Category Archives: E-News

Dear friends and neighbors: Numerous 5th District communities will benefit from the state construction budget we’ll soon be passing off the Senate floor. This budget, separate from both the transportation and operating budgets, supports infrastructure such as buildings for local ...

Dear friends and neighbors: As we near the final week of this legislative session, probably the single piece of legislation on which I’ve worked hardest is Senate Bill 5478 to bring urgent relief to businesses large and small that have ...

Dear friends and neighbors: One of my favorite areas of focus in Olympia is the state construction budget, partly because it allows me to tap my background in finance—I’ve helped write this budget in every one of my nine years ...

Dear friends and neighbors: As a result of Gov. Inslee’s actions last week, we’re pretty close to reopening our schools—and that’s a tribute to your hard work as much as anyone’s. I’ve been advocating for months for getting kids back ...

Dear friends and neighbors: You probably know by now that the Senate passed a measure this past weekend that would establish a capital gains tax, a new tax on the growth of capital assets like stocks and bonds or the ...

Dear friends and neighbors: While the pandemic has forced many of us to curtail many of the activities we would normally be doing, my legislative seatmates and I are working to make sure we stay connected with you and you ...

Dear friends and neighbors: You may not know that GET stands for Guaranteed Education Tuition, our unique state program where you can purchase tuition credits for future years at today’s rates. In other words, your kindergartner can be guaranteed a ...

Dear friends and neighbors: As the only Senate Democrat who is also a small business owner-operator, I came into session championing three bills to help small business owners across the state. The first involves unemployment insurance (UI). Due to all ...

Dear friends and neighbors: Sometimes the most important work we do draws the least attention. Take my role as the Senate lead on the State Investment Board, where we manage $140 billion in state pension funds. I see your eyes ...

Dear friends and neighbors: Last year I sponsored legislation to assure students access to school counselors. Though the bill passed the Senate, it died in the House. Since then, the need for access has not gone away, it has only ...