Olympia, March 8, 2019

Dear Neighbors,

Happy International Women’s Day! Here at the Senate we are moving forward with progressive legislation to improve the quality of life in all aspects throughout Washington. I’m especially excited this week about the progress we are making on environmental issues.

Prioritizing Good Green Jobs & Our Environment 

100% Clean Energy

Last week, the Senate passed SB 5116, which would transition our economy toward clean, affordable and reliable energy future. The bill would require all electric utilities in Washington to transition to a 100-percent, carbon-neutral electricity supply by 2030 and to 100-percent carbon-free electricity by 2045. This effort is distinguishing Washington as a nationwide leader in adopting a working action plan to reduce our carbon footprint.
Other environmental priorities to watch this week:

  • SB 5489, the HEAL Act, is one of my top priorities. This legislation will define environmental justice in our state and allow its implementation, bringing the interests of unfairly burdened communities to the forefront of decisions about policy, investments, and enforcement.
  • SB 5223 allows households that generate their own clean energy from small-scale, renewable systems to benefit by providing excess energy to Washington’s power grid through net metering. 
  • SB 5811 reduces emissions by improving our state’s clean car standards.
  • SB 5077 reduces plastic waste by restricting single-use plastic straws at restaurants.
  • SB 5322 brings our state into compliance with the federal clean water act and addresses discharges of storm water runoff.

Getting Tough on Wage Theft in Construction


Last week, the Senate passed my bill, SB 5035, which was requested by the Attorney General and advocates tackling the underground economy. This bill supports businesses who pay quality wages to workers on time while holding accountable the few bad actors who conduct wage theft. It increases the minimum penalty for prevailing wage violations and requires public works contractors to retain their payroll records for at least three years, submitting certified payroll records monthly. Legislation like this protects workers from exploitation and ensures they receive a full day’s pay for a full day’s work.  As our construction jobs become increasingly about building green infrastructure, we need to make sure they provide quality careers.

UPDATES


37th District Town Hall
Saturday, March 23 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 pm
Ethiopian Community in Seattle, 8323 Rainier Ave. S.

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