Dear friends and neighbors,

The legislative session ended a little over a month ago, and legislators have returned to our districts to connect with constituents, dive deeper into policy, and enjoy the spring weather. The weeks after each legislative session are a good time to reflect on this session, and this year, I am also reflecting back on my 14 years in the Legislature.

Last Day on the Floor

On the last day of session, I had the opportunity to reflect on my time in the legislature and thank the people who made it happen: my family, fellow legislators, legislative staff, and of course, the people of Spokane. I feel immensely grateful to all of you for putting your faith in me for the last fourteen years. Though I will continue to serve through the end of the year, this was an special opportunity to say thank you on the Senate floor. To watch my final floor speech, click here. 

A Bipartisan Legislature

The conventional wisdom is that our government systems are paralyzed by partisan gridlock.  While that may be true some places, I am proud to report that in Washington we just completed a very productive and very bipartisan session. We passed ​381 bills through the Legislature in 2024, and 95.8% of them did so with bipartisan support.

As Majority Leader, I have worked hard to foster a collaborative relationship with my colleagues on the other side of the aisle. Though there are some issues we fundamentally disagree on (reproductive freedom, firearm safety, and climate change to name a few) but the fact is that most of the work we do is bipartisan. This collaborative approach yields the best possible results for the people of Washington because we get better policy when we consider a diversity of views, and when possible, incorporate those views into the legislation we pass.

To read more, click here for an article from the Spokesman Review about bipartisanship in the Washington State Legislature. 

Stay in Touch

As always, I welcome your feedback. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me at Andy.Billig@leg.wa.gov.

Onward!

Andy