Friends, neighbors—

We’ve been working around the clock this week passing bills on the floor of the Senate. There have been eloquent speeches, heated debates, tears, and—in the end—lots of legislation that’s going to make a difference in all of our lives.

We’ve passed bills to create an LGBTQ Commission, help human trafficking victims, expand broadband in underserved areas, address the opioid epidemic, and remove barriers to voting — and that’s just for starters. I also helped move a big transportation package, with millions of dollars of investments in our district, out of committee.  

Town Halls

On Saturday, March 23, I’ll be hosting town halls in Bremerton, Gig Harbor and Vaughn. I’m eager to share the work we’ve been doing to expand health care access and reduce costs, as well as to make living and learning more affordable for everyone, including veterans and gold star families.

My top priority is opening the door to Legislature to every member of our community—hearing your issues and concerns, and reporting back to you on what we’ve done so far. You are essential to our democratic process. Thank you for participating, and I hope to see you there!

Let us know if you can make it to one of the events by clicking on the links below:

You can see them all at the link here.

Behind the scenes at our Legislature

One of the great privileges of serving in the Legislature is interacting with all the bright and enthusiastic young people who spend time here learning about our democracy. I’ve gotten to talk to kids from schools around the district, and last week I sponsored my first page.

The page program gives young people a hands-on opportunity to learn how our state government works from the inside. The pages spend a week on the floor of the Senate, in the corridors of the Senate offices, and with guest speakers and classes on topics like budget writing and how a bill becomes a law. And it culminates in pages creating their own bills in a mock committee setting.

My page last week was Elena Weymiller. She’s in 9th grade at Gig Harbor High School, where she is on the speech and debate team. Elena enjoys playing a variety of different instruments including the guitar, ukulele, and piano. And when she has free time, Elena writes short modern fiction stories and hangs out with her dog Willy.

“I enjoyed being a page because the people here really treat us with responsibility and respect,” Elena said. “We are treated a lot more like adults here, and are trusted with important tasks.”

If you want to learn more about the page program or find the application, check here on the Legislature’s website.

My week in Olympia

I believe in transparency, and I want to keep you all informed about what I’m doing on behalf of the 26th District in Olympia. That’s why I’m making a practice of posting my calendar each week on Facebook. You can always see the last week’s calendar on my Facebook page.

Keep in touch

We are all eager to hear from you about your priorities. I hope you’ll follow me on Facebook so you can see what we’re up to. And please feel free to reach out anytime at 360-786-7650 or Emily.Randall@leg.wa.gov. The more we hear from you, the better our work in Olympia can reflect our shared values and goals.

All my best,