Friends and neighbors,
We’re now well into the 2023 session and hard at work in committee hearings workshopping bills to meet the needs of communities across the state. In the Transportation Committee, my top priority is to address the alarming increase in road fatalities that we’ve seen in Washington.
While traffic deaths across the country declined overall in 2022, Washington saw a troubling increase and had the most traffic deaths in our state since 1990. It’s crucial that we act now at the state level to reverse this trend and keep commuters, pedestrians, and workers safe on the road. Last week, I held a press conference with a coalition of folks who are all working together to address this issue through a number of bills this session. We heard from Republican and Democratic lawmakers, Gov. Inslee, the family of Michael Weilert, and safe transportation advocates about the urgent need for action.
One approach we highlighted was Senate Bill 5002, which was introduced by my colleague Sen. John Lovick to reduce the allowable blood alcohol concentration from .08% to .05%. This commonsense measure could save lives by encouraging folks to find ways other than driving to get home after drinking. You can learn more about this measure in my recent interview with KUOW
You can watch the full press conference here, or by clicking the photo above, to learn more about the other bills we’re working on this session.
It was a week of good news for the 21st Legislative District with the announcement that Boeing is setting up a new 737 MAX assembly line in Everett! The announcement means there will be thousands of new family-wage jobs for our neighbors, and is even further evidence that the work we’re doing to invest in Washington workers and businesses is paying off. It also goes to show that we have some of the best aerospace workers in the world right in our backyard. I’m so proud to represent the 21st District in the Senate and can’t wait to see the benefits that this move from Boeing will bring to our communities.
As always, you can reach out to my office with any questions or feedback you may have. Your input is a crucial part of the legislative process, and I look forward to working with you this session!
All my best,
Marko
