Dear friends and neighbors, Happy Pride 2021! There is much to celebrate this Pride Month as we emerge from the pandemic and collectively reflect on progress the LGBTQ community has made in the fight for equality. Next week we will ...
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Dear friends and neighbors: When the Legislature convened in January, we were prepared to act swiftly to support the thousands of workers and small businesses suffering due to the pandemic. For many of our neighbors, the last year has been ...
Read MoreDear friends and neighbors, Washington has led the nation with smart policy at the state level on many issues over the years, but tax fairness isn’t one of them. For decades, tax policy experts have reported that our state has ...
Read MoreDear friends and neighbors, The housing and homelessness crisis is among the most urgent challenges our region faces. In the past year, we’ve again learned valuable lessons about how essential affordable housing is, since during the pandemic your home became ...
Read MoreIn the final days of this year’s session, the legislature reached agreement on several historic pieces of legislation to decrease carbon emissions in our state and protect the environment. Combatting climate change The Climate Commitment Act (SB 5126) puts our ...
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Dear friends and neighbors: Years from now, we will remember the Fair Start for Kids Act (SB 5237) as a landmark achievement of the 2021 legislative session. Our childcare and early learning system was in crisis before the COVID-19 pandemic. ...
Read MoreDear friends and neighbors, The 2021 Legislature has adjourned for the year. While the 105-day session was conducted mostly on Zoom, we managed to complete our work on time for the fourth year in a row and enact historic policies ...
Read MoreDear 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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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 ...
Read MoreA 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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