News Releases

Dear friends and neighbors, For the first time since 2020, legislators have gathered from around the state for an in-person session.  The pent-up energy is obvious, with over 500 bills having been introduced in the Senate in just the first 12 days. I am thrilled to be back at work tackling the challenges that face our state and people in the 43^rd ...

Dear friends and neighbors, In my final e-newsletter for this year, I would like to highlight some of the investments that the state will be making in neighborhood projects around our district. Many are the result of persistent and effective advocacy by individuals and nonprofits who are working hard to solve problems and help our communities thrive.

Local community investments

Dear friends and neighbors, This week’s release of a draft U.S. Supreme Court opinion suggesting the Court may be poised to overturn Roe v. Wade represents a radical and dangerous attack on the right to privacy under the federal constitution, potentially calling into question rights from access to contraceptives to marriage equality. Here in Washington, our state constitution has provided explicit ...

As we celebrate Earth Day this week, I want to share more details on the passage of the Move Ahead Washington transportation package.  The package is the most environmentally friendly set of investments in state history and one of the most exciting achievements of the 2022 legislative session. I was proud to support a major boost in funding for bike ...

As a state legislator and as a parent, I feel responsible to protect our environment for generations to come. The global climate crisis caused by runaway carbon emissions has caused our state to experience unprecedented heat waves, catastrophic wildfires, and severe flooding. We know we must take bold action now to avoid even worse damage. I am proud that our ...

Dear friends and neighbors, Before this year’s legislative session concluded on March 10, the Legislature invested in the long-term success of all of Washington students, teachers, and families. As a father of four students and the husband of a special education teacher in Seattle Public Schools, I know how challenging these past two years have been for our students and educators. ...

Dear friends and neighbors, The 2022 legislative session ended on March 10 after a busy and productive 60 days in Olympia. We finished the session on time for the fifth year in a row. We made remarkable progress on many fronts, including an innovative $17 billion transportation package, major investments in public schools, over $500 million to create more housing and ...

Dear friends and neighbors, Less than a week remains in the 2022 legislative session, and we have been spending long days on the Senate floor passing legislation to improve lives in our state. I will report on our progress when the session concludes next week. For now, I wanted to share a few thoughts on the crisis unfolding in Ukraine. During college ...

Dear friends and neighbors -- The Legislature is approaching the halfway point of this year’s short 60-day session. The pace has been brisk and will only accelerate. Over the next week, we will be considering dozens of new policies before the February 15 deadline to pass bills out of the Senate for consideration in the House. You can watch all the ...

Last week marked the beginning of the 2022 legislative session, and with it another opportunity to improve the lives of people in our state and here in the 43^rd Legislative District. This is a short, 60-day session, mostly focused on making improvements to the two-year budgets and major policies that we enacted in 2021. I am honored to continue representing you in that work. Following public health guidance given the community spread of the Omicron variant, the Legislature is ...