Sen. Saldaña Legislative Update

Dear Neighbors,

We had a historically productive and progressive session this year. We passed a package of legislation to make voting easier and fairer in our state, setting a national example for other states to follow. We also passed several bills that put people first and which will have an immediate impact on communities, including expanding access to financial aid for Dreamers, banning the cruel practice known as “conversion therapy” on LGBTQ youth, advancing equal pay and preventing gun violence.

The Senate passed 308 bills, 98 percent of which received bipartisan support, and finished its work in just 60 days – the first time since 2014 that the Legislature has ended session on time. That work included a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for 72,000 teachers and public employees in the PERS and TRS Plan 1 retirement programs, the first since 2010, and a health care insurance subsidy for retired or disabled teachers and public employees.

This session’s achievements reflect the hard work, grit and determination of the people of Washington. Our work in Olympia depends on the input of advocates and constituents who bring their perspective and expertise to the table as we shape policies that affect everyone.

I hope you will continue to reach out to my office with questions, suggestions or ideas for next year. I look forward to hearing from you and continuing to work together to achieve progress for the 37th District and the State of Washington.

Sincerely,
Rebecca Saldaña

Equal Pay

This year we took steps to end gender wage discrimination by passing House Bill 1506, which modifies the Equal Pay Act to provide a range of remedies addressing unfair pay disparity.

DREAM Act 2.0

We passed the “DREAM Act 2.0,” expanding state financial aid resources to undocumented students (“Dreamers”). It builds on the 2014 Real Hope Act, which widened access to the State Need Grant and enabled Dreamers to pay in-state tuition at our colleges and universities.

Initiative 940, De-Escalate Washington

We took a huge step forward in improving relationships between law enforcement and our communities with an agreement to meaningfully address police use of deadly force. Although a court challenge has left the status of the agreement unclear, I stand behind it and I am committed to working to ensure that it becomes law.

My Legislation

I sponsored a dozen bills this year, six of which became law; so did three House bills containing the same language as my bills:

  • Senate Bill 6002, the Washington Voting Rights Act, removes legal barriers to ensure fair representation in cities and local jurisdictions
  • Senate Bill 5683 rights a historic wrong by extending health care coverage to certain Pacific Islanders living in Washington
  • Senate Bill 6245 empowers spoken language interpreters
  • Senate Bill 6529 establishes a work group to find ways to address harmful “pesticide drift”
  • Senate Bill 6145 lets law enforcement and firefighting agencies hire any legal residents
  • Senate Bill 6126 helps create a regional workforce of quality electricians

Gun Responsibility

News stories about gun violence and mass shootings have inundated our communities, schools and homes. Enough is enough. As legislators, we have an obligation to keep our communities safe. This session, we passed bills that:

  • Ban bump stocks (Senate Bill 5992)
  • Let those experiencing extreme depression or stress waive their firearm rights (Senate Bill 5553)
  • Keep guns away from those convicted of domestic violence harassment (Senate Bill 6298)
  • Ensure that concealed pistol licenses are taken from people subject to protective orders for stalking and other crimes (House Bill 2519)
  • We also allocated $382,000 to clear the state’s backlog of 478,000 firearm transfer and sale records.

Stay in touch!

Thank you for contacting us on what matters to you. Your participation is making a difference and helping to improve our communities! Follow my official Facebook page for updates and remember to stay in touch by calling or emailing my office.