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OLYMPIA – The Senate took a critical step to address Washington’s healthcare workforce shortage by passing Sen. Annette Cleveland’s (D-Vancouver) bill to remove barriers for retired nurses wanting to return to patient care.   Currently, nurses in the state retirement system who return to work after retirement face a penalty of reduced benefits for life.   Retirees of the Public Employees’ Retirement System and the Public Safety Employees’ Retirement System can work up to 867 hours per year in a position covered by any of the state’s pension systems while receiving a retirement benefit. However, a ...

OLYMPIA – Sen. Annette Cleveland’s (D-Vancouver) bill to improve workers’ comp benefits for nurses passed the Senate on Monday.  Nursing staff who care day after day for patients have faced tremendous and repeated stress since the start of the pandemic.  They have held the hands of dying patients and faced unparalleled patient surges driven by different COVID variants.   A report by the International Council of Nurses concluded that COVID is causing mass trauma among nurses that results in both immediate and lasting effects. The report suggests the pandemic is causing ...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – March 6, 2023  Press Inquiries | 360.786.7298, erin.hut@leg.wa.gov  OLYMPIA – The Senate on Monday passed legislation to ensure those leaving incarceration are better prepared to be contributing members of our community.   SB 5134, sponsored by Senator Claire Wilson (D-Auburn), looks to increase gate money to better match to current rates of inflation.   People leaving Washington’s incarceration systems are currently given $40; an amount chosen in the 1970s when it went a lot further than it does today.   SB 5134 would remove the current ...

OLYMPIA — A bill to amend Washington’s drug possession laws and expand access to pretrial treatment programs passed the Senate floor Friday.  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 same year, the Legislature established a simple misdemeanor penalty for knowing possession, but it is set to expire July 1, 2023.  “By working ...

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 ...

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 ...