News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – March 3, 2023  Press Inquiries | 360.786.7298, erin.hut@leg.wa.gov  OLYMPIA – The Senate on Thursday passed Senator Claire Wilson’s (D-Auburn) legislation to simultaneously increase access to affordable childcare and strengthen Washington’s childcare workforce.   Senate Bill 5225 aims to allow more families to qualify for state-subsidized childcare through expanding eligibility to the Working Connections Child Care program.  Childcare providers are struggling to hire and retain employees. Too often, this is because staff are forced to forego work due to their ...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – March 3, 2023 Press Inquiries | 360.786.7298, erin.hut@leg.wa.gov  OLYMPIA – The Senate on Thursday unanimously passed Senator Claire Wilson’s (D-Auburn) legislation to ensure all money sent to incarcerated individuals for commissary purchases reaches them.   People incarcerated in Washington prisons must pay money for items from the commissary. This includes basic needs items like soap, toothpaste, deodorant, as well as foods to supplement their caloric intake.   Many work to pay for those items, but many more are reliant on families and friends to provide ...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – March 2, 2023 Press Inquiries | 360.786.7298, erin.hut@leg.wa.gov  OLYMPIA – The Senate took a big step in Washington’s path to a clean energy future by passing Sen. Joe Nguyễn’s (D-White Center) electric transmission planning bill.   Senate Bill 5165 changes transmission planning from a 10-year to a 20-year timeline. It would also require transmission planners to consider renewable energy projects to ensure Washington increases its capacity to interconnect clean energy projects in future years.   “Washington is leading the way toward a clean energy ...

OLYMPIA – The Senate passed Senator Claire Wilson’s (D-Auburn) bill aimed at protecting students’ personal information on a 27-19 vote. Senate Bill 5127 was brought forward after Washington schools expressed uncertainty about redacting this type of information if it was contained in an email. This legislation gives school districts reassurance that they can redact a student’s personal information to fulfill a public records request regardless of where that personal information is found. “This bill is strictly about student safety. We must protect their personal information, especially when disclosing that information could jeopardize their physical health, mental health or safety,” Sen. ...

OLYMPIA – A bill to require anyone 25 or younger to complete a traffic safety education course before receiving a driver’s license passed the Senate today on a bipartisan 41-7 vote.    Senate Bill 5583 aims to increase traffic safety in Washington on the heels of a report from the Washington Traffic Safety Commission showing that 745 people were killed in crashes in 2022. The legislation is part of a package of bills to make roads safer for commuters, workers, and pedestrians this session. Read More

OLYMPIA — Washington state would license innovative crisis relief centers for people with behavioral health needs, providing an alternative to emergency rooms and jails, under legislation passed unanimously today by the Senate. SB 5120, sponsored by Sen. Manka Dhingra (D-Redmond), would direct the Department of Health to license or certify crisis relief centers, a new type of crisis diversion facility that can provide short-term help to patients regardless of behavioral health acuity. “Our state's new 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is a national model,” said Dhingra, chair of the Law & Justice Committee. “But with that model, we ...

OLYMPIA – A bill to address a major contributor of greenhouse gas emissions, spur job creation, and position Washington as a leader in an emerging industry, passed the Senate on a bipartisan 46-2 vote on Wednesday. Senate Bill 5447, sponsored by Sen. Andy Billig (D-Spokane) would encourage the purchase and manufacture of aviation biofuels through tax incentives while positioning the state as a leader in a developing sector of the green economy. “Our state is already at the forefront of the aviation industry, and we should also be a leader in the development of cleaner fuels for those ...

OLYMPIA – A bill to create more opportunity for housing near transit centers passed the Senate on a bipartisan 40-8 vote today.   Senate Bill 5466, sponsored by Sen. Marko Liias (D-Everett), provides development targets near light rail and bus rapid transit stations and gives local jurisdictions flexible tools to meet these targets in ways that reflect the unique characteristics of their communities.   Washington is currently facing a massive housing shortage, and the Urban Institute predicts that the approach in this legislation will create nearly one million new ...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Mar. 1, 2023  OLYMPIA – Legislation mandating instruction on sex trafficking prevention and identification in Washington schools passed the Senate on Wednesday.  Senate Bill 5355 is sponsored by Senator Claire Wilson (D-Auburn), but was created, drafted and negotiated by Eastside Preparatory School senior Ria Bahadur.   Bahadur was inspired to create the bill upon learning that Washington is the sixth largest epicenter of sex trafficking in the United States and that more than 45 percent of all victims are minors in schools.   SB 5355 would ...