Dear friends and neighbors,  

It’s my first week back in Olympia since the 2023 legislative session adjourned in April. Over the last several months I’ve been busy meeting with community partners, legislative colleagues and hearing from you, as we prepare for the start of the 2024 session on Jan. 8.  

Thank you to everyone who listened in or asked questions during my live telephone town hall in December! Hearing what issues you care most about is invaluable to me. If you didn’t get to participate, you can listen to the full audio here, or watch the town hall on my Instagram. You can also always reach out to my office if you have questions or feedback.  

Session priorities 

This session is about building on the work we did in 2023 — providing historic investments in affordable housing, boosting support for behavioral health, taking action to combat the climate crisis and more. The 2024 session will last 60 days. During this short session, we’ll consider supplemental budget requests and new and returning policy proposals.  

This year, I’m stepping down as chair of the Higher Education & Workforce Development Committee. As a first-generation college grad, the opportunity to work on higher education access and affordability has been the highlight of my career. I’m so proud of the work we’ve done over the last several years, and that Washington state is now one of the most affordable states to access a college degree. We’ve invested in apprenticeship pathways and career training, too. I’ll keep advocating for better access to post-secondary education as a member of the committee, but it’s time to make space for a new chair.   

As deputy majority leader and a member of the Health & Long Term Care and Ways & Means (new for me this year!) committees, I’ll continue working to make health care more affordable and the legislative process more approachable.   

Getting the Keep Our Care Act across the finish line is my biggest priority. This legislation will protect patient interests against hospital and health system mergers and preserve access to secular health care, including gender-affirming, reproductive and end-of-life care.   

Senate page program  

Do you know a student 14-16 years old who may be interested in spending a week learning about state government? Encourage them to apply to the Senate page program! Pages spend their week learning about the legislative process, while distributing materials throughout the Capitol Campus, assisting offices, delivering messages and working on the Senate floor. They get to learn about all aspects of state government in page school. Applications are open now through Feb. 9. Learn more about the program here.  

How you can get involved this session   

  • Learn how the legislative process works here.    
  • Find legislation here. 
    • Dozens of bills have already been pre-filed for the 2024 legislative session. On the first day of session, these bills will be introduced and referred to a Senate legislative committee. You can find those bills here.
  • Watch committee hearings, floor debates and more on TVW.
  • Testify in committee hearings in person or remotely by signing up here. See what’s going on each day by checking out the legislature’s calendar.
  • Reach out to my office anytime at 360-786-7650 or Emily.Randall@leg.wa.gov. The more I hear from you, the more my work in Olympia can reflect our shared values and goals. You can also follow along for more legislative updates on my official Facebook and Instagram pages.