Friends and neighbors,
The first few weeks of the 2024 legislative session in Olympia have been busy, with dozens of public hearings and floor votes on legislation addressing critical issues facing our state. From affordable housing and public education to behavioral health and climate action, this year’s 60-day session is another opportunity to improve lives in the 43rd District and across the state. I am honored to continue representing you in this work.
I continue to serve as our Senate Majority Floor Leader, responsible for opening the day’s proceedings, assigning bills to committees, and ensuring that priority bills are debated and voted on. I also continue to serve on the Law & Justice Committee, the Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee, the Ways & Means Committee, and the Rules Committee. In addition, I serve on the Senate Facilities & Operations Committee, the Joint Committee on Employment Relations, the Legislative Ethics Board, the Office of Public Defense Oversight Committee, the Interbranch Advisory Committee, and the Statute Law Committee; as one of Washington’s commissioners on the Uniform Law Commission; and as a board member of the Washington State Historical Society.
Responding to raids on LGBTQ+ bars
I was surprised and disappointed to hear about raids conducted on LGBTQ+ bars and nightclubs in our district last month. I was even more shocked to learn about the regulation on which the Liquor Control Board based its action. In 2024, in the state of Washington, we expect better from our government. The Legislature’s LGBTQ+ caucus expressed its frustration with the events of January 26 directly to the LCB and the LCB announced that it would suspend “lewd conduct” enforcement. The LCB also promised to end its collaboration with the Joint Enforcement Team (JET), a coalition of law enforcement agencies that monitors bars and nightclubs for illegal activity. Later this week, the Senate will consider amendments to Senate Bill 6105 to repeal the LCB regulation at issue. It has been painful to see members of our community targeted in spaces where they should feel safe. And given the larger context of nationwide attacks on the LGBTQ+ community, it is unfortunate that the LCB action has undermined the perception of our state as a safe haven. We will continue to fight for policies to promote greater health, safety, and dignity for members of the LGBTQ+ community in our state.
2024 legislation
Here are a few of the bills I am sponsoring this year. As usual, many of the ideas behind this legislation came straight from our neighbors and community leaders.
Service animals (SB 5788): We know that service animals can be a lifeline for people with disabilities. Thanks to a constituent, I recently learned that Washington is one of only three states without any accommodation protections in place for people who are training service animals. This leaves trainers shut out from public spaces they rely on for socialization and obedience training. This bill would ensure service dogs in training are allowed to accompany individuals in all public places so that they can learn to be effective guides for people with disabilities who will rely on their services. I’m pleased to report that this bill has already passed the Senate and is awaiting action in the House.
Guardianship (SB 5825): This bill would help people who are stuck in the hospital; do not need to be there based on their medical condition; but are not capable of consenting to a different placement and have no one in their lives who can do that on their behalf. The legislation would allow a hospital to request that the Office of Public Guardianship provide someone who could serve as a guardian to protect the interests of these vulnerable people. This change would allow OPG to help discharge individuals from acute care hospitals in a safe way to less expensive placements, opening up space for those who need those beds.
Town Hall coming up February 17
I hope you will save the date for our 43rd Town Hall on February 17 at 1 p.m. at Seattle First Baptist Church, 1111 Harvard Ave. Rep. Nicole Macri, Rep. Frank Chopp and I will answer questions and provide an update on the 2024 session. I hope to see you there!
My team
I am fortunate to have an excellent team to help serve the people of the 43rd District. The staff you see here answer your calls, help to resolve issues, track my bills, and much more. Sam Hendrickson serves as my Executive Legislative Assistant, Mandy Apa as my Legislative Assistant, and George Conzuelo as my intern this session. We are all pictured here on the opening day of the session with the state’s original constitution.
Thanks for taking the time to read this newsletter and don’t hesitate to reach out to me at Jamie.Pedersen@leg.wa.gov.
Best wishes,
Jamie
