Video Update from Olympia
My colleagues in the Senate and I continue to work hard to promote impactful legislation. Click here to hear about some of the solutions to challenges we’ve been working on.
TOMORROW: Telephone town hall
I hope to hear from you tomorrow, Wednesday, Feb. 27, at 6 p.m. for a telephone town hall with your elected representatives from the 32nd legislative district. Reps. Cindy Ryu and Lauren Davis will join me in hosting this town hall.
Calling hate crimes by name
This session, I prime-sponsored Senate Bill 5850, which renames malicious harassment offenses as hate crimes. The current law prosecutes bias-based criminal offenses but stops short of calling them out for what they are: hate crimes. The bill also adds gender identity and expression to the list of protections and promotes restorative justice as one option in holding offenders accountable. Jail and prison will still remain an avenue for accountability.
To me, biased-based offenses are more serious than standard cases of assaults and property destruction. I remember as a boy being assaulted and spit on by a much older teenager because of my Jewish heritage. By studying history and experiencing the current divisive climate unfold, it is clear to me that there is great danger to our society in inciting bias and “otherizing” people, a danger that goes beyond a normal case of assault or property damage. This bill takes decisive steps to assure we live respectfully together. This bill is now awaiting action on the Senate floor.
Closing the gender gap in computer science
While we work to make sure school computer science programs expand to keep up with the pace of technology, it’s important to monitor whether these programs are helping to close the professional gender gap in this field. That’s why I’ve sponsored Senate Bill 5574, which calls for schools to gather information that will help determine whether strides are being taken towards a more equitable future in the tech industries. This data will shed light on what’s working, what isn’t working, and what changes need to be made to close the gender gap. See my testimony before the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee on SB 5574 here.
I will continue working on these issues, and more, as a member of both the Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee and the Law & Justice Committee, and as vice chair of both the Local Government and the Agriculture, Water, Natural Resources & Parks committees.
I want to hear from you on what’s important and how our Legislature can do more to put people first. I encourage you to contact my office or visit me in Olympia.
Thank you,
