News Releases

A bicycle safety advisory council would be established under legislation that passed the Senate unanimously today and is now headed to the House for consideration there. Senate Bill 5402, sponsored by Sen. Marko Liias, D-Lynnwood, would create the Cooper Jones Bicycle Safety Advisory Council with the goal of reducing and eventually eliminating bicycle-related injuries and fatalities. “About 400 Washingtonians every year suffer bicycle-related accidents, a number that continues to rise,” Liias said. “When cars collide with bikes, nine times out of 10 ...

Sen. Marko Liias, D-Lynnwood, has been named Legislator of the Year by the Aerospace Futures Alliance for his support of the nearly 1400 aerospace companies that make up Washington’s aerospace industry.

Sen. Marko Liias, D-Lynnwood, has requested in a letter to Attorney General Bob Ferguson that his office investigate Exxon Mobil Corp. to determine if the company has violated Washington’s environmental or consumer protection laws. The request stems from media reports that surfaced late last year revealing Exxon scientists learned decades ago the negative impacts fossil fuels have on the environment and the role they ...

Students will be able to apply class credits earned at four-year institutions of higher learning to earn degrees at two-year schools, as a result of legislation passed today by the House. Senate Bill 6354, sponsored by Sen. Marko Liias, D-Lynnwood, requires Washington state institutions of higher learning to develop policies to allow the transfers by Dec. 31, 2017. “Higher education is too expensive for too many students, but this challenge is even worse for students who aren’t able to finish their ...

VIDEO: Three ways to reduce student debt

Sen. Marko Liias, D-Lynnwood, released this statement today regarding the attempt by Senate Republicans to pass of legislation to remove protections for transgender men, women and children in Washington state. You can watch his floor speech on this issue here. “Washington has long had one the strongest civil rights laws in the nation, and today the Senate reaffirmed our law and the fundamental rights of all our people. “For 10 years, transgender people have been using the bathroom ...

Students would be receive better guidance and tools in navigating the pitfalls of digital media and communication, under legislation passed unanimously today by the Senate. “In this digital age, online activities and influences play a larger and larger part in our children’s lives,” said Sen. Marko Liias, D-Lynnwood, the bill’s sponsor. “This legislation is geared to helping them better process and understand the full impacts of what’s going on around them and with them.” Liias’ Senate Bill 6273 would establish a ...

College students could gain relief from crushing student loan debt through a trio of bills unveiled today by Sen. Marko Liias, D-Lynnwood, and Attorney Gen. Bob Ferguson. “Spiraling student loan debt is strangling middle class households and those who aspire to middle-class households,” Liias said. “This affects not only students currently taking out loans but also working adults who are still paying off huge debt as well as future students who face the same pitfalls.” Liias’ first bill, the Washington Student Loan ...