News Releases

OLYMPIA – State Sen. Marko Liias (D-Lynnwood) was unanimously reelected as majority floor leader by his Senate Democratic Caucus peers on Monday, a position he has held since 2017. “It’s an honor to continue as majority floor leader,” said Liias. “Senate Democrats approach every policy discussion with the philosophy of putting people first, and that’s exactly what we need to do this session to help struggling people and families through the pandemic.” The majority floor leader is responsible for managing the ...

Washington, D.C. - Today, State Senator Marko Liias (D-Lynnwood) was selected as one of 15 leaders from across the country to join the NewDEAL (Developing Exceptional American Leaders), a selective national network of state and local elected officials with Honorary Co-Chairs U.S. Senator Mark Warner and former Governor Jack Markell. With state and local leaders on the frontlines of responding to the coronavirus crisis, Liias joins the group at a time when members are rising to this challenge by innovating,

Who: 21^st Legislative District lawmakers, Sen. Marko Liias, Rep. Lillian Ortiz-Self, Rep. Strom Peterson, and special guest Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers. What: Telephone town hall meeting. When: 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 6, 2020. Where: Calls will go out to thousands of homes throughout the 21^st legislative district. Residents will be able to listen live and speak with their lawmakers. Those who do not receive a call can participate by dialing 877-229-8493 and using ID Code 116357. Alternatively, the telephone town hall can be live-streamed: Read More

OLYMPIA – Governor Inslee has signed three bills sponsored by State Sen. Marko Liias (D-Lynnwood) into law since the Legislature adjourned on March 12. Senate Bill 6690 repeals the preferential aerospace B&O tax rate and should stave off retaliatory tariffs on many trade dependent industries. “When this issue was brought to my attention two months ago, the world looked quite different than it does today,” said Liias. “Obviously issues like international tariffs are going to take a back seat while the ...

OLYMPIA – A bill that aims to increase voter participation among young adults was approved today by the House of Representatives by a vote of 56-41. “We have to do more to bring down barriers for young people to participate in our elections,” said state Sen. Marko Liias (D-Lynnwood). “The data is clear — if young people participate when they are 18, 19, 20, in those first formative elections, their lifetime voter participation is much higher. We want to teach young people ...

OLYMPIA – Legislation to prohibit health care providers and medical students from performing pelvic exams on women without informed consent was approved unanimously today by the House of Representatives. The bill’s sponsor, state Sen. Marko Liias (D-Lynnwood), said Senate Bill 5282 is a great example of people directly engaging with their elected officials through social media about ideas for legislation. “I was contacted in the fall of 2018 by someone on Twitter who said there was a practice, widespread across the ...

OLYMPIA – Siblings Aaron Lee and Chloe Lee served as pages in the Washington State Senate during the week of Feb. 17. Pages are typically sponsored by the senator from their legislative district. Sen. Marko Liias (D-Lynnwood) sponsored the siblings’ week in the Legislature. The page program offers a hands-on opportunity for students to find out how state government works. The interactive learning experience includes classes focused on topics like budget writing and how a bill becomes a law, which culminates in ...

OLYMPIA – A bill sponsored by Sen. Marko Liias (D-Lynnwood) that would create a new state financial aid program for undocumented students was approved by the state Senate today by a vote of 34-14. “We know that our undocumented students want to pursue the same opportunities and we want to help the state meet the degree attainment goals we’ve set for ourselves,” said Liias in public testimony in support of SB 6561. “But there are critical barriers to them in the ...