OLYMPIA – Legislation to provide long-term funding for sustainable tourism promotion in Washington was signed into law today by Gov. Bob Ferguson. Senate Bill 5492, sponsored by Sen. Marcus Riccelli (D-Spokane), provides a framework to bring together representatives from key tourism-related sectors to make recommendations to the Legislature for establishing a new sustainable funding model to provide state tourism promotion ...
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OLYMPIA – Legislation to expand access to childcare for military families in Washington state was signed into law this afternoon by Gov. Bob Ferguson. “This bill is really about increasing access to affordable childcare by making the licensing process easier for military providers around Fairchild and other bases in the state,” said Sen. Marcus Riccelli (D-Spokane), the prime sponsor of Read More
Friends and neighbors, The 2025 legislative session officially adjourned last night in Olympia. During the 105-day session, we made important progress on a wide range of issues, including crucial investments in housing, education, public safety, health care and much more! It was a challenging budget year, but I’m proud the Legislature embraced a fair, balanced approach. We scrubbed the budget looking for ...
Read MoreOLYMPIA – Several community infrastructure projects in Spokane will receive funding in the state capital budget, which passed the Legislature today. In it are projects championed by Sen. Marcus Riccelli and Reps. Timm Ormsby and Natasha Hill, who represent the 3rd Legislative District in Spokane. The projects include significant improvements to the city’s law enforcement training facility, a new crisis relief ...
Read MoreOLYMPIA – Bipartisan legislation to remove medical debt from credit score reporting in Washington state was signed into law by Gov. Bob Ferguson on Tuesday. Senate Bill 5480, sponsored by Sen. Marcus Riccelli (D-Spokane), will protect Washington consumers by prohibiting collection agencies from reporting medical debt to credit agencies. “One of the top concerns in my district is rising costs, especially ...
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Dear friends and neighbors: With just a few weeks left in the 2025 legislative session, the Legislature is busy taking votes on key bills and negotiating final operating, capital, and transportation budgets for the state. I’ll be sure to keep you updated in the coming weeks on the important investments we are making to improve lives in Spokane and across the ...
Read MoreOLYMPIA – Striking workers would be eligible for unemployment insurance under legislation passed today by the Washington State Senate. “Workers deserve to be able to exercise their right to collectively bargain for fair wages and safe workplace conditions,” said Sen. Marcus Riccelli (D-Spokane), the bill’s sponsor. “This is a practical, low-cost step to ensure workers are not intimidated out of exercising ...
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OLYMPIA – Legislation to expand access to childcare for military families was approved by the Washington State Senate on a bipartisan vote Monday. Currently, military family home childcare providers already certified through the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) must also be licensed and registered by the state, unless located on a military base. Senate Bill 5545, sponsored by Sen. ...
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OLYMPIA – The Washington State Senate approved a measure to remove medical debt from credit score reporting on a bipartisan vote Wednesday. Senate Bill 5480, sponsored by Sen. Marcus Riccelli (D-Spokane), would protect consumers by prohibiting collection agencies and other entities from reporting medical debt to consumer credit agencies or bureaus. “Folks in my district have concerns about rising costs, especially ...
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Friends and neighbors, We are more than a month into the 2025 legislative session in Olympia and I want to share a quick video update about my new duties in the Washington State Senate and a few of the priority bills I am working on. Click here to watch.