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OLYMPIA — A bill to amend Washington’s drug possession laws and expand access to pretrial treatment programs was signed into law Tuesday, after passing both the House and Senate with bipartisan support.  Senate Bill 5536, sponsored by Sen. June Robinson (D-Everett), permanently addresses the state Supreme Court’s 2021 State v. Blake ruling, which struck down the statute that made possession of controlled substances a class C felony and removed any criminal penalties for possession. In response, that year the Legislature established a simple misdemeanor penalty for knowing possession, but it is ...

OLYMPIA — Washington state’s behavioral health system is coming out of the 2023 legislative session with nearly $1 billion in new funding and crucial innovative initiatives established. “With the rollout of Washington’s new 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, our state is becoming a national model for behavioral health crisis intervention,” said Sen. Manka Dhingra (D-Redmond), deputy majority leader of the Senate. “And this year, the Legislature stepped up to fulfill that promise — not only to deliver the services that people in crisis need, but to build a system and a workforce that can help prevent crises before ...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – May 15, 2023   Press Inquiries | 360.786.7853, courtney.james@leg.wa.gov  OLYMPIA – Legislation to further protect Washington’s endangered southern resident orca population was signed into law by Gov. Jay Inslee today. Senate Bill 5371, sponsored by Sen. Liz Lovelett (D-Anacortes), requires whale-watching boats and other marine vessels to refrain from approaching within 1,000 yards of a southern resident killer whale. The measure marks an increase in distance from the current 300-yard buffer on approach, and is based on recommendations from the Southern Resident Killer Whale Task Force.

“Orcas are such an emblematic symbol of Washington state’s ecosystem, but climate change ...

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – May 11, 2023  OLYMPIA – Applicants to Washington’s childcare workforce will no longer have to pay burdensome background check fees thanks to Sen. Claire Wilson’s (D-Auburn) Senate Bill 5316, signed into law Thursday.   State law requires critical and necessary background checks when the Department of Children, Youth and Families is approving childcare employee applicants.  However, the background check fees often create a barrier for applicants. Not only are they costly but processing them creates delays between the time someone accepts a job offer and when ...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – May 11, 2023  OLYMIPA -- Sen. Claire Wilson’s (D-Auburn) legislation to regulate authorized entities serving Washington students with disabilities was signed into law by Gov. Jay Inslee Thursday.   An investigation by the Seattle Times and ProPublica found Washington was giving millions of dollars to these private schools (previously referred to as non-public agencies) without proper oversight. The investigation unearthed complaints of abuse, lack of academic progress, as well as staff dependency on restraint and isolation.   Senate Bill 5315 will make immediate changes to establish clear ...

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 the reality,” Liias said. “This legislation affirms our commitment to ensuring children have a safe and stable ...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – May 9, 2023  OLYMPIA – Nurses who have suffered repeated traumatic events, like those experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, will soon have access to improved workers’ compensation benefits.   Gov. Jay Inslee signed Sen. Annette Cleveland’s (D-Vancouver) Senate Bill 5454, which recognizes repeated exposure to traumatic events as an occupational disease.   A report from the International Council of Nurses found nurses are facing mass trauma as a result of the pandemic, which could lead to devastating consequences for individual nurses and ...

PASCO — Sen. John Lovick (D-Mill Creek) attended the opening of the new Criminal Justice Training Center in Pasco on Wednesday. The center is one of three new regional training facilities planned to open in the state. Clark and Skagit Counties are among the other locations being discussed and are expected to open in the coming months. Lovick, who served in the Washington State Patrol for 31 years, first proposed establishing regional training complexes in addition to the original facility in Burien a little more than 10 months ago. He said he was thrilled that the idea was able ...

OLYMPIA — The governor signed legislation today that will expand access to the guardianship assistance program. Senate Bill 5124, sponsored by Sen. Yasmin Trudeau (D-Tacoma), allows any court-appointed guardians who are licensed foster parents to be eligible for state subsidies, instead of just relatives licensed as foster parents. “When kids can't remain at home, being with a trusted community member simply leads to better outcomes,” said Trudeau. “My family relied on me to provide kinship support when they were in crisis. Having experienced the foster care system, I knew I had to do what I could to ...

OLYMPIA – Senate Majority Leader Andy Billig (D-Spokane) released the statement below following Gov. Jay Inslee's announcement that he won't seek a fourth term: “Gov. Inslee has guided Washington on a path to achieve remarkable progress over the past decade. He will be the first to tell you there are many challenges that remain, and I look forward to continuing our work together over the next year and a half. But today is a day to celebrate a legacy and a partnership that produced historic legislation to combat climate change and gun violence, and to expand voting rights ...