News Releases

OLYMPIA — Legislators, local elected officials, and community members gathered at a press conference today to demand economic and social justice for people living near Sea-Tac Airport. Speakers supported legislation (SB 5955/HB 2103) to direct a small portion of Port of Seattle revenue as well as funding from the state’s Climate Commitment Act to address the significant noise ...

OLYMPIA — Sen. Karen Keiser, Rep. Tina Orwall and constituents will hold an in-person press conference on Monday, Jan. 15, to discuss SB 5955 (HB 2103). The legislation addresses the health and environmental inequities in communities around Sea-Tac Airport. It would require port districts to use a portion of levy revenues to mitigate the effects of noise and ...

Sen. Karen Keiser (D-Des Moines) was honored as a “Champion for Children” by the Children’s Alliance for her work and leadership during the 2023 legislative session.   The award recognizes lawmakers who provide significant leadership to advance public policies that create opportunities for all of Washington’s 1.6 million children.   Keiser was among 10 lawmakers in the Washington House and ...

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled today that a Seattle concrete company could move ahead with a lawsuit against workers who had gone on strike in 2017. Sen. Karen Keiser (D-Des Moines), who serves as chair of the Senate Labor & Commerce Committee, offered the following statement on the ruling: “This ruling will have a chilling effect on workers considering a ...

OLYMPIA – Small towns around Washington state that have seen local news wither will get a civic shot in the arm from new funding in the state’s budget, passed Sunday. The appropriation of $2.4 million over the next two years, championed by Sen. Karen Keiser (D-Des Moines) and Sen. Marko Liias (D-Everett), establishes a new public-interest journalism fellowship program in the ...

OLYMPIA – Washingtonians would be guaranteed uninterrupted access to the safe, effective medication used in nearly 60% of abortions in the state, under a bill passed by the Senate today on a 28-18 party-line vote after a lengthy debate. At the direction of Gov. Jay Inslee, the state Department of Corrections (DOC) has purchased a three-year supply of mifepristone using its ...

OLYMPIA – Washingtonians would be guaranteed uninterrupted access to the safe, effective medication used in nearly 60% of abortions in the state, under a bill that passed the Senate Ways & Means Committee today. At the direction of Gov. Jay Inslee, the state Department of Corrections (DOC) has purchased a three-year supply of mifepristone using its existing statutory authority and pharmacy ...

OLYMPIA – Gov. Jay Inslee today signed SB 5729, which ensures that Washingtonians with diabetes will continue to pay no more than $35 a month for insulin. The bill was sponsored by Sen. Karen Keiser (D-Des Moines). In 2022, legislators passed Keiser’s previous insulin bill, which capped the out-of-pocket cost of insulin at $35 a month, but the cap ...

OLYMPIA – New hires in Washington will no longer have to take cannabis tests as a condition of employment, under legislation passed today by the House. Washington joins California and Nevada in banning pre-employment discrimination based on cannabis. Having received minor amendments in the House, the bill will return to the Senate for a vote on concurrence before going to the ...

Sehab Boparai, a freshman from Seattle Christian School in SeaTac, served as a page with the Washington State Senate the week of March 20. Sen. Karen Keiser (D-Des Moines) sponsored his week at the Legislature. The page program offers a week of interactive learning about how state government works. Pages get to witness committee hearings, sit in on floor debates, and ...