Author Archives: abond

16 Feb
0

Retirement news (not mine, don’t worry)

One issue I’ve been working on for my entire legislative career is to help folks to save for retirement, especially people who work for small businesses or lower wage jobs that don’t have easy access to an IRA or a ...

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09 Feb
0

Caps off for special education

Dear friends and neighbors, I wanted to update you all on one of the Legislature’s top priorities this session – raising the cap on special education funding and making sure we’re providing the support that teachers need to provide every ...

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Washington State Capitol Building
08 Feb
0

Seattle Times: “WA charter school funding perpetuates systemic inequality”

“It’s very frustrating. These schools are doing everything we wanted them to do, but they can’t get the funding,” said Sen. Mark Mullet, D-Issaquah. He is sponsoring a bill that would provide charters with more money for tutoring, English language learners, highly ...

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Washington State Capitol Building
04 Feb
0

Seattle Times: “WA bill aims to boost AC for vulnerable residents in wake of 2021’s extreme heat wave”

Fearing a repeat of the deadly heat, Knowles approached Sen. Mark Mullet, D-Issaquah, and asked for a legislative fix. Senate Bill 5147 seeks to provide small grants for adult family home operators to purchase air conditioning, and eventually require new facilities to ...

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Washington State Capitol Building
03 Feb
0

Spokane Public Radio: “As effort to fund Avista Stadium upgrades continues, team turns to state for help”

In context of a proposed $70 billion state budget, $24 million isn’t that much money. But state Sen. Mark Mullet, an influential figure in writing the capital budget, said the path might be more difficult than the numbers imply. “I ...

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Washington State Capitol Building
02 Feb
0

Law360: “Staff Survey Details Depth Of Anger At Wash. Insurance Chief”

Per the OIC’s request, some of the comments were included in a separate third-party report released in January that described a lack of accountability as a feature of the culture at the OIC. A top state legislative leader told Law360 ...

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Washington State Capitol Building
02 Feb
0

State of Reform: “Bills would provide opportunities to expand Washington’s nursing workforce”

Senate Bill 5498 would establish the Nurse Loan Repayment Assistance Program under the Washington Health Corps for nurses at participating employers. Participating employers would include hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, ambulatory surgical facilities, and various health centers. Bill sponsor Sen. ...

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Washington State Capitol Building
02 Feb
0

Washington needs more nurses

Dear friends and neighbors, One issue that’s been flying a bit under the radar this session but is hugely consequential for all of us has to do with nursing – we just don’t have enough nurses in Washington state to ...

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31 Jan
0

Rihtik Banthia serves as Senate page

Rihtik Banthia, a freshman at Mount Si High School in Snoqualmie, served as a page for the Washington State Senate the week of Jan. 23, 2023. Sen. Mark Mullet (D-Issaquah) sponsored his week at the Legislature. The page program offers ...

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Washington State Capitol Building
26 Jan
0

What did the cat need to build its house? A purr-mit

Dear friends and neighbors, It’s week 3 of the legislative session and much is happening. We passed our first bills off the Senate floor yesterday, a few non-controversial “good little bills,” but there’s a lot to do. We’re seeing policy ...

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