Dear friends and neighbors,

The Legislature adjourned Sunday. It was a difficult session on many fronts, from the budget deficit to losing dear colleagues. I’m proud we ended the session on time with balanced budgets and key investments for our K-12 public schools and special education.

My bills

Gov. Bob Ferguson has signed four of my bills, with another two en route.

Governor Ferguson signs Engrossed Second Substitute Senate Bill No. 5337, April 30, 2025. Relating to improving dementia care in Washington by creating a certification for memory care services. Primary Sponsor: Sen. Tina Orwall.

Signed into law

  • Senate Bill 5337 protects vulnerable seniors by creating a certification for memory care services, requiring them to be certified by the Department of Social and Health Services and meet specific standards to ensure the best care for residents and patients.
  • SB 5163 improves systems to protect children by modifying the child fatality statute to include those up to age 19, requires reporting of requested child fatality reviews to the local health department, and allows witness statements collected for these reviews be used as evidence in criminal proceedings, as well as some language changes.
  • SB 5355 supports student survivors of sexual assault at colleges and improves campus safety, including prohibiting colleges from asking students to enter a non-disclosure agreement.
  • SB 5356 provides trauma informed training for peace officers and expands these trainings for title IX investigations at higher education institutions to increase support for survivors of violent crimes.

Ready for signature

  • SB 5686 creates more foreclosure protections for condo owners by expanding the Foreclosure Fairness Act to include HOA/condos.
  • SB 5486 requires movie theaters to provide some open captioning for movie screenings, making them more accessible for deaf and hard of hearing communities.

Governor Ferguson signs Second Substitute Senate Bill No. 5356, April 22, 2025. Relating to training provided by the criminal justice training commission on a victimcentered, trauma-informed approach to interacting with victims and responding to calls involving gender-based violence or sexual violence. Primary Sponsor: Sen. Tina Orwall

Budget wins for the 33rd

This was a difficult budget year full of hard decisions. That being said, there are some big wins for our community! I’m particularly excited about funding I helped secure for Open Doors Multicultural Village, a support hub for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). The Village will include a regional early learning center for kids aged 3-5, especially those with disabilities, a family resource center to expand Open Doors’ capacity to over 2,000 families annually, and 233 units of permanent affordable housing, with 20% reserved for individuals and families with IDD. The development, close to transit and essential services, allows individuals and families to remain connected to their community.

We also secured $440,000 for the University of Washington for long-term air quality monitoring sites in our community, so important trends and annual average air pollution concentrations can be monitored and reported,  as well as $515,000 for the Latino Civic Alliance workforce development and small business hub.

Some other standout projects include:

  • Des Moines Marina Steps: $1.03 million
  • Starfire Commons improvements:  $2.5 million
  • King Co. Water Dist. 54 Treatment Modernization: $1.03 million
  • Northwest Kidney Centers Burien Pharmacy Relocation:  $79,000
  • Sea Mar – Kent:  $1.292 million

You can find the full lists of projects here and here.

Caucus achievements

I’m proud of the work my colleagues and I did to secure education funding, build more housing, stabilize rent, pass a balanced budget, create more safeguards for firearm purchases, improve public safety, expand recycling across the state, and ensure Washington classrooms are both safe and welcoming.

What’s next

I’m excited to continue my work protecting our most impacted communities, including SB 5652, reducing impacts of airports on surrounding communities ; SB 5105, concerning offenses involving fabricated depictions of minors;  SB 5386, relating to supporting survivors of sexual assault in public K-12 schools; SB 5395, relating to making improvements to transparency and accountability in the prior authorization process, and so much more, like your concerns. This will ensure that a person’s health decisions, including denial of care, are not made by AI but through professional reviews.

I’m under election year restrictions until results are certified in December. That means there won’t be any communications coming out of my office. I’ll remain hard at work, and my office can still help you. It was truly an honor to represent you this session — thank you for trusting me in this role.

Contact

Again, please don’t hesitate to contact my office when you have feedback, questions, or concerns. We’re still here to help after session! You can reach me at Tina.Orwall@leg.wa.gov or 360-786-7664. I hope to hear from you!

Sincerely,

Tina Orwall