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Nation-leading police accountability bills signed into law

Nation-leading police accountability bills signed into law

OLYMPIA – A package of law enforcement accountability legislation was signed by Gov. Jay Inslee today, increasing state oversight of police conduct, banning dangerous and unnecessary police practices, and raising standards for police conduct. “The public outcry over a series of high-profile deaths of members of Black, Indigenous, and people of color communities has now led to the most significant new ...

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Legislature takes action on housing, homelessness

Legislature takes action on housing, homelessness

Dear 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 the only safe place for you to be. When the 2021 legislative session wrapped up a few weeks ago, I was ...

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Climate action in the state legislature

Climate action in the state legislature

In 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 state on a path to net-zero carbon emissions by the year 2050. The cap-and-invest legislation places a hard cap on carbon ...

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Legislature adjourns; police accountability bills approved

Legislature adjourns; police accountability bills approved

Dear 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 to improve life here in Seattle and across the state. In the coming weeks, I will send more detailed updates on ...

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Progress on police accountability & town hall coming up

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 Gov. Inslee signed a $2.2 billion measure (HB 1368) to expand testing and vaccine distribution, provide support to schools, ...

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2021 legislative session begins

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 stood guard. Like most Americans, I’m deeply disturbed by the hateful violence and intimidation we saw in our nation’s capital and ...

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Pedersen bill would open up legislative records

Pedersen bill would open up legislative records

OLYMPIA – Sen. Jamie Pedersen, D-Seattle, introduced legislation today to subject the Legislature to the state Public Records Act and make a broad range of records available to the public and press.

“The people of our state value both open government and effective government.  This bill attempts to strike a balance between those important principles.” Pedersen said. “It’s time for the ...

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Pedersen enters second full term in state Senate

Pedersen enters second full term in state Senate

OLYMPIA – Sen. Jamie Pedersen (D-Seattle) started his second full term in the Washington State Senate today. Pedersen will continue to serve as chair of the Senate Law & Justice Committee. He will also serve on the Senate Ways & Means and Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education committees. Pedersen was first appointed to the Senate in 2013 and elected in 2014. ...

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Pedersen: Supreme Court ruling affirms the promise of equality for all

Pedersen: Supreme Court ruling affirms the promise of equality for all

OLYMPIA – Today the United States Supreme Court issued its much-awaited ruling on marriage equality across the country. In a landmark decision that will finally secure marriage rights for all couples, the Court ruled state bans on same-sex marriages across the country unconstitutional under the Fourteenth Amendment, effectively granting couples in all 50 states the right to marry. Washington voters approved marriage ...

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Pedersen chosen as top Democrat on Senate Law and Justice Committee

Pedersen chosen as top Democrat on Senate Law and Justice Committee

Sen. Jamie Pedersen, D-Seattle, will take over as the ranking Democrat on the Senate Law and Justice Committee as the legislature convenes the 2015 session. “We will have a lot of important issues to consider in 2015. I am excited to get to work with my colleagues on the committee as we face another challenging legislative session,” Pedersen said. The committee considers ...

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