Dear friends and neighbors,
We just passed a key session milestone on Wednesday: policy cutoff. It’s the final day policy committees can vote to advance bills further in the legislative process. I’m thrilled to report that many of my bills survived this key deadline! Here are some of my priority bills still in play:
- SB 6343 provides property tax relief to people whose homes were damaged by flooding last December. It also provides an exemption for retail sales and use tax on construction materials and labor costs associated with repairing property damaged by the floods.
- SB 5652 improves the health of people who live in communities around Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. This is a critical bill that would hold the airport accountable for the noise and air pollution that’s affecting people in our district. We heard incredible testimony on this bill during its public hearing last month, including from Burien resident Brian Davis.
- SB 6286 expands the state Department of Health’s authority to issue fines if and when private detention facilities, including those used as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) processing centers, prevent the agency from entering their buildings for inspections. The funds generated from such fines would be used to provide financial assistance to people or families with members who have been assaulted, killed, or wrongfully detained by ICE.
- SB 6017 increases support for survivors of sexual and domestic violence by adding safeguards in the courtroom for survivors during cross-examination. It also extends rights under the Victims of Sexual Assault Act to survivors of female genital mutilation, so they have the same access to resources and services as other survivors of sexual and domestic violence.
- SB 5936 holds perpetrators of human trafficking accountable by establishing criminal liability for businesses that engage in this terrible crime.
- SB 5985 creates an online resource center for Washingtonians with information about endometriosis.
I’m also happy to share the Senate unanimously passed two more of my bills this week — and they’re both focused on keeping Washingtonians safe and housed. SB 5938 would strengthen our state’s foreclosure-prevention efforts, as well as explore the possibility of creating a homeowner assistance fund to help people who’ve exhausted all available options to remain in their homes. SB 5957 would expand our state’s Office of Homeless Youth Prevention and Protection Programs Advisory Committee to ensure we’re including people with lived experience as homeless youth to help advise our state’s homeless-prevention work.
With more legislative deadlines on the horizon during this short session, I will continue to fight for these bills as well as other legislation that addresses our state’s affordability and housing crisis, protects us from the federal government’s hostility, and builds a sustainable budget that preserves essential services.
Standing up for immigrants and holding ICE accountable
Like many of you, I am horrified by the violence and civil rights violations that ICE agents are committing in our communities and states like Minnesota. Disturbing images and videos of masked agents forcefully detaining people and making warrantless arrests have left too many of our law-abiding immigrant neighbors living in fear of deportation.
While the Legislature has limited ability to control federal immigration enforcement — and we cannot stop ICE from coming to our state — we must do everything we can to protect everyone who calls Washington home. That’s why I and many of my Senate colleagues are sponsoring bills to bring additional transparency, accountability, and protection from the terror ICE is inflicting on our communities.
Last week, I was proud to vote for one of Senate Democrats’ priority immigration-focused bills: SB 5855. This legislation prohibits local, state, and federal law enforcement officers — including ICE agents — from wearing face-concealing masks while interacting with the public. Trust in law enforcement depends on transparency and accountability, and this bill ensures people know the identity of any law enforcement officer who is exercising government authority over them.
I also support bills this session that provide state-level protections from immigration enforcement around data privacy and surveillance, notification and security around I-9 forms that employers use to verify immigration status, and protecting sensitive places like schools, hospitals, and churches.
As we continue to advance immigration-focused bills in the Legislature, including my bill to hold ICE detention facilities accountable, I hope you will keep contacting your state representatives and Washington’s federal leaders about your concerns. I also hope you will continue making your voice heard throughout the rest of this year’s legislative session.
Resources for immigrant communities
In addition to the actions the Legislature is taking this session, Gov. Bob Ferguson and Attorney General Nick Brown are taking steps to prepare our state if the Trump administration tries to deploy the same tactics here as it has in Minnesota. As our immigrant communities navigate this fear and uncertainty, I wanted to highlight a variety of state resources for you to bookmark:
- A “Know Your Rights” guide from the Attorney General’s Office. This guide is translated into multiple languages and offers guidance on what to do if an immigration enforcement officer approaches you.
- The Rapid Response Hub from the State’s Commission on Hispanic Affairs has information on making a family preparedness plan, links to statewide and county resources, and resources for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients.
- The Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families has a list of resources for families who have been affected by federal immigration actions.
- The Office of Refugee and Immigrant Assistance has a resource map to help you find organizations offering a variety of services right here in south King County.
I hope you’ll find these resources helpful and share them with anyone you know who needs help during this difficult time.
Meet senate page Grace O’Leary
Sen. Tina Orwall with Senate page Grace O’Leary, a sophomore from Holy Names Academy in Seattle.
Last week, I had the pleasure of welcoming Grace O’Leary to Olympia as a Senate page! Grace is a sophomore from Holy Names Academy in Seattle, and she’s an active student who enjoys practicing martial arts. She said she appreciated the opportunity to connect with pages from across the state and learn from a wide range of perspectives. Wonderful work, Grace!
Keep in touch
As always, please don’t hesitate to contact my office when you have feedback, questions, or concerns. You can reach me at Tina.Orwall@leg.wa.gov or 360-786-7664. I hope to hear from you!
Sincerely,
