Dear neighbors,
One of the most important issues I’ve worked on at the Legislature is ensuring workers receive a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work. Over the years, through legislation, initiatives, and rulemaking, we’ve made great progress in this area.
After Initiative 1433 was approved by Washington voters in 2016, our minimum wage has steadily increased. It now stands at $15.74, higher than any other state in the nation. In 2018, the Legislature passed the state Equal Pay Act to prohibit discrimination in compensation on the basis of gender. We have also passed several measures to increase pay transparency, including requiring employers to share the expected salary range in job postings. And the state has expanded protections to ensure that employers are not denying salaried workers the overtime they are due.
As I mentioned briefly last week, this year, I’m sponsoring legislation that would ensure interns who work in government or publicly funded institutions are also paid fairly for their work. The contributions of every worker deserve respect and recognition. At the Legislature, we have already taken this step by paying our interns. SB 5327 will be heard in the Labor & Commerce Committee on Monday. You can watch the hearing online on TVW.org here.
Highlight of the week: Paid Family and Medical Leave
Each week this session, I’ll highlight a resource that may be of use to you, your family, or your neighbors. I hope you’ll pass the information along to anyone who may be able to take advantage of it. Last week was the Dementia Road Map for Caregivers, and this week I want to make sure you know about our state’s Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) program, one of the best in the country.
Our PFML program provides partial wage replacement, up to 90 percent of income for low wage workers, so that workers can take up to 12 weeks of paid family leave or paid medical leave. The program has been a lifeline for many families during the pandemic, paying out benefits to Washingtonians through more than 350,000 claims since it was established in 2020. Learn more here.
For young people you know: apply to be a page!
The Washington State Senate has one of the best Page programs in the country and applications are open! This is an exciting program which allows young Washingtonians to get a closer look at the civic process and learn firsthand about state government and the Legislature.
Pages are students sponsored by legislators who serve for one week during the legislative session. During that week, they spend time in Page School learning about the legislative process while also distributing materials throughout the Capitol campus, assisting legislators, working on the Senate floor, and presenting the colors at the opening of each day’s legislative session.
To be eligible to page, a student must be 14, 15 or 16 years old. Since the program was shut down over the last two years of mostly remote sessions, this year students ages 17 and 18 may also apply. Scholarships are available for pages from families with financial need, and housing with host families local to Olympia is available.
This is a unique opportunity, and I encourage young people to get involved! Learn more and get instructions for applying here. Applications close Feb. 13, 2023.
What is it like serving as a Senate Page for the day? Check out this video to find out!
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,
Sen. Karen Keiser
Senate President Pro Tempore
Chair, Senate Labor & Commerce Committee
