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:
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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Dear friends: On Feb. 24, upon Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the world became a significantly more dangerous place. It is hard to overstate the malicious recklessness with which Russian President Putin is acting. But if the history of WWII has taught us anything it is that we must confront international bullies early, before they become even more powerful and invade more nations. I commend Gov. Inslee’s decision Monday to review the state’s procurement and other business activities with Russian state institutions and ...
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Dear Friends: I hope you’ll be able to tune in at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 16, 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 by ...
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Dear Friends: As you know, for two years now we have lived under the most serious public health threat of our lifetimes. The coronavirus and its variants have spread quickly, causing serious illness throughout the population. Cases range from temporary illness, to long-term or even permanent health problems, to the very loss of life. While vaccinations and other healthy practices have limited the spread of the viruses and reduced the severity of infections, the presence of unvaccinated people in public is a ...
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Friends: When the 2022 legislative session convenes Monday, response and recovery from the pandemic remains our prime concern. Beyond that, I’ve drafted a baker’s dozen bills and drawn up about half a dozen budget requests. My priorities include proposals involving drug crimes, water pollution and police accountability:
Friends: During a typical legislative session, my colleagues and I cast all kinds of votes for all kinds of bills and budgets and, more often than not, hear little about the actual results. I mean, we know we’re voting for a worthwhile program — we’re just not privy to the real-world results that follow months or years down the road. Not usually, anyway. And that’s what made this week’s email from Morgan Hickel, the associate director in the Office of State ...
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