News Releases

For 30 years, local towns, cities and counties have been blocked from taking their own action to prevent gun violence.   This is because of a statewide preemption of local gun regulations.   SB 5446 would remove that preemption so local municipalities may have the flexibility to make decisions that are best for their communities.   “Gun violence is ...

Joy Ohta, 16, spent the week of January 9-13 serving as a page for the Washington State Senate. Sen. Joe Nguyen (D-White Center) sponsored her week in the Legislature. The page program offers students a hands-on opportunity to learn about state government through classes, guest speakers, and direct contact with legislators. Ohta was motivated to serve as a page in order ...

Olympia– Sen. Joe Nguyen (D-White Center) was selected by the Senate Democratic Caucus to chair the Senate Environment, Energy & Technology Committee in the 2023 legislative session. “Washington is a renowned environmental leader powered by a robust technology sector and an innovative energy industry,” said Nguyen. “The conversations in this committee aren’t just about our state’s immediate needs, but also about ...

OLYMPIA– On Tuesday, the Senate passed Move Ahead Washington, SB 5974, an investment in our community and our environmental health. “We know that transportation is one of biggest carbon-emitting sectors in our state,” said Sen. Joe Nguyen (D-White Center). “This package responds to the climate crisis and makes brave investments in maintenance and preservation, including investments in multimodal with transit, ...

OLYMPIA– Legislation passed today by the Senate would accelerate the state’s efforts to reduce carbon and pollution from residential and commercial buildings. “Residential and commercial buildings are the second-largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Washington and account for 27% of statewide emissions,” said Sen. Joe Nguyen (D-West Seattle). “This legislation provides an accessible, incentive-based program to reduce the energy buildings ...

OLYMPIA – Legislation that would allow temporary shelters or transitional encampments for people experiencing homelessness to be quickly sited passed off the Senate floor. Senate Bill 5428, sponsored by State Sen. Joe Nguyen (D-West Seattle), would give local jurisdictions a valuable option for relieving homelessness. “In the two years of the pandemic, we saw a critical housing issue go from bad ...

OLYMPIA – Families that rely on Washington’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program will see an additional boost in benefits along with clarified expectations under legislation signed into law today by Gov. Inslee. Senate Bill 5214, sponsored by Sen. Joe Nguyen (D-West Seattle), will allow more families to continue using the vital social program during times of high statewide ...

OLYMPIA – Gov. Jay Inslee signed a bill into law today that allows community and technical colleges in Washington to offer bachelor’s degrees in computer science. Senate Bill 5401, sponsored by Sen. Joe Nguyen (D-West Seattle), creates more options for Washington students to earn degrees and enter the competitive computer science workforce. “Allowing our community colleges to offer these degrees will ...

OLYMPIA – Gov. Jay Inslee signed a bill into law today that sets in place the most comprehensive standards for police officer arbitration in Washington in decades. Senate Bill 5055, sponsored by Sen. Joe Nguyen (D – West Seattle), increases transparency and reduces the risk of bias in officer appeals of discipline and in the arbitrator selection process. Recent research ...

OLYMPIA - Families that rely on Washington’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program could see an additional boost in benefits along with clarified expectations under legislation passed today by the Senate. Senate Bill 5214, sponsored by Sen. Joe Nguyen (D-West Seattle), would allow more families to continue using the vital social program during times of high statewide unemployment. The bill ...