Washington’s bees are in trouble. Climate change, chemicals and other factors have caused our state’s bee population to decline at a rate faster than the national average, with colonies decreasing 9% from April 2022 to April 2023. One major contributor to the shrinking bee population is pesticides. That’s why Sen. Marko Liias (D-Edmonds) is sponsoring Senate Bill 5972, which will end the domestic outdoor use of pesticides that contain neonicotinoids. This type of insecticide is absorbed into plants and can ...
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Dec. 15, 2023 Sen. Annette Cleveland (D-Vancouver) and Sen. Marko Liias (D-Edmonds), chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, applaud the securement of $600 million in federal grant funds for the Interstate 5 Bridge project and released the following joint statement Friday: “Today marks another tremendous step forward in our path to replacing the Interstate 5 Bridge. Our federal partners’ recognition of the years of hard work and commitment to replacing the aging infrastructure ...
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Members of the Washington State LGBTQ Caucus commend the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to not hear a challenge to Washington’s ban on conversion therapy and issued the following statement Tuesday:
“Conversion therapy is a harmful and discredited practice that lacks scientific validity and often causes severe psychological and emotional distress. “This crucial decision upholds the state’s commitment to protecting LGTBQ+ individuals and reinforces the importance of promoting the mental ...Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – August 25, 2023 Press Inquiries | 360.786.7298, erin.hut@leg.wa.gov OLYMPIA – Sen. Joe Nguyễn (D-White Center) and Sen. Marko Liias (D-Everett) met with leaders at Washington State Ferries (WSF) Thursday to address repeated route delays and cancelations impacting constituents on Vashon Island. WSF officials said these challenges are an industry-wide reality, but promising changes are on the horizon thanks to new legislation passed during the ...
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – May 16, 2023 OLYMPIA – Sen. Marko Liias’ (D-Everett) bill protecting Washingtonians from discriminatory treatment because of their identity was signed into law by Gov. Jay Inslee on Monday. Senate Bill 5186 requires antidiscrimination clauses to be included in all state contracts and subcontracts. While current anti-discrimination laws only protect workers of certain employers, this legislation applies similar protections to all employers paid with public funds. This ensures all ...
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – May 11, 2023 Sen. Marko Liias’ legislation to improve safety among young drivers was signed into law by Gov. Jay Inslee Thursday. Senate Bill 5583 requires the Department of Licensing to develop an implementation plan to expand requirements for driver training education for people ages 18 to 24. It is part of a package of bills introduced this session aimed at increasing traffic safety, following a report released by ...
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – May 9, 2023 OLYMPIA – Transgender youth who are not safe at home and seeking life-saving care can depend on Washington for safe shelter. Gov. Jay Inslee signed Sen. Marko Liias’ (D-Everett) Senate Bill 5599 into law on Tuesday. “Every child – including our trans youth – deserves to be safe at home. In a perfect world, that is the case, but unfortunately, that is not ...
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – May 9, 2023 OLYMPIA – Sen. Marko Liias’ (D-Everett) legislation to streamline the process of student data transfer to higher education institutions was signed into law by Gov. Jay Inslee on Tuesday. Senate Bill 5593 is intended to make higher education opportunities more accessible to students across Washington. There are roughly 75,000 high school seniors in Washington each year, but universities can only contact the 30,000 who take pre-college placement ...
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