News Releases

OLYMPIA — Legislators, local elected officials, and community members gathered at a press conference Monday to demand economic and social justice for people living near Sea-Tac Airport. Speakers supported legislation (SB 5955/HB 2103) to direct a small portion of Port of Seattle revenue as well as funding from the state’s Climate Commitment Act to address the significant noise and air ...

OLYMPIA – This afternoon, Governor Jay Inslee signed HB 1028, a bill to promote victim-centered, trauma-informed practices in the legal system. Sponsored by Rep. Tina Orwall, D-Des Moines, the bill is based on the work of the Sexual Assault Forensic Examination Best Practices Advisory Group (SAFE Advisory Group), which was initially established in 2019 within the Attorney General’s Office to ...

Today the Governor signed the companion to my bill to remove defects and omissions including unconstitutional statues from the Revised Code of Washington. The Washington State Supreme Court ruled the death penalty statute unconstitutional in 2018. It has been applied unequally and unfairly. Today we have taken a step toward justice and fairness and ended the death penalty in ...

OLYMPIA—Housing has been a priority this session for Washington legislators, and Rep. Tina Orwall knows a thing or two about helping families keep their homes. In 2011, the Des Moines Democrat authored the bill that created the Foreclosure Fairness Act (FFA) and has since continued adding protections for homeowners, this year, with the introduction of HB 1349 and HB 1636. “I have seen ...

OLYMPIA—The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is a new crisis hotline that people can call for help in behavioral health emergencies separate from 911. In 2020, the Federal Communications Commission designated 988 as the new nationwide three-digit number for suicide prevention. In 2021, Rep. Tina Orwall, D-Des Moines, sponsored HB 1477 to support the new number and expand behavioral health crisis response ...

OLYMPIA—Twenty percent of adult Washingtonians experience some degree of hearing loss, that’s five percent higher than the national average, and two out of 1000 children nationally are born with a hearing disorder. Despite these statistics, hearing aids are not covered by health insurance plans in Washington state. This could change if a measure passed by the House on an 89-8 vote ...

OLYMPIA—This afternoon, as part of the Legislative Session opening ceremonies, Rep. Tina Orwall was once again chosen by her peers to preside over Floor debate during the 2023 105-day session. “I am privileged and deeply honored to have been selected by my fellow lawmakers for this important office. I am grateful for their support and confidence, and I pledge to work for ...

OLYMPIA – This afternoon, in a virtual bill signing ceremony, Governor Jay Inslee enacted House Bill 1153 into law. The measure, authored by Rep. Tina Orwall, will help close equity gaps in Washington’s public schools by establishing a language access program for culturally responsive family engagement within the state’s education system. “It has been a very long journey and, while ...

2012: House Bill 2366 Required mental health care professionals to complete training in suicide assessment, treatment, and management every six years beginning January 2014. Commissioned a study by DOH on how evidence-based training affects all licensed health care professionals’ ability to identify, refer, treat, and manage patients with suicidal ideation. 2013: House Bill 1336 Written to improve schools’ capacity to prevent student suicide. Required ESDs ...

OLYMPIA—Governor Inslee has added his signature to a measure passed by the legislature that will ensure Washington remains a leader in suicide prevention. Introduced by Rep. Tina Orwall (D-Des Moines), HB 1477 implements the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act, replacing the ten-digit National Suicide Prevention Lifeline/Veterans Crisis Line with the simple, three-digit 988 phone number beginning by July 16, 2022. Implementation of the ...