In the News

Three women state leaders who represent the Kent-Des Moines area in the Legislature were among those who joined Washington’s U.S. Democratic Sen. Patty Murray at a Seattle Planned Parenthood clinic about the urgent need to protect the right to abortion. State Sen. Karen Keiser, D-Des Moines; State Rep. Tina Orwall, D-Des Moines; and State. Rep. Debra Entenman, D-Kent, were three of ...

WASHINGTON D.C. — Team members from the Washington Attorney General’s Office attended a Supreme Court hearing on Monday to defend a law that safeguards worker’s compensation for those exposed to radioactive waste—effectively protecting the rights of laborers at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. According to the Attorney General’s Office, SB 5890 has come under scrutiny several times in the past. Sponsored by ...

The Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB) held a virtual roundtable discussion on March 29 to address the deadly crimewave happening at cannabis retailers across our state. LCB Board Chair David Postman, who moderated the roundtable, called it "a massive public safety crisis roaring through the state.” He pointed out that there have been more than 70 cannabis shop ...

Los Angeles, Calif. , March 21, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Silenced No More Foundation and Founder Stephanie Van de Motter, are praising legislators in the state of Washington for passing the Silenced No More Act and expanding the reach of whistleblower protections. House Bill 1795 bans employers from using non-disclosure agreements to prevent workers from talking about harassment, discrimination, retaliation, ...

During the 2022 legislative session, legislators passed a bill that provides tax relief to employers in Washington. Senate Bill 5873 (SB 5873), sponsored by Sen. Karen Keiser (D-Des Moines), reduces social tax rates for employers in 2022 and 2023. It also reduces the 2023 social tax rates for employers who report 10 or fewer employees for fourth quarter 2021. As a result ...

OLYMPIA, Wash. — Gov. Jay Inslee signed into law a new cap on out-of-pocket expenses for insulin. The legislation directs health care plans to limit one-month expenses for insulin to $35 beginning Jan. 1, 2023. The bill follows similar legislation passed in 2020 which capped out-of-pocket expenses to $100 for a one-month supply of the life-saving medication. That previous cap expires ...

Washington state became the second in the nation to pass the Silenced No More Act on Thursday. The bill bars employers in the state from using NDAs to prevent workers from talking about instances of illegal harassment and discrimination, retaliation, sexual assault and wage violations. The bill, a version of which was signed into law in California last year, was championed ...

A bipartisan group of Washington lawmakers and the state’s regulating cannabis agency will have an eleventh-hour hearing on their plan to toss hemp-derived products from retail stores in this year’s legislative session. A bill sponsored by state Sen. Karen Keiser, D-Des Moines, revives regulation by the Washington Liquor Cannabis Board of intoxicating products that can cause effects similar to marijuana but ...

A bill that would require pharmacies across Washington to translate medical information, such as prescription bottle directions, passed out of committee this week and is awaiting a vote on the Senate floor. The bill was crafted by medical students at the Washington State University Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine. Aditha Vegaraju, Domeg Moore, Fatima Elwalid, Carmen Abbe, Bailey Hall and Aivi ...

To hear Jennifer Perkins tell it, losing her health insurance would be nothing short of a nightmare. Like nearly 25% of people with diabetes, Perkins has had to ration her insulin, a dangerous practice that can potentially lead to blindness, kidney failure or even death. Yet, the drug’s out-of-pocket costs forced her to rely on a friend’s grandmother’s supply to see ...