Author Archives: oheersink

19 Feb
0

Senate budget proposal emphasizes investments in behavioral health, public schools

OLYMPIA — Washington State Senate budget leaders unveiled a $71.7 billion supplemental operating budget plan Monday that increases support for behavioral health and public schools.  The budget adds roughly $1.9 billion in new spending to the two-year budget passed by lawmakers ...

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09 Feb
0

Senate passes Nobles bill to create more affordable homeownership opportunities

OLYMPIA — A bill to create more affordable homeownership opportunities passed the Senate on a 48-1 vote Friday.  Senate Bill 6173, sponsored by Sen. T’wina Nobles (D-Fircrest), aims to expand the production of affordable housing by enabling local municipalities to ...

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09 Feb
0

Senate passes Nobles bill aligning eligibility time frames across state, federal financial aid programs

OLYMPIA — Legislation to allow students to receive state financial aid for the same amount of time they can receive federal aid passed the Senate on a 34-14 vote Friday.  Senate Bill 5904, sponsored by Sen. T’wina Nobles (D-Fircrest), would align ...

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09 Feb
0

WA LGBTQ Caucus responds to recent raids at Seattle-area gay bars

The Washington State Legislative LGBTQ Caucus released the following statement Friday: “As members of the Washington State Legislature’s LGBTQ Caucus, we were deeply impacted by the unacceptable actions taken by the Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB) on Jan. 26 and ...

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08 Feb
0

Senate passes Nobles bill continuing program to improve active transportation connectivity in overburdened communities

OLYMPIA — A bill to continue a statewide program to improve active transportation connectivity in overburdened communities unanimously passed the Senate Thursday.  Senate Bill 6283, sponsored by Sen. T’wina Nobles (D-Fircrest), would eliminate the expiration date for the Sandy Williams ...

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05 Feb
0

Liias’ sustainable aviation fuels bill clears committee

OLYMPIA — Communities near Paine Field in Everett suffer from some of the worst air quality in the state. Sen. Marko Liias grew up nearby in a neighborhood overburdened by pollution. This experience was, in part, the motivation behind his ...

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01 Feb
0

Nobles bill would continue program to improve active transportation connectivity in overburdened communities

OLYMPIA — A bill to continue a statewide program to improve active transportation connectivity in overburdened communities was heard in the Senate Transportation Committee Thursday.  Senate Bill 6283, sponsored by Sen. T’wina Nobles (D-Fircrest), would eliminate the expiration date for ...

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29 Jan
0

Nobles bill to increase student access to free school meals heard in committee

OLYMPIA — A bill to increase students’ access to free meals was heard in the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee Monday.  Senate Bill 5964, sponsored by Sen. T’wina Nobles (D-Fircrest), would require all school districts to provide breakfast ...

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26 Jan
0

Robinson bill to reduce property taxes for lower-value homes heard in committee

OLYMPIA — A bill to reduce property taxes for lower-value homes was heard in the Senate Ways & Means Committee Thursday.   Senate Bill 6249, sponsored by Sen. June Robinson (D-Everett), would decrease property taxes for homeowners starting in 2027 by ...

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25 Jan
0

Nobles bill to create Smokey Bear license plate to support human-caused wildfire prevention

OLYMPIA — Legislation to create an official Smokey Bear license plate was heard in the Senate Transportation Committee Thursday.  Senate Bill 5910, sponsored by Sen. T’wina Nobles (D-Fircrest), would allocate all funds raised by the special license plate to support ...

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