News

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 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 ...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Mar. 1, 2023  Press Inquiries | 360.786.7298, erin.hut@leg.wa.gov  OLYMPIA – Sen. Claire Wilson’s (D-Auburn) bill to support adults with lived experience of sex trafficking passed the Senate on a unanimous vote Wednesday.   Senate Bill 5114 seeks to create a network of voluntary healing centers, as well as transitional services and supports for those with lived experience of sex trafficking. The bill calls for at least one provider in eastern Washington, as well as one in western Washington.   These supports will ...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Feb. 28, 2023 Press Inquiries | 360.786.7298, erin.hut@leg.wa.gov  OLYMPIA – Sen. Annette Cleveland’s legislation to prohibit cost-sharing for patients seeking abortion care passed the Senate on a 29-19 vote today.   In Washington, abortions must be covered by all state-regulated health plans that cover maternity services. However, out-of-pocket costs can often be a burden for patients.   Senate Bill 5242 aims to eliminate the burden of those costs, which often worsen racial and socioeconomic disparities. Under this legislation, no one seeking an abortion would ...

Legislation sponsored by Sen. Sharon Shewmake (D-Bellingham) to expand construction of accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, passed the Senate on a 42-6 vote today. ADUs, often referred to as backyard cottages or mother-in-law units, are residential homes that occupy the same lot as an existing home. As smaller buildings that share a lot, they are typically more affordable and more environmentally friendly than a traditional single-family home. Currently, many local regulations make ADUs expensive or difficult to build, limiting the supply of them available to renters and buyers. Shewmake’s bill, SB 5235, would cut red tape and remove some ...