Dear friends and neighbors,

Thank you for taking the time to read my legislative e-newsletter. First off, I would like to thank all of you who participated in last week’s telephone town hall. Almost 5,000 people picked up their phones to participate. I only wish that we had more time to take everyone’s questions.

Upcoming town hall

Fortunately, there is another opportunity soon for us to get together and talk about the issues that are important to you. On Saturday, March 11, at 10 a.m., I will host an in-person town hall at Bates Technical College’s south campus cafeteria. I hope you will attend. I’ll be sending out another reminder for this event as we get closer to the date.

Legislative update

We are now in the 7th week of this 105-day legislative session. For the most part, we have finished hearing Senate bills in our committees. Now we will transition to the Senate floor to vote on bills that made it out of committees. If approved, they then head to the House for further consideration.

Thank you for your advocacy

Two weeks ago, over 1,100 people from across the state — including union members, parents, vets and workers — signed in to testify in opposition to Senate Bill 5692 that would make Washington a so-called “Right to Work” state. This type of advocacy and civic participation works in a big way. Because of the strong outpouring of opposition to this harmful legislation, SB 5692 will not be advancing this session.

If there is anything happening in Olympia that you care deeply about, please feel free to visit my office and share your concerns.

ACA update

Lastly, I want to take a moment to assure those of you who are enrolled in affordable health care programs through the Affordable Care Act (ACA), like Medicaid, that nothing can happen to your health care coverage this year as a result of any congressional action. Even though Congress has threatened to repeal the ACA, any action they take will not take effect until 2018.

In the meantime, I will be proactive in my efforts to protect your ability to access affordable health care. After all, roughly 790,000 Washingtonians stand to lose their health insurance if the ACA is repealed. That is unacceptable.

Keep in Touch

My office is always here to answer your questions and provide you with information. Please do not hesitate to contact me anytime.

Sincerely,

Sen. Steve Conway