OLYMPIA – Gov. Jay Inslee signed a bill into law today that requires the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee (JLARC) to incorporate a racial equity analysis into its audits, reviews and evaluations. JLARC consists of 16 members evenly split between senators and representatives in the Republican and Democratic caucuses. Nonpartisan staff within JLARC evaluate programs and conduct performance audits, sunset reviews, and other analyses as assigned by the Legislature. Senate Bill 5405 was sponsored by Sen. Bob Hasegawa (D-Seattle) and allows JLARC to work with statewide commissions to design the racial equity analysis. “This is an important addition to other work we have done this session to advance racial equity,” said Hasegawa. “As a member of JLARC, I have been disappointed ...
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Sen. Hasegawa speaks against SB 5052 in committee
Sen. Bob Hasegawa discusses why he will be voting against passing SB 5052, legislation having to do with creating a leasehold tax exemption for large entertainment arenas.
Hearing on SJM 8000 and 8002
The Senate State Government & Elections Committee holds a hearing on SJM 8000 (sponsored by Sen. Patty Kuderer) and SJM 8002 (sponsored by Sen. Bob Hasegawa), both seeking to crack down on unregulated dark money in political campaigns that destabilizes our democracy.
Sen. Hasegawa speaks on the Senate resolution remembering injustices suffered by Japanese Americans under EO 9066
WHEREAS, On February 19, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066, which authorized the United States military to forcibly remove and incarcerate more than 120,000 persons of Japanese ancestry from the West Coast, including 12,000 Japanese American residents of Washington State; and WHEREAS, The first civilian evacuation order gave Japanese Americans from Bainbridge Island, Washington less than one week to leave behind homes, personal belongings, farms, businesses, friends, and family and report to detention centers like Camp Harmony on the grounds of the Washington State Fair in Puyallup, where hastily converted horse stables housed the evacuated families; and WHEREAS, These detention centers were temporary quarters…
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About Bob
Bob is a longtime labor and social justice activist. He led many workers struggles, winning top wages and benefits for working families and retirees, and he collaborated in many social justice struggles to protect civil rights, democracy, the environment and our constitutional rights.
Read Bob’s full biography here.
In the News
The Washington state Legislature, which has proposed legislation in the past to tackle issues such as data privacy and the use of facial recognition tech, is now reviewing a bill that would regulate the use of “automated decision systems” and AI technology within state government. According to the bill, these systems use algorithms to analyze data to help make or support decisions that ...
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Washington State’s 2021 legislative session kicked off on January 11 and it will go for 105 days, until April 25. Between now and then, State senators and representatives will introduce bills to the legislature, refer them to their applicable committees, and consider the bills multiple times and at various stages before a bill is potentially passed into law. This year’s ...
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Senator Bob Hasegawa, who represents Washington’s 11th District (Renton, Tukwila, part of Kent, SoDo, the Industrial District, Georgetown, and South Park), introduced a bill that would create a healthcare trust allowing everyone in the state to access affordable healthcare, vision care, dental, and mental health care. Hasegawa’s bill, SB 5204, has six co-sponsors so far. Hasegawa said in an interview with the ...
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