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KEY PENINSULA – Former Peninsula School Board president Deb Krishnadasan was appointed Wednesday to the Washington State Senate, replacing former Sen. Emily Randall, who was recently elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. Krishnadasan was sworn into office following a joint vote by the Kitsap Board of Commissioners and the Pierce County Council.  “I am honored to serve the 26th district,” Krishnadasan (D-Gig Harbor) said. “Having served on the Peninsula School Board for more than six years, I know policy must come from a place of listening to my neighbors — to teachers and nurses, ...

SEATTLE – Tina Orwall, who has served in the House of Representatives for the past 15 years, was selected by the King County Council Tuesday to replace retiring Sen. Karen Keiser. She was sworn into office shortly after. “It’s an honor to continue serving my community in this new capacity,” Orwall (D-Des Moines) said. “I'm incredibly humbled to earn the trust of my community and will continue to do everything I can to improve the lives of all people living in our district and throughout our state.” Orwall’s first year in the House was in 2009. Since then, she ...

OLYMPIA – Sen. Mike Chapman was sworn in Friday to serve in the Washington State Senate representing the 24th Legislative District, which includes Clallam, Jefferson and Grays Harbor Counties on the Olympic Peninsula.  Chapman replaces former Sen. Kevin Van De Wege who resigned from the Senate in October after serving in the Washington State Legislature since 2007.  “It’s a tremendous honor to take on this role and I am so grateful to the people in our community who trust me to do this work for them in Olympia,” Chapman said. “We have ...

OLYMPIA – The Senate Democratic Caucus voted Thursday to confirm committee leadership and membership positions for the 2025 legislative session. The 2025 session will bring eight new members to the Senate Democratic Caucus. Seven senators decided to retire or run for another office following the 2024 legislative session, and Democrats added a 30th member — Sen.-elect Adrian Cortes from the 18th Legislative District — in the 2024 general election. “Washington voters sent a clear message this year — they want quality public schools, affordable housing and health care, a clean environment, and safe communities,” Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen ...

TUKWILA – Sen. Jamie Pedersen (D-Seattle) will be the new Senate Majority Leader in the Washington State Senate, following a vote among Senate Democrats on Monday. Pedersen will take over immediately as Sen. Andy Billig (D-Spokane) prepares to retire after 14 years of service in the Legislature, including six years (2018-2024) as leader of the Senate Democrats. Pedersen has served in the Senate since 2013 and was first elected to the state House of Representatives in 2006. In the Legislature, he has chaired both the House Judiciary and Senate Law and Justice committees. He has ...

OLYMPIA — Two omnibus bills to improve the response to survivors of sexual assault and child trafficking in Washington state’s legal system were signed into law Tuesday. “This legislation rewrites our state’s laws to provide a truly victim-centered, trauma-informed response to survivors of sexual assault and child trafficking,” said Sen. Manka Dhingra (D-Redmond), prime sponsor of both bills. “Too often, the victims of gender-based violence are forgotten by our society. These bills increase support to help survivors get their own lives back on track as well as ensure justice is done.” SB 5937 streamlines eligibility for crime ...

OLYMPIA – Unscrupulous lenders who are partnering with out-of-state banks to evade Washington’s limits on interest rates will have to cease their predatory practices or face sanctions, under legislation signed into law today. SB 6025, sponsored by Sen. Derek Stanford (D-Bothell), makes any attempt to evade the provisions of Washington’s Consumer Loan Act a violation of the act. “Our state’s Consumer Loan Act does a good job of protecting consumers and laying out clear standards for lenders and borrowers,” said Stanford. “But some companies are partnering with out-of-state banks and using structures that allow them to slip through ...

A new analysis of nonpartisan data shows that 95.8% of bills passed during the 2024 legislative session did so with bipartisan support. Overall, 365 of the 381 bills that cleared both chambers and arrived on Gov. Inslee’s desk did so with the ‘yes’ vote of at least one Republican senator or representative. Digging deeper into the numbers shows that only one ‘yes’ vote was the exception rather than the rule. Of the all the bills that passed the Legislature in 2024:

• 91.34% (348 of 381) garnered six or more Republican votes — 10% of GOP legislators.
• 89.24% (340 ...
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OLYMPIA – Public schools across Washington will be able to put more paraeducators in classrooms to better meet student needs, under legislation signed into law today. SB 5882 increases the staff allocation for paraeducators in the prototypical school funding model, unlocking dollars that schools can use to increase staffing, prevent layoffs, or raise salaries for paraeducators and some other support staff. The legislation is funded with $72 million in the state's general fund in the 2024 supplemental operating budget. “Paraeducators are crucial in our public education system,” said Sen. Derek Stanford (D-Bothell), the bill’s prime sponsor. “Paraeducators ...

OLYMPIA – Washington’s strong protections for workers against employer-imposed noncompetition agreements will grow even stronger under legislation signed into law today. SB 5935, sponsored by Sen. Derek Stanford (D-Bothell), increases protections for workers and consumers in response to real-life situations that have arisen since the passage of landmark 2019 legislation restricting the use of noncompete clauses in Washington. “This bill is about freedom in the marketplace for labor,” said Stanford. “It safeguards the freedom of workers to seek new jobs without undue interference from their current employer, and the freedom of consumers to follow their favorite car mechanic, ...