News Releases

SEATTLE — Restaurants and retail businesses whose insurers are denying claims for losses suffered due to shutdowns to combat the COVID-19 pandemic would receive help if a bill introduced today becomes law. SB 5351, sponsored by Sen. David Frockt (D-Seattle) and Sen. T’wina Nobles (D-Fircrest), would help ensure that businesses unable to operate due to the pandemic response have the ...

SEATTLE — The bipartisan Senate Special Committee on Economic Recovery today released recommendations for rebuilding a post-pandemic economy that works for all Washingtonians. “Washington’s economy has been stretched in unparalleled ways as the public health crisis began, leveled off, and then hit us again,” said Sen. David Frockt (D-Seattle), the committee’s chair. “To go from 3.8% unemployment to nearly 16% in ...

SEATTLE — Sen. David Frockt (D-Seattle), vice chair of the Senate Ways & Means Committee with lead responsibility for the capital construction budget, released the following statement today after Gov. Jay Inslee released his proposed 2021 capital construction budget:

“Investing in construction, infrastructure, and much-needed housing and behavioral ...

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I am proud to have worked with my legislative colleagues to support this project with nearly $70 million in state capital funds. Ensuring that UW health sciences students have access to state-of-the-art interdisciplinary training facilities is critical to our state’s health care workforce pipeline. You can read the full story here.

Gov. Jay Inslee announced today five insurance carriers have applied to offer public option plans in a majority of counties across the state. The first year of Cascade Care, the public option program, begins later this year with plans to start coverage on Jan. 1, 2021. “The first-in-the-nation public option continues to move toward a successful start,” Inslee said. “Now more ...

Working people and small businesses are facing unprecedented challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. On Tuesday, the Senate Special Committee on Economic Recovery heard from a variety of experts about ways to help people and businesses recover. The bipartisan committee focused its first meeting on a wide variety of topics, including unemployment, regional challenges, challenges faced by small businesses, short ...

The Legislature passed a supplemental capital budget that makes strong investments in housing, shelter, environmental cleanup and school construction. The budget first passed yesterday in the state House of Representatives on a unanimous vote, then passed the state Senate today on a unanimous vote. “Our capital budget continues our strong investments in housing, homelessness and behavioral health,” said Senate capital budget lead ...

The Senate Democrats’ proposed supplemental capital budget makes strong investments in housing, shelter, environmental cleanups and school construction. “Supplemental capital budgets are always much smaller than in main budget years,” said Sen. David Frockt, vice chair of the Senate Ways & Means Committee and the Senate’s lead capital budget writer. “This year our budget only had $78 million in bond capacity. ...

A bill passed Monday by the Washington State Senate would expand access to Washington’s health care system by increasing Medicaid rates. Senate Bill 6676, sponsored by Sen. David Frockt and Sen. Emily Randall, increases the Medicaid reimbursement rates for primary care providers to at least 15 percent above the medical assistance rates in effect on Jan. 1, 2019. Reimbursement rates ...