E-Newsletters

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. ...

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 ...

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 32^nd  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 ...

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 ...

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:

• Last year the State Supreme Court invalidated the criminal penalties prohibiting illegal drug possession. Last session we addressed this void left by the ruling by making a third offense of possession of controlled substances ...
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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 ...

Friends: In these pandemic-heavy times, it can seem like little good is going on around us. It might be only human to feel that way, but it’s not accurate. Plenty of good things are going on — they’re just not as obvious as the upsetting things. Take, for example, what’s happening in our state’s Parent-Child Assistance Program (PCAP). In 2020, I sponsored a proviso in the budget to get PCAP $1.2 million. Among other things, that money helps pregnant women with substance ...

Friends: Forty-six years ago, upon the fall of Saigon, thousands of Southeast Asian refugees fled violence and persecution in their home countries. Like the governors of other states at the time, Dan Evans could have ignored their plight. The Vietnam War had divided the country and left wounds that would take decades to heal. Many Americans wanted to simply look the other way. Evans, Washington’s Republican governor at the time, saw things differently — especially after he learned that the governor of ...