Friends and neighbors, We are approaching the end of the seventh week of the 2023 legislative session and our hard work continues. One of our caucus priorities in the Senate this session is “Safety for All,” which includes ensuring that every Washingtonian is safe and feels welcome in their communities. One way we are contributing to ensure safety for all is by prioritizing protections for victims of domestic violence. Important Legislation This session I sponsored SB 5231, which passed the Senate with ...
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Friends and neighbors, We are now well into the 2023 legislative session and have been working hard on legislation that will benefit our communities in the 32nd District and across the state. I’m excited to share with you some of the progress we’ve made since my last update. Important Legislation SB 5467, recently heard in committee, would provide an effective solution to the rampant problem of public drug use. This is an outside-the-box policy idea that is treatment-forward but with accountability for ...
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Dear friends and neighbors, The 2023 legislative session is in full swing, and we are hard at work. I am deeply honored to begin my second term serving you as state senator for the 32nd Legislative District. This is the first in-person legislative session since the pandemic, and we have a full agenda. As we begin week three of the 2023 session, I want to provide an update on some of my legislation and provide some resources to help you stay involved. My ...
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Dear friends: Move Ahead Washington is the most environmentally friendly package of transportation investments in state history and one of the most exciting achievements of the 2022 legislative session. It’s especially notable for two things. One, it dramatically boosts spending on for pedestrian infrastructure, transit, pollution control, fish passage and other critical statewide projects and maintenance. Two, these investments do not require a general or gas tax increase because nearly all the funds come from last year’s carbon fee in the ...
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Dear friends: While we had reason to know it was coming, news of the U.S. Supreme Court’s draft opinion to repeal Roe v. Wade is alarming on numerous levels. First, this radical change would reverse 50 years of settled law. This is no small matter. At all levels, our courts steadily clarify and improve our laws by building on existing laws — not blatantly upending them. “Legal precedent” is the bedrock on which our entire legal system stands. To radically violate the ...
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Dear Friends: One of the hardships of the pandemic has been the emotional burden our young people carry and how it affects their learning, whether in the K-12 grades or in college. To support students’ physical, mental, and emotional health in grade and high schools, my colleagues and I in the Legislature added more than $1 billion in new funding to the budget this year:
- A key component is the hiring of more nurses, counselors and social workers to ensure our classrooms ...Read More
Dear Friends: I hope you’ll be able to tune in at 6 p.m. this Wednesday, April 13, when I host a virtual town hall meeting with my 32nd Legislative District seatmates, Rep. Cindy Ryu and Rep. Lauren Davis. You can watch the meeting live on this Facebook page or at youtube.com/c/WAHouseDems, twitter.com/WaSenDemocrats, or twitter.com/WaHouseDems as Cindy, Lauren and I discuss legislation before the 2022 legislative session and field questions and concerns from constituents. You can submit a question ...
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Dear friends: During a legislative session, the bigger bills tend to draw lots of media attention while smaller bills get little or none — but some of those “little” bills can make big improvements in people’s everyday lives. It’s common knowledge, for instance, that we generally pay much more for prescription drugs than people in other countries, often for no good reason. Insulin, as just one example, is a commonly used drug that hasn’t been significantly changed since its development decades ago. ...
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