OLYMPIA — A bill to amend Washington’s drug possession laws and expand access to pretrial treatment programs was signed into law Tuesday, after passing both the House and Senate with bipartisan support. Senate Bill 5536, sponsored by Sen. June Robinson (D-Everett), permanently addresses the state Supreme Court’s 2021 State v. Blake ruling, which struck down the statute that made possession of controlled substances a class C felony and removed any criminal penalties for possession. In response, that year the Legislature established a simple misdemeanor penalty for knowing possession, but it is set to expire July 1, 2023. The bill reclassifies knowing possession of a controlled or counterfeit substance as a gross misdemeanor and ...
Read MoreAbout June
Sen. June Robinson represents Washington state’s 38th Legislative District, which includes Everett, Marysville, and the Tulalip Reservation. She serves as vice chair of the Senate Ways & Means Committee with primary responsibility for the operating budget and revenue and is a member of the Health & Long Term Care and the Labor, Commerce & Tribal Affairs committees. She served in the House of Representatives from 2013 until May 2020, when she was appointed to the Senate.
Read Sen. Robinson’s full biography here.
