OLYMPIA – Legislation to address diversity, equity, and staffing concerns within the Washington State Ferries (WSF) workforce passed the Senate on a bipartisan 45-3 vote today. Sponsored by Sen. Marko Liias (D – Everett), Senate Bill 5550 would require WSF to adopt a formal diversity, equity, and inclusion strategy, and develop an action plan to address issues identified in a newly mandatory annual employee survey.
“Our Washington State Ferries workers are exceptional ...Read More
OLYMPIA – Legislation to implement inclusive learning standards in Washington schools passed the Senate today on a vote of 29-19. Senate Bill 5462, sponsored by Sen. Marko Liias (D-Everett), would update learning standards to include the histories, contributions, and perspectives of LGBTQ people, as well as diversity, equity, and inclusion standards.
“Every student deserves to feel represented by the material they’re learning, and when they hear their stories in the school curriculum, students ...Read More
OLYMPIA – A bill to authorize the use of speed safety cameras in state highway work zones passed the Washington State Senate today on a bipartisan 47-2 vote. Sponsored by Sen. Marko Liias (D-Everett), Senate Bill 5272 aims to increase safety for workers on state highways.
“Folks working on our state highways deserve to do so with the peace of mind that they will end their shift by going home to their families ...Read More
OLYMPIA - A bill sponsored by Sen. Marko Liias (D-Everett) to streamline the process of student data transfer to higher education institutions cleared a key Senate committee last week. Senate Bill 5593 provides four-year and community and technical colleges in Washington with the contact information of all graduating high school seniors at no cost. The information was previously available for a fee.
“High school seniors are faced with so many choices to make after ...Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Feb. 10, 2023 OLYMPIA – Legislation to address diversity, equity and staffing concerns within the Washington State Ferries (WSF) workforce was heard in the Senate Transportation Committee this week. Sponsored by Sen. Marko Liias (D – Everett), Senate Bill 5550 would require WSF to adopt a formal diversity, equity and inclusion strategy and develop an action plan to address issues identified in a newly mandatory annual employee ...
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Jan. 30, 2023 OLYMPIA - Legislation to create more opportunity for housing near transit centers will be heard in the Senate Local Government, Land Use & Tribal Affairs Committee Tuesday morning. The bill aims to increase the state’s supply of diverse types of housing while amplifying recent investments made in public transportation.
“We’ve made massive investments in public transportation the last few years, and this bill would help us support even more of ...Read More
OLYMPIA – New legislation introduced in the Washington State Senate could create more opportunity for housing near transit centers, increasing the state’s supply of housing diversity while amplifying recent investments in public transportation.
“We’ve made massive investments in public transportation in recent years, and this legislation would help to make sure that funding supports more of our neighbors,” said Sen. Marko Liias (D-Everett), prime sponsor of the legislation. “By creating more housing near transportation centers, we can shorten commute times, decrease ...Read More
OLYMPIA – Students attending branch campuses of public colleges in Washington could see a reduction in fees under legislation introduced by Sen. Marko Liias (D-Everett). Senate Bill 5329 would ensure that fees for students attending branch campuses may only be charged if the fee is specific to the student or the campus where the student is enrolled, or if a comparable level of service is reasonably available to the student.
“This idea ...Read More
