Category Archives: E-News

02 Mar
0

Progress on police accountability & town hall coming up

Dear friends and neighbors: We are nearing the halfway mark of the 105-day legislative session in Olympia. Our top priority this session has been to help the people of our state make it through the pandemic. The legislature passed and ...

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Washington State Capitol Building
15 Jan
0

2021 legislative session begins

Dear friends and neighbors, The 2021 legislative session started this week under circumstances unlike any in our state’s history.  Our legislative buildings in Olympia were surrounded by security fencing. Hundreds of personnel from the Washington National Guard and State Patrol ...

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25 Jun
0

Dismantling Racism in Policing

A colleague of mine recently quipped that in 2020, we have been living simultaneously through 1918, 1932, and 1968. It has indeed been an unsettled and unsettling year, causing me to reflect on the profound challenges we face and inspiring ...

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27 Mar
0

State government responds to the pandemic

The last few weeks have been difficult and emotional for people here in Seattle and across the world. Our response to COVID-19 has required us all to alter our lives drastically for a common goal: to reduce the rate of ...

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14 Feb
0

Sen. Pedersen's legislative update

We passed the halfway mark this week on our 60-day legislative session in Olympia. The pace has been intense as we considered more than 1,800 bills on subjects ranging from homelessness and behavioral health to education and gun violence. We ...

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19 Sep
0

2019 Session Review: For the people, by the people

Often the best ideas for new laws originate with friends and neighbors who are willing to tell their stories and put in hours of work to develop and advance legislation. One example close to my heart this week is the ...

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09 Sep
0

2019 Session Review: Building a stronger community

Last week I had the opportunity to celebrate the re-opening of the recently renovated Lincoln High School (the first new comprehensive high school in our city in nearly 60 years) and attend the re-opening of Town Hall Seattle after two ...

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02 Sep
0

2019 Session Review: Reforming outdated laws

Controversial bills grab most of the headlines. But every year, the Legislature passes – usually with overwhelming bipartisan support – dozens of bills to modernize and improve state law in a wide range of areas. Since 2010, I have served ...

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19 Aug
0

2019 Session Review: Justice for sexual assault victims

Thanks to the work and leadership of many survivors of sexual assault in our state, the Legislature took action this year to make it easier for survivors to seek and achieve justice. I am grateful for the courage survivors demonstrated ...

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12 Aug
0

2019 Session Review: Expanding access to higher education

For decades, our state has struggled to guarantee financial assistance for all low-income college students in the state who qualify. Nearly 18,000 people met the requirements for Washington’s State Need Grant last year, for instance, but could not access tuition ...

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