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OLYMPIA – Gov. Jay Inslee signed a bill into law today that requires the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee (JLARC) to incorporate a racial equity analysis into its audits, reviews and evaluations. JLARC consists of 16 members evenly split between senators and representatives in the Republican and Democratic caucuses. Nonpartisan staff within JLARC evaluate programs and conduct performance audits, sunset reviews, and other analyses as assigned by the Legislature. Senate Bill 5405 was sponsored by Sen. Bob Hasegawa (D-Seattle) and allows JLARC to work with statewide commissions to design the racial equity analysis. “This is an important addition ...

OLYMPIA – Gov. Jay Inslee signed into law today a bill to increase community-based housing opportunities for local farmworkers in Washington. Sponsored by Sen. Liz Lovelett (D-Anacortes), Senate Bill 5396, passed with bi-partisan support, addresses a shortage of seasonal and annual farmworker housing by extending an existing sales-and-use tax exemption. The exemption will now extend to housing where at least 50% of the occupants are farmworkers and to housing used by seasonal farmworkers but also used by other occupants for parts of the year.

  OLYMPIA – Today Gov. Jay Inslee signed legislation that will improve public safety by ensuring access to services for formerly incarcerated or confined individuals reentering the community. Senate Bill 5304, sponsored by Sen. Claire Wilson (D-Auburn), will provide a “warm handoff” when someone leaves custody and rejoins the community by allowing them to be covered by Medicaid upon their release from incarceration or confinement. It will also ensure that their managed care provider is notified of their release and given the necessary information to initiate their benefits. "Healthcare coverage during this transition will give people access to services ...

  OLYMPIA – Today Gov. Jay Inslee signed legislation that will address one of the leading challenges for Washington households by dramatically increasing the accessibility and affordability of childcare while stabilizing and expanding an industry in crisis. “Childcare is a major concern for the vast majority of households in Washington,” said Sen. Claire Wilson (D-Auburn), the bill’s sponsor. “This new law will help parents keep their jobs and the salaries they need to take care of their families by increasing access to affordable, quality childcare.” Pre-pandemic, the Child Care Collaborative Task Force reported that the childcare crisis was costing ...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 4, 2021 OLYMPIA – Earlier today, Gov. Jay Inslee signed a critical piece of tax reform legislation. Senate Bill 5096, sponsored by Sen. June Robinson, D-Everett, enacts a capital gains excise tax to fund the expansion and affordability of child care, early learning, and the state’s paramount duty to provide an education for the children of Washington. “This important step to rebuild our unfair tax code was taken after years of work, years of dialogue, and thousands of voices calling for this policy,” said Robinson, who also serves as the Operating & Revenue Vice Chair ...

  OLYMPIA – Sen. Claire Wilson (D-Auburn) received the State Sex Education Champion award late Wednesday from SIECUS, a national organization that advocates for and advances comprehensive sexuality education policies. The State Sex Education Champion award recognizes leaders who speak to the importance of all people receiving comprehensive sexuality education and quality sexual and reproductive health services that affirm their identities and allow them to access and enjoy sexual and reproductive freedom, as they define it for themselves. The award recognizes long-term outcomes will positively impact all levels of society, particularly around issues of gender and racial equity, sexuality, ...

“When we began this session 105 days ago, we had a choice.  We could come in to do the minimum and get out of town. Instead, we chose to rise to the moment as a Legislature and as a state and invest in robust, long-term recovery that works for everyone.” “We listened. We acted. The 2021 legislative session saw the end of incremental change and the beginning of a fundamental transformation to institutions that were always intended to work for people but too often fell short. “We addressed tax reform through the Working Families Tax Credit for Washingtonians struggling ...

OLYMPIA – Earlier today, the Washington State Legislature approved a critical piece of tax reform legislation. Senate Bill 5096, sponsored by Sen. June Robinson, D-Everett, enacts a capital gains excise tax to fund the expansion and affordability of child care, early learning, and the state’s paramount duty to provide an education for the children of Washington. After passing the House on April 21, the bill was sent to conference following the Senate’s refusal to concur with House amendments. The final bill adjusts the distribution of collected revenues by capping deposits in the Education Legacy Trust Account at ...

OLYMPIA – The Washington State Legislature passed a historic budget today that focuses on an equitable recovery from the economic and health impacts of COVID-19. The 2021-23 operating budget uses a combination of ongoing state revenue and federal funds from the American Rescue Plan to provide back-due rent relief, small business support, strengthen the state’s safety net, build upon investments in local public health, and prioritize needs of low-income and communities of color who have suffered the most impacts due to the pandemic. “This is a budget that meets the moment and will guide a sustainable and equitable recovery ...

OLYMPIA – Washington will extend its public-health approach to substance use disorder by establishing a temporary new legal framework the possession of controlled substances and providing nearly $90 million to significantly expand treatment infrastructure, under a bill passed today by the Legislature. In a Feb. 25 decision in the case of State v. Blake, the Washington State Supreme Court struck down the state statute that made possession of controlled substances a class C felony, removing all state criminal penalties for possession. SB 5476, sponsored by Sen. Manka Dhingra (D-Redmond), reduces the penalty to a simple misdemeanor and mandates ...