News

OLYMPIA – Washington would become the 41^st state in the country to outlaw female genital mutilation (FGM), under legislation passed unanimously today by the Senate. FGM, the cutting or removal of the external female genitalia for non-medical reasons, is often used to control a girl’s sexuality and make her acceptable for marriage in her community. It can cause serious consequences for reproductive health as well as psychological trauma. “Female genital mutilation is an extreme form of gender-based violence that is unfortunately still practiced in our state,” said Sen. Karen Keiser (D-Des Moines). “Forty other U.S. states have already ...

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. Joe Nguyễn’s (D-White Center) bill to make changes to the candidate filing process passed the Senate unanimously on Tuesday.    Senate Bill 5182 moves the deadline for candidates to file for office and modifies deadlines for candidate statements prepared for the voters’ pamphlet.   Currently, candidates only have one week to prepare those statements after filing to run. Allowing them more time to complete these will result in more thoughtful ...

The Washington State Senate today passed SB 5729, legislation to ensure that Washingtonians with diabetes would continue to pay no more than $35 a month for insulin. The bill was sponsored by Sen. Karen Keiser (D-Des Moines) and passed unanimously. In 2022, legislators passed Keiser’s previous insulin bill, SB 5546, which capped the cost of insulin at $35 a month, but the cap in that bill is scheduled to expire on Jan. 1, 2024. The cap was intended to be temporary while Congress passed legislation to control the cost of insulin at the federal level, but Congress ...

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 ...

OLYMPIA – New hires in Washington would no longer have to take cannabis tests as a condition of employment, under legislation passed today by the Senate. Currently available cannabis tests work by detecting metabolites that can remain in the body for weeks after use, long after there is any chance they are causing impairment. This makes cannabis different from how alcohol and other drugs show up in tests and can lead to discrimination against people using a perfectly legal — and sometimes medically necessary — substance in a responsible way. SB 5123, sponsored by Sen. Karen Keiser ...

OLYMPIA — A bill to amend Washington’s drug possession laws and expand access to pretrial treatment programs passed out of the Senate Law & Justice Committee Thursday.  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, the Legislature established a simple misdemeanor penalty for knowing possession that same year, but it is set to expire July ...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Jan. 26 2023  Washington students are championing two bills that will be heard by the Senate Early Learning and K-12 Education committee.   Senate Bill 5355 would mandate Washington schools provide instruction on sex trafficking prevention and identification.  SB 5355 stems from years of hard work by Ria Bahadur, a senior at Eastside Preparatory School. She took on this very critical issue and came up with a solution by creating, drafting and negotiating the bill.   “Youth voices are extremely powerful. They deal with youth for youth. ...