Dear friends and neighbors in the 11th District,

The 2021 legislative session began this week, and I am honored to be back to work serving you all. This mostly remote session will be unprecedented in our state’s history, so I wanted to provide you all with a primer about how you can get involved.

Participating in the Legislative process

2020 was a year unlike any other. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Legislature will be meeting mostly in a remote manner to keep staff, advocates, and lawmakers safe. The good news is that this creates more avenues for your voice to be heard in the lawmaking process than ever before.

For the first time, every committee in the Senate will be offering both remote and written testimony options. When a bill that you care about is scheduled to be heard in a committee, you will have the opportunity to sign up for remote testimony up to one hour before the committee meets.

To learn how to sign up for remote or written testimony, head to this link.

To watch live floor debates, committee hearings, and more, TVW.org will cover it all.

Session logistics

I was proud that my colleagues selected me to be the Senate Democratic Caucus Chair for the upcoming session. This role allows me to be a member of the caucus leadership team, which plays a large role in determining which legislative priorities to advance during the session.

In addition to the leadership position, I’m excited to be the Vice Chair of the Business, Financial Services & Trade Committee, as well as a member of the State Government & Elections, Ways & Means, and Rules committees.

With all the new measures in place in the Senate, members are limiting the number of bills that they introduce during this long session. This means that there is some tension between the understanding that Washington is ready for change and progress, and the passion to act quickly by bringing forward many different bills. Legislators are still hard at work prioritizing legislation that equitably guides our state out of the COVID-19 crisis.

Opening day in the Washington State Senate, January 11th, 2021.

Intro Sheets

Due to the high volume of bills introduced during session, I ask constituents for their input on bills introduced by other legislators. More specifically, I appreciate hearing if there are bills that strike you as either worthy of my co-sponsorship, having potential if amended, or are so bad that we need to make every effort to kill them.

The more eyes we have watching the process, the better we can ensure the Legislature is truly representing all our interests. If you are interested in signing up for these Intro Sheets, email me to let me know. My office will respond with more details and the Intro Sheets.

I’m looking forward to another year of representing the people of the 11th District. Remember to reach out to my office with questions or concerns about legislation at bob.hasegawa@leg.wa.gov or (360) 786-7616.

 

Sincerely,

Bob