Dear friends and neighbors, We just wrapped up the 2024 legislative session! This is my first year in the Washington State Senate, and I focused on some of the most pressing issues Kitsap County faces—ferries, homelessness, and substance use disorder—and ...
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Dear friends and neighbors, The Senate just released its proposal for the state’s capital budget (the budget that builds things—hospitals, schools, drug treatment centers, etc.). I’m happy to report that the Senate budget proposal funds significant projects I requested to ...
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Dear friends and neighbors, We’re over a third of the way through the 2024 legislative session! We’ve got our first deadline this week – Jan. 31. That’s when policy bills will need to make it through their committee of origin. ...
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Washington Sen. Drew Hansen, D-Bainbridge Island, knew that the state charged people for phone calls and messages in and out of prison. But he didn’t realize the extent of these fees, he said, until he started talking to incarcerated people.
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Dear friends and neighbors, We’re off to a busy start of the 2024 legislative session! I’m so excited about the work we have ahead of us over the next 54 days. Chief Justice Gonzalez swore me in on the first ...
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Dear friends and neighbors, We’re less than a week out from the 2024 legislative session. Over the last several months, I’ve been busy meeting with constituents, community partners and legislative colleagues as we gear up for the first day on ...
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Tarra Simmons is the first formerly incarcerated state legislator in Washington state. As part of our “Searching for Justice” series, special correspondent Cat Wise reports on how she went from teen mother to felon to lawyer, and now a state ...
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State lawmakers have taken a major step toward offering free or reduced college tuition using funds from businesses there, including Amazon and Microsoft, in a move that is being applauded by policy analysts for its innovation and reach. Last week, ...
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For years, Washington state has failed to fully fund its financial-aid program for low-income college students. This school year, about 18,000 people qualified for Washington’s State Need Grant, but didn’t get an award because of the program’s limited budget.
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Starting in 2020, more Washington residents will be able to attend college for less money. For many, it will be free. About 110,000 low-to median-income students will qualify for help each year, including adults who never got a degree and ...
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