News Releases

Sen. Rebecca Saldaña will hold a 37th legislative district town hall meeting on Feb. 29, 2020. Details can be found below. WHO: Sen. Rebecca Saldaña, state senator for the 37th Legislative District, which includes the Seattle neighborhoods of Madrona, Central District, Leschi, Mt. Baker, Beacon Hill, Columbia City, Rainier Valley and Bryn Mawr-Skyway, as well as parts of ...

OLYMPIA – Today the Senate voted to prohibit Washington state from contracting with private prisons. Senate Bill 6442, sponsored by Sen. Rebecca Saldaña (D-Seattle), would prohibit the state from sending people to for-profit prisons outside the state. The prohibition does not apply to facilities for involuntary placement for mental health, substance use rehabilitation, juvenile rehabilitation and similar services. It ...

Sen. Rebecca Saldaña will hold a 37th legislative district town hall meeting on Feb. 29, 2020. Details can be found below. WHO: Sen. Rebecca Saldaña, state senator for the 37th Legislative District, which includes the Seattle neighborhoods of Madrona, Central District, Leschi, Mt. Baker, Beacon Hill, Columbia City, Rainier Valley and Bryn Mawr-Skyway, as well as parts of ...

OLYMPIA – The Senate unanimously passed legislation today to provide access to public assistance to certain victims of human trafficking by expanding eligibility for state food assistance, family assistance, and medical care services programs. Under Senate Bill 5164, sponsored by Sen. Rebecca Saldaña (D-Seattle), noncitizens would be able to access these programs if they have taken steps to obtain ...

OLYMPIA – Daniel Zipperer, 14, served as a page in the Washington State Senate during the week of February 14. Pages are typically sponsored by the senator from their legislative district. Sen. Rebecca Saldaña (D-Seattle) sponsored Zipperer’s week in the Legislature. The page program offers a hands-on opportunity for students to find out how state government works. The interactive learning ...

OLYMPIA – The Senate today voted 40-6 to explore giving access to unemployment benefits to those who become unemployed due to family caregiving responsibilities. Currently, unemployment insurance law does not allow individuals to collect unemployment benefits if they leave work voluntarily without “good cause.” The definition of what qualifies as “good cause” is too narrow and denies these essential benefits ...

OLYMPIA – Senator Rebecca Saldaña (D-Seattle) dropped a bill today that would require certain counties, cities and towns to secure prior approval for proposed changes in electoral practices that would dilute the voting power of racial and/or ethnic groups. Senate Bill 6688 would require jurisdictions with a large population from a single racial, ethnic, or language minority group to ...

OLYMPIA – On Friday, Rep. Javier Valdez (D-Seattle) and Sen. Rebecca Saldaña (D-Seattle) accepted the Social Justice Champion Award from SEIU 775 on behalf of the Member of Color Caucuses (MOCC) of both chambers of the Washington State Legislature.

“We are thrilled to award the House and Senate Members of Color Caucuses the SEIU 775 ...

OLYMPIA – Today Gov. Jay Inslee signed legislation that will implement the 2018 Washington Voting Rights Act by requiring timely elections for governing body positions after districting plans are modified.

This comes shortly after the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Rebecca Saldaña (D-Seattle), was awarded the King County Municipal League’s Joaquin G. Avila award, which honors those ...

OLYMPIA – Yesterday Gov. Jay Inslee approved the creation of a committee to address safety in the application of pesticides in Washington.

Senate Bill 5550, sponsored by Sen. Rebecca Saldaña (D-Seattle), will establish a Pesticide Application Safety Committee to examine how state agencies collect and track data related to the application of pesticides, and ...