Dear neighbors,

Sometimes during short legislative sessions, lawmakers will limit their goals to passing a couple of uncontroversial bills and getting finished on time. That’s not what I’m doing this year. There is too much that needs to be done.

I have proposed a full slate of bills on some of the most important issues facing our state – from prescription drug prices to worker protections to apprenticeships – and they have passed out of committee by the first major deadline of the session. Here are some highlights so far.

Bringing down prescription drug prices

It’s no secret that prescription drug prices are out of control. And the data shows that when drug prices go up, people’s health goes down. When people can’t afford their prescriptions, they cut back, or skip doses, or cut pills in two, and that leads to more suffering and even more death. But prices have been going up relentlessly and outrageously, even for drugs that have been on the market for decades.

That’s why I’m sponsoring SB 5532, which would establish a Prescription Drug Affordability Board to help reign in extraordinary, unjustified price increases. Another bill of mine, SB 5546, would limit patients’ out-of-pocket expenses for insulin to $35 per month, and a third, SB 5507 (HB 1675), would make dialysis more affordable. Together, those bills would make a huge difference every day in the lives of people who are struggling to pay for their medications. SB 5532 improves on a bill I sponsored in 2020 but which was vetoed by the governor to free up funds for pandemic response.

Protecting workers

Beginning in 2018, the Legislature took serious steps to crack down on corporations’ misuse of non-disclosure agreements to silence employees who have been sexually harassed in the workplace.

This year, I am continuing those efforts with SB 5520, which would extend protections beyond sexual harassment to discrimination and non-sexual harassment. I am also sponsoring SB 5564, which would prevent employers from penalizing employees who participate in employee-assistance programs.

Another bill, SB 5890 would ensure that all eligible workers at the Hanford nuclear site be able to access workers’ compensation, and SB 5801 would correct an anomaly that allows large employers to evade paying workers’ attorneys’ fees and costs when the employer loses an appeal before the Board of Industrial Insurance.

Expanding apprenticeships

As I mentioned in a session preview email, we are working on a major expansion of apprenticeship opportunities. SB 5600 and SB 5764, two bills sponsored by Sen. Emily Randall and me, would establish new apprenticeship programs in growing fields, reinvigorate support for existing apprenticeships, and significantly increase state funding for apprentices at public colleges. Both bills have passed out of committee and are well on their way to the floor of the Senate. You can read more here and in our Seattle Times op-ed.

That’s not all

SB 5873, my bill to help businesses, especially small businesses, that are still struggling with the pandemic has also passed out of committee. It would provide $214 million in tax relief for employers.

SB 5533, which would crack down on retail fraud and theft in online marketplaces, is progressing in the form of House companion legislation (HB 1614).

SB 5004, which would provide a tax exemption for medical marijuana patients, passed the Senate with a strong bipartisan majority and is due to be considered in the House.

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.

And finally, SB 5547, which would bring unregulated cannabis produced from hemp into our state’s well-designed regulatory framework, is progressing in the form of a House companion bill (HB 1668).

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