Category Archives: In The News

Last spring, a pandemic the likes of which the world hadn’t seen in a century forced leaders to shutter their economies in ways few people living today had ever experienced. The impacts were swift. Soon after Washington Gov. Jay Inslee ...

Washington’s once-in-a-decade process of redrawing congressional and legislative district boundaries gets underway Wednesday, with the first official meeting of the state Redistricting Commission. The four appointed commissioners – one each named by the leader of a legislative caucus – will ...

State legislators have released their first plans for COVID-19 relief, an early action effort they hope will bring assistance to businesses and families within the next few weeks. House and Senate Democrats released a $2.2 billion proposal that would provide ...

Washington state lawmakers plan to swiftly pass a $2.2 billion COVID-19 relief package that focuses on getting people vaccinated, reopening K-12 schools and helping renters, homeowners and small businesses pay their bills. The spending plan would mostly distribute money that ...

Democrats in the Washington State Legislature released a $2.2 billion COVID-19 relief package today that would expand testing and vaccine availability, extend support to schools, provide grants for small business plus housing and food assistance for individuals. The proposals are ...

Leaders from the House and Senate Democratic Caucuses — Speaker Laurie Jinkins, Senate Majority Leader Andy Billig, House Majority Floor Leader Monica Stonier, and Senate Deputy Majority Leader Manka Dhingra — gathered Wednesday for a virtual press conference to discuss ...

At least we’re not New Jersey. That was one of the few bright spots to be found in a new report from the libertarian Reason Foundation ranking state highway systems for “overall cost-effectiveness and condition.” North Dakota came in first, ...

Democrats in the state Senate have reelected state Sen. Andy Billig of Spokane as majority leader, and named Sen. Bob Hasegawa of Seattle majority caucus chair. The moves were made as lawmakers prepare for the 2021 legislative session, which will ...

Sen. Andy Billig [D-Spokane] is running for a third term. The Senate Majority Leader faces a challenge from Republican Dave Lucas in the November general election. In this interview, Billig talks with Doug Nadvornick about the past legislative session and the issues ...

I’ve had the pleasure of working with Senator Andy Billig since he was first elected to the Washington State House in 2010. What I like about Senator Billig is that he isn’t focused on his own agenda – he listens ...