to them, and to the public, to find ways to improve customer service and find ways to save money while we are doing it.”

Under the executive order, Ferguson directed state agencies to “cut down their permit and license processing times.”

“We’ll establish quick and transparent deadlines for all agencies to meet – and if an agency doesn’t meet its deadline, they’ll refund your application fee,” Ferguson said.

During a media availability Wednesday afternoon, Sen. Drew MacEwen, the Republican deputy leader, said the permitting reform was “a good start.”

“I think there’s a lot of work to be done there, and unfortunately, when you look at the regulations and the fees and the taxes that have been passed over the last decade, this is not an easy thing to unwind,” said MacEwen, of Shelton. “If there was a magic bullet to fix it, we would have done it, right?”

MacEwen added that he hopes Ferguson’s appointments to the State Building Code Council “reflect people that are in the industry and understand the consequences of what that council does.”

During brief televised remarks Wednesday, Ferguson said a lot of work on the executive orders came out of his transition team.

“I appreciate all of the work and I’m looking forward to getting started,” Ferguson said.

The state’s newly minted governor has indicated that more would likely come in the near future.

“I’ll have more reforms and improvements to announce in the coming weeks. This is just a start to our important work – recognizing the urgency of making government more efficient, responsive and centered on the people,” Ferguson said. “That is the commitment I am bringing to this office, rooted in my values – and the lessons from our shared history.”