Dear Neighbors,
Happy Martin Luther King Day! Today, we passed a resolution to honor his legacy of fighting for racial equity and economic justice.
Over the first week of the short, 60-day legislative session, we have gotten a fast start by considering several bills that continue in the tradition Dr. King exemplified of lifting up working people and those who have been disadvantaged by society. Here’s a quick look at a few of those bills.
Better services for people with developmental disabilities
The very first bill to pass the Senate this session was SB 5268, which I am sponsoring to give Washingtonians with intellectual and developmental disabilities better options for community residential settings. This bill passed the Senate last year but ran out of time in the House. This year we are giving it plenty of time.
Apprenticeships are the path to a stronger, more just economy
You often hear that a college degree is the only path to secure high-wage, high-skill employment. But that’s not how it has to be. Last week, Sen. Emily Randall and I sponsored and held hearings on two coordinated bills, SB 5600 and SB 5764, which would establish new apprenticeship programs in growing fields, reinvigorate support for existing apprenticeships, and significantly increase state funding for apprentices at public colleges. You can read more here and in our Seattle Times op-ed.
Fei Zhou, left, medical assistant with Kaiser Permanente of Washington, and her mentor, Amber Mora, practice drawing up medication. (Health Care Apprenticeship Consortium)
Payroll tax relief for workers and businesses
I’m sponsoring SB 5873 to respond to the extraordinary economic strains on family budgets and business bottom lines around our state due to the pandemic. This bill would cut premiums that workers pay to the Paid Family and Medical Leave program back to last year’s levels. It would also cut unemployment insurance premiums for all employers in the state this year. In total, it would provide $594 million in tax relief to help Washingtonians with this uneven, drawn-out recovery. You can read more here.
Worker bills
The Labor, Commerce & Tribal Affairs Committee honored MLK Day today by hearing six bills focused on workers’ rights. Two are bills I’m sponsoring. The first, SB 5520, would extend protections beyond sexual harassment to discrimination and non-sexual harassment. The second, SB 5564, would prevent employers from penalizing employees who participate in employee assistance programs. The other four bills we heard would:
- end the practice of paying people with disabilities less than the prevailing wage on public works projects (SB 5763);
- ensure that incarcerated people receive fair workers’ comp rates (SB 5701);
- prohibit marital status from being factored in to curtail workers’ comp benefits (SB 5835); and
- require employers to provide wage information in job postings (SB 5761).
You can watch the hearing here.
Looking ahead this week
On Wednesday, the Health & Long Term Care Committee will hear three bills I am sponsoring to lower the price of prescription drugs. SB 5532 would establish a prescription drug affordability board to rein in price increases. SB 5546 would reduce the cost to patients of insulin to no more than $35 per month. And SB 5507 would help make dialysis more affordable.
On Thursday, the Energy, Environment & Technology Committee will hear SB 5533, my bill to crack down on retail fraud and theft online.
Stay in Touch
If you’d like to follow what I’m working on, you can like my official legislative Facebook page here.
Please don’t hesitate to stay in touch. Stay safe and take care.
Always,
Senator Karen Keiser
Chair, Senate Labor & Commerce Committee
Senate President Pro Tempore
