Speaker of the House Laurie Jinkins (D-Tacoma) and Senate Majority Leader Andy Billig (D-Spokane) offered the following statement on their decision not to meet in special session to reconvene the redistricting commission: “We are committed to the goals of the Voting Rights Act (VRA). The plaintiffs made their case in court, and the US District Court for Western Washington found that the existing maps do not meet the standard set by the VRA. Now, voters in the Yakima Valley are entitled to fair and timely legislative maps. “The most expedient and non-political way to move forward is for the ...
Read MoreNews
PORT ORCHARD – Rep. Drew Hansen (D-Bainbridge Island) has been appointed to represent the 23rd Legislative District in the Washington State Senate. Hansen, who has served in the state House of Representatives since 2011, was selected to fill the open seat following a vote of the Kitsap County Board of Commissioners on Wednesday. Hansen replaces Christine Rolfes, who resigned last week to fill a vacant seat on the commission. “I’m grateful to be able to continue serving our community in the Senate,” Hansen said. “It’s been an extraordinary honor to serve in the House for the past decade and ...
Read More
OLYMPIA – Budget leaders in the Washington State Senate responded to news that the state has maintained its historically high ratings from the nation’s top credit agencies. Reports from Moody’s (Aaa), S&P (AA+) and Fitch (AA+) cited the state’s strong governance practices, sound reserves, a broad and growing economy, and a commitment to fiscal balance. The agencies also highlighted Washington’s fiscal management and forecasting system among the reasons for the strong credit ratings in their latest assessments. The high credit ratings allow Washington to obtain low-interest rates and issue bonds to refinance existing obligations for public projects. Senate leaders ...
Read More
OLYMPIA – Sen. Emily Randall, D-Bremerton, and Rep. Vandana Slatter, D-Bellevue, chair the Senate and House Higher Education & Workforce Development committees. In the wake of the Supreme Court decision striking down affirmative action protections in college admissions, overturning almost 50 years of precedent and the ruling against the Department of Education’s plan to forgive roughly $500 billion in student loan debt, Chairs Randall and Slatter issued the following joint statement: “Yet again, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against the best interest of everyday people. The decisions in Biden v. Nebraska ...
Read More
HOW ARE GAS PRICES DETERMINED?
- 57% of what consumers pay for a gallon of gas is for crude oil
- 18% for refining
- 12% for distribution and marketing
- 13% for taxes
- Demand
- Refinery production
- Maintenance
- Local, regional, global impacts
June 30, 2023 At a time of increased nationwide violence and hatred directed towards the LGBTQ+ community, the United States Supreme Court has sided today with forces of division and taken a step back in the march toward a more perfect union. This decision marks the first time in our nation’s history that the Court has allowed businesses open to the public to effectively discriminate against a protected class. To refuse service to customers based on who they love is not only outdated, but also hateful and in conflict with the beliefs of the vast majority of the country. The ...
Read More
WASHINGTON, D.C. – A year after the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision upended abortion rights, lawmakers from around the country met in the nation’s capital to detail their efforts to ensure reproductive freedom in their home states. Sens. Manka Dhingra (D-Redmond) and Patty Kuderer (D-Bellevue) represented the Washington State Senate at the event. Dhingra participated on a panel with lawmakers from Minnesota and Maryland entitled “Building a Powerful Policy Agenda” to discuss laws they passed to protect access to safe and legal abortions in their home states. Vice President Kamala Harris also attended Thursday's ...
Read More
A new analysis from nonpartisan legislative staff shows that 95.89 percent of bills that passed the legislature in 2023 did so with bipartisan support. The legislature passed 487 bills during the 2023 legislative session, 467 of which received the ‘yes’ vote of at least one Republican senator or representative. “When I’m out in our community talking to people, I think the thing that surprises them most is how much we work together,” Senate Majority Leader Andy Billig said. “I’m so proud of the collaborative spirit of our legislative work, a great example of that was the bipartisan work ...
Read More
OLYMPIA — A bill to amend Washington’s drug possession laws and expand access to pretrial treatment programs was signed into law Tuesday, after passing both the House and Senate with bipartisan support. 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 year the Legislature established a simple misdemeanor penalty for knowing possession, but it is ...
Read More
OLYMPIA — Washington state’s behavioral health system is coming out of the 2023 legislative session with nearly $1 billion in new funding and crucial innovative initiatives established. “With the rollout of Washington’s new 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, our state is becoming a national model for behavioral health crisis intervention,” said Sen. Manka Dhingra (D-Redmond), deputy majority leader of the Senate. “And this year, the Legislature stepped up to fulfill that promise — not only to deliver the services that people in crisis need, but to build a system and a workforce that can help prevent crises before ...
Read More