News Releases

Today the Senate agreed with the House of Representatives and approved an update to the state capital budget that will provide funding for new classrooms, mental-health support and environmental cleanup, all without tapping the state’s rainy-day fund. The bipartisan measure was endorsed with a vote of 38-5. “This past year lawmakers made significant progress on class-size reductions for our state’s youngest ...

A citation issued to Hertz Transportation for failure to comply with SeaTac’s $15 minimum wage by the Washington Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) is a victory for workers at airport-related companies in SeaTac, says Sen. Karen Keiser, D-Kent, who issued the following statement.    Read More

OLYMPIA – The Washington State Senate today took a step forward on workplace equity for women by passing the Pregnant Worker Fairness Act (SB 6149). The bill requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations for pregnant employees including more frequent, longer or flexible restroom, food ...

Sen. Karen Keiser, D-Kent, today introduced the Pregnant Worker Fairness Act, legislation which would provide basic accommodations for pregnant women in the workplace. “The Pregnant Worker Fairness Act will ensure that all women are able to keep their jobs during pregnancy. Too often, women who work jobs that are physically demanding, in restaurants or retail work, checking baggage at the airport, ...

Sen. Karen Keiser, D-Kent and a key health care policy maker in Olympia, today applauded the U.S. Supreme Court’s 6-3 King v. Burwell decision to uphold Obamacare subsidies but warned that budget maneuvers could still undermine the success of health reform. “While the law I sponsored to establish our state’s health care exchange was a compromise crafted with bipartisan input ...

Sen. Karen Keiser, D-Kent, issued the following statement today regarding the hearing of an anti-teacher bill before the Senate Commerce & Labor Committee: “At a time when the Legislature is failing to negotiate a budget to fully fund our schools, we should not be wasting our time with 'show trial' hearings on anti-teacher bills that have no chance of becoming law. ...

Senate Resolution 8671, sponsored by Sen. Karen Keiser, Sen. Joe Fain and Sen. Bob Hasegawa, celebrated Kent’s anniversary and evolution from an agrarian community to an economic dynamo known for creating the first lunar rover, designing next-generation rockets and serving as a globally connected hub of innovation and transportation. In the 1860s, the area was known as Titusville and become ...

A pair of bills passed today by the Senate would reduce classroom overcrowding and create thousands of new jobs in communities across the state. Senate Bill 6080, sponsored by Sen. Bruce Dammeier, R-Puyallup, and co-sponsored by Sen. Karen Keiser, D-Kent, would build more than 2,100 classrooms for grades K-3 over the next six years at a cost of nearly $1 ...

Parks projects in Des Moines and Kent are funded in the 2015 Capital Budget proposed today by the Senate, Sen. Karen Keiser, D-Kent, announced. “These are investments in the outdoor recreational priorities of our citizens, today and for future generations,” said Keiser, the Democratic lead on the Senate Capital Budget. “We are blessed to live in a particularly beautiful region, and ...

On Wednesday night, my seatmates Rep. Tina Orwall and Mia Gregerson and I enjoyed a lively discussion of legislative issues with a wonderful group of constituents who called in with terrific questions for our telephone town hall. You can hear the full discussion here: [audio mp3="https://dev2.sdc.wastateleg.org/keiser/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2015/03/33rd-district-TTH-3-25-15.mp3"][/audio]