E-Newsletters

The pressure starts to build this week in Olympia. If bills are not passed out of their policy committee by Friday, they will not advance this year. “Cutoff week” generates a lot of added action as citizens, lobbyists and legislators all work to keep their priority bills alive for consideration. The deadlines are an important part of the refining process that filters ...

The 3rd Legislative District's delegation will hold a mobile office event at Spokane Community College’s Lair Student Center from noon to 1:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 25. Sen. Andy Billig, Rep. Timm Ormsby and Rep. Marcus Riccelli will give constituents a chance to comment or ask questions about state legislation that affects the community. Who: State Sen. Andy Billig, Rep. Timm ...

The Washington State Senate is looking for college juniors and seniors who are interested in gaining valuable experience and academic credit with the completion of a 60-day internship starting in January 2020. The Senate internship program is an excellent opportunity to gain insight into lawmaking and public service. Applications must be returned by 8 p.m. on Oct. 11 ...

The 3rd Legislative District's delegation will hold a mobile office event at the Downtown Spokane Library from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Thursday, July 25. Sen. Andy Billig and Reps. Timm Ormsby and Marcus Riccelli will give constituents a chance to comment or ask questions about legislation that affects the region.

Who: State Sen. Andy Billig, Rep. Timm Ormsby and Rep. ...

Earlier this month, I was honored to attend a celebration for the expansion of the WSU Elson S. Floyd Medical School. The current cohort of students are all from Washington state, over half are women, and more than one-third are people of color. This fall, the school will expand from 60 to 80 students thanks to investments made in the ...

Every year, the governor asks dozens of people from all over the state to serve on boards, commissions, and in agency leadership positions. These “gubers”, as they are affectionately called in Olympia, require the approval of the Senate with a simple majority vote just like regular legislation.

Regina Malveaux, the CEO of YWCA Spokane, was ...

Last week the Senate Facilities and Operations Committee (the committee that oversees the administration of the Senate) approved a plan I put forward in conjunction with Sen. Mike Padden to make the Senate’s remote testimony pilot project permanent and to expand it. The Washington State Senate is one of only a handful of legislative chambers in the country that ...

We are starting the third week of the legislative session and still very much in the committee phase when bills receive initial hearings to see if they have enough support to advance to the Senate floor for a full vote. There have already been 685 bills introduced in the Senate alone; 674 in the House. This is also ...

Happy New Year! The 2019 legislative session begins on January 14. In case you missed it, I explain more about my new role as Senate Majority Leader, our priorities for the session, and the Legislative Class of 2019 in this recent op-ed in the Spokesman Review.