With the 2021 legislative session in the books and work already underway to keep the progressive momentum going next year, I have been reflecting on the legislation we passed and the impact that it will have on our communities in the 11th Legislative District.

Over the long 105-day session my office heard feedback from many of you about the issues you care about, the bills that I sponsored, and general questions about the Legislature. Today, I wanted to take some time to highlight just how many of you made your voices heard by providing an inside look into the 2021 session by the numbers.[/vc_column_text]

Our office received 4,215 contacts from constituents in the 11th Legislative District regarding 303 different bills, along with many other contacts from folks outside of the district. Your feedback helped me to stay in tune with the needs and priorities of our district while hearing legislation in committees and voting on the Senate floor.

This session alone, I sponsored 143 bills ranging from comprehensive police reform, to equity training, to creating a state bank, and much more. I sat on 4 committees – Rules, Ways & Means, State Government & Elections, and Vice Chair of Business, Financial Services & Trade committee. I also served my first session as the Senate Democratic Caucus Majority Chair, working with my colleagues to ensure our caucus priorities were achieved during a difficult session.

Ranging from healthcare to the economy, we received hundreds of contacts over 12 issue areas. We heard from the most constituents about Senate Bill 5096, the capital gains tax, with 185 emails in support of the bill. With so much talk about this legislation, it’s important to remember that the law will only impact the top 53 – less than 1% – wealthiest taxpayers in our district.

Your 11th District legislators advocated for funding to many different projects that will benefit our entire community. In the Capital Budget, Reps. David Hackney, Steve Bergquist and I secured:

  • $200,000 for the Mini Mart City Park, an arts-based community center in Georgetown.
  • $1,339,000 from the Community Relief Fund for Wadajir Residences and Souq in Tukwila, a family housing and community marketplace space.
  • $1,500,000 for the Cultural Anchor Village, including housing units and retail and office spaces.
  • $960,000 for an Immigrant and Refugee Community Hub in South King County, creating a resource center to provide assistance to small businesses, community-led programs, and housing, education, health and work programs.
  • $500,000 for more bike lanes and safe crossings on SE 168th in Renton, and more.

Thank you to my office staff Jenny Chang, Trinity Chhay, Amanda Eichelberger, and Courtney James for helping our office stay in touch with constituents this session.

I am extremely grateful for the feedback you have provided my office throughout the last few months and look forward to hearing from you as we plan for the work ahead.

You can always reach out to me at Bob.Hasegawa@leg.wa.gov or 360-786-7616.

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