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 ...
Read MoreNews Releases


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 – 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 ...
Read More
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 ...
Read More
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 ...
Read More
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 ...
Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – May 9, 2023 OLYMPIA – Sen. Marko Liias’ (D-Everett) legislation to authorize tolling on the Interstate 5 Bridge has been signed into law by Gov. Jay Inslee. Passage of Senate Bill 5765 is the next step in Washington’s effort to replace the I-5 Bridge. This legislation simply authorizes tolling along the bridge; it does not set a cost, nor does it state when tolling will go into effect. Read More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – April 25, 2023 OLYMPIA – Gov. Jay Inslee signed Sen. Marko Liias’ (D-Everett) legislation to address diversity, equity, and staffing concerns within the Washington State Ferries (WSF) workforce on Tuesday. Senate Bill 5550 requires 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. It also directs WSF to seek methods to improve ...
Read More