News Releases

In an effort to address the growing student loan debt crisis, the Senate today passed legislation to establish new student debt refinancing options coordinated by the state and to offer alternatives to conventional student loans. Sponsored by Sen. Marko Liias (D-Lynnwood), the Student Loan Relief and Reform Act would permit the Washington Student Achievement Council to contract with up to five private financial institutions to negotiate more favorable interest rates on student loan debt. “With over 800,000 students owing more than ...

Legislation limiting the reach of non-compete clauses in employment contracts today passed the Washington state Senate on a bipartisan 30-18 vote.

Senate Bill 5478, sponsored by Sen. Marko Liias (D-Lynnwood), would ensure that employees earning $100,000 a year or less are no longer locked into terms of employment that can limit opportunity and innovation.

“Through impassioned vision and hard work, Washington has established itself as one of the American capitals of innovation. Small startups becoming ...

Sen. Marko Liias (D-Lynnwood) was sworn in today for a second Senate term to serve Washington’s 21^st legislative district, which includes Edmonds, Mukilteo and Lynnwood.

A lifelong resident of the 21^st, Liias was the prime sponsor of landmark legislation in 2018 to ban conversion therapy and to create a student loan bill of rights. In his first Senate term, he was a key negotiator to enact statewide paid family leave. Returning to Olympia, he will continue fighting to ensure the Legislature puts the ...

Taking a vital step to address the growing crisis of individual student loan indebtedness, the state Senate today passed legislation to expand consumer protections for Washington borrowers. Known as the Student Loan Bill of Rights, Senate Bill 6029 would establish a range of provisions designed to protect Washingtonians from deceptive or predatory practices and require student loan servicers to obtain licenses to operate in the state. “As one of the nearly 800,000 Washingtonians still paying off their college education, I know ...

Two bipartisan bills passed today by the Senate could spur job growth on the Olympic Peninsula and in rural and coastal areas across the state by boosting the timber industry, said Sen. Kevin Van De Wege, D-Sequim. Senate Bill 6140, cosponsored by Van De Wege, could create jobs in rural communities by directing the Department of Natural Resources to evaluate state land, forestland, revenue streams and related management methods to make it easier to transact common-sense land swaps and help ...

With non-compete agreements used broadly throughout the workforce, Sens. Marko Liias and Joe Fain have sponsored new bipartisan legislation aimed at protecting economic innovation and the rights of workers in a variety of fields and pay brackets. The proposal will be the topic of a public hearing on Thursday in the Senate Labor & Commerce Committee. “Non-compete clauses have become a backdoor inhibitor to the startup spirit that defines our region,” said Liias, D-Lynnwood. “We need to be ...