Press Releases

OLYMPIA – A bill to set up state level enforcement against illegal foreign donations in political campaigns in response to the Federal Elections Commission’s abandonment of campaign finance enforcement received a unanimous vote from the House of Representatives on Wednesday. “I was motivated to work on this bill after the Citizens United ruling, which opened up our elections to endless amounts of corporate influence,” said Sen. Jesse Salomon (D-Shoreline), the bill’s sponsor. “That ruling was a major step backwards in ...

OLYMPIA – A bill aimed at restoring salmon habitat for Puget Sound orcas struggling to find enough food to survive was approved by the Senate today by a vote of 32-16. SB 6147, sponsored by Sen. Jesse Salomon (D-Shoreline), would require the state Department of Fish and Wildlife to consider less environmentally disruptive alternatives when property owners look to repair or replace seawalls and bulkheads. “Bulkheads destroy near-shore habitats so that forage fish and juvenile salmon don’t have a place ...

OLYMPIA – Alex Schramke, 14, served as a page in the Washington State Senate during the week of January 13.  Pages are typically sponsored by the senator from their legislative district. Sen. Jesse Salomon (D-Shoreline) sponsored Schramke’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 experience includes ...

OLYMPIA – As the 2020 legislative session gets underway this week, Sen. Jesse Salomon (D-Shoreline) introduced a slate of bills dealing with a variety of issues ranging from cracking down on “swatting” to protecting pets left alone in hot vehicles. One of Salomon’s first bills to receive a hearing was Senate Bill 6147 related to shoreline armoring. When bulkheads and seawalls are installed, the natural process of beach and sand erosion is disrupted. This can cause a chain reaction ...

OLYMPIA – Washington will now prohibit the practice of hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” for oil and natural gas exploration and production, according to legislation that Gov. Jay Inslee signed into law today.

Sen. Jesse Salomon (D-Shoreline), sponsored Senate Bill 5145 to protect the state’s public safety, natural resources and environmental health from damages caused by fracking, a method of extracting oil and natural gas by injecting large quantities of fluid and chemicals into rock far below the earth’s surface, breaking up ...

OLYMPIA – The Senate today approved a resolution honoring King County Metro bus driver Eric Stark for his actions during a shooting in Seattle last month.

Stark was operating a Metro bus in North Seattle on March 27 when a gunman in the area fired at the bus, wounding Stark, who drove the bus out of the area to assure the safety of passengers before seeking medical help for his gunshot wound.

Senate Resolution 8644, ...

OLYMPIA – Today the Washington State House of Representatives approved legislation to prohibit the use of hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” for oil and natural gas exploration and production in Washington.

Senate Bill 5145, sponsored by Sen. Jesse Salomon (D-Shoreline), will protect public safety, natural resources, and environmental health. Fracking has drawn national notoriety in recent years for its effects on the environment. The practice extracts oil and natural gas by injecting large quantities of fluid and chemicals into rock far ...

OLYMPIA – The Senate Law & Justice Committee will hear testimony at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 18 on legislation that adds gender identity or expression to traits protected by the state’s bias-based criminal offenses statute.

Currently, the statute protects against crimes committed because of one’s real or perceived “race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, or mental, physical or sensory handicap.” 

Senate Bill 5850, sponsored by Sen. Jesse Salomon (D-Shoreline), adds gender identity ...