News Releases

The transportation revenue package passed by the Legislature includes funds to improve freight mobility near Paine Field, upgrade SR 99 in Edmonds, replace the Mukilteo ferry terminal, and add a bus rapid transit line Canyon Park to Boeing’s Everett plant, Sen. Marko Liias, D-Lynnwood, announced today. The package also authorizes full tax funding capacity for Sound Transit 3 and provides 1-to-1 multi-modal funding for road projects, Liias said. “For my constituents, the average commute time has gone up 18 minutes every day ...

Sen. Marko Liias, D-Lynnwood, released this statement today following the refusal of the Republican-controlled Senate to allow a vote on Senate Bill 5870, his legislation to protect teens from aversive behavior therapies. The bill would have established aversive mental health therapy as unprofessional conduct under the Uniform Disciplinary Act and prohibited the performance of aversive mental health therapy on a patient under the age of 18. “I am appalled that the Republican majority killed legislation to protect kids from electric ...

A new Boys & Girls Club along with parks projects in Lynnwood, Mukilteo, Edmonds and at Lake Stickney are funded in the 2015 Capital Budget proposed today by the Senate, Sen. Marko Liias, D-Lynnwood, announced. A project to renovate Edmonds Pier is also funded. “Our growing communities face an ongoing need for more recreational outlets,” Liias said. “These are the kinds of projects that will make sure we have the facilities to ensure we continue to enjoy the best aspects of ...

Sen. Marko Liias, D-Lynnwood, today issued the following statement on Republicans’ objections to bring the Voting Rights Act to the Senate floor for a vote. “Today, after passing a resolution honoring the courageous marchers of Selma and the incredible work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., seemed to me to be a perfect time to honor their legacy by passing our own Voting Rights Act on behalf of disenfranchised voters here in Washington. So I was disappointed when Republicans objected, on ...

Communities would be able to reduce non-urgent 911 calls, avoiding unnecessary but costly 911 trips and freeing up responders to get to real emergencies, under legislation sponsored by Sen. Marko Liias, D-Lynnwood. Liias’ Senate Bill 5591, heard today by the Senate Government Operations & Security Committee, would enable fire departments or providers of emergency medical services to develop education and referral programs that steer non-urgent callers to more appropriate health care providers, low-cost medication programs and social services. “Calling 911 should ...

Owners of certified green homes in Snohomish County could be exempt from additional property taxes for up to 7 years, under legislation developed in cooperation with Snohomish County Councilmember Brian Sullivan and introduced today by Sen. Marko Liias, D-Lynnwood. “Our family-owned construction company was one of the first in the county to participate in the Built Green program a decade ago, so I have firsthand knowledge of its many benefits,” Liias said. “Certified green buildings typically consume less energy, are made ...

Sen. Marko Liias, D-Mukilteo, has been appointed the assistant ranking member on the Senate Transportation Committee, a move that gives him a role in writing the transportation budget and makes him the second-ranking Democrat on the committee. “This puts me in a stronger position to address the needs of the 21st District as well as to help prioritize transportation projects in communities across the state,” Liias said. “This is very good news for residents of the 21st District.” In the Democrats’ reorganization ...

Sen. Marko Liias, D-Mukilteo, joined with 11 other state legislators today to ask Gov. Jay Inslee form a task force to study make recommendations to the Legislature on the need for tax incentives to encourage innovation. “Next January, for the first time in two decades, our state will no longer support research and development through our tax policy,” the lawmakers said in a letter to Inslee. “We believe that this is short-sighted, and we believe that the costs of inaction are ...