Dear Friends and Neighbors – 

It’s hard to believe it’s already week 10 of the legislative session! Last week was the house of origin cutoff. This is a key legislative deadline and marks when bills need to pass their original chamber in order to continue advancing. The bills that passed the Senate and House by last Wednesday now head to the opposite chamber.  

I’m proud to share four of my bills passed the Senate Floor and are now in the House.  

  • Senate Bill 5775: Expands local taxing authority to fund programs and services focused on public safety and community protection. This bill aims to create a source of revenue dedicated to funding public safety, which includes supporting law enforcement, behavioral health services, crisis centers, diversion, and more. You can watch a video of Sen. Cortes and me talking more about this important bill HERE! 
  • Senate Bill 5663: Allows for community and technical colleges to distribute information on their online classes and programs outside of their service area. Online community and technical college can open up doors for people at various stages of life. From high schoolers studying to receive college credit to mid career adults learning new skills — virtual post-secondary education offers people new opportunities. This bill will simplify and streamline the process of finding courses and earning college credits for all types of students. Education shouldn’t be about zip-code, but about potential. This bill puts us on the path to create a ‘virtual campus’ model – one that expands opportunities for those looking to upskill, reskill, or finish what they started.   
  • Senate Bill 5239: Changes the retention period for medical records. This is costing University of Washington Medicine $750,000 annually alone to store decades-old medical records. This bill will help hospitals significantly cut down on storage costs and allow those dollars to be directed toward patient care. 
  • Senate Bill 5697: Extends property tax exemptions to organizations like the Together Center, which lease their service-providing property and are home to other nonprofits. The Together Center is an innovative organization in Redmond that is home to more than 20 essential human service agencies and 280 units of affordable housing. The Together Center is a model for other organizations, and this bill will encourage the creation and expansion of similar nonprofits across our state.  

I was also proud to speak in favor of Senate Bill 5263, which passed the Senate last week. This bill will boost support for special education services for students with disabilities. It’s critical we support all students and ensure they have the tools needed to be successful. You can watch my remarks HERE.  

In addition, I’m excited to share House Bill 1670 passed the House and is now in the Senate. I sponsored the Senate version of this bill, which directs the Department of Ecology to establish a public website and create a notification system for providing information about spills or discharges containing untreated or undertreated sewage. Our communities are often unaware when a sewage spill happens and that they’ve been exposed to pollution, and this bill ensures information on sewage spills is easily accessible. 

Thank you to everyone who attended my first in-person coffee chat this session! We discussed education, health care, transportation, housing, the environment, and public policy on the federal level. In this Washington, we are staying true to our values, and I am committed to centering your voice in Olympia.  

I hope to see you THIS Sunday for a special joint town hall event with Reps. Osman Salahuddin and Amy Walen and me. Please join us at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 23, at the Together Center in Redmond. Here are the details:  

48th Legislative District In-Person Town Hall
Sunday, March 23
2:30 – 3:30 p.m.
Together Center
16305 NE 87th St., Suite 110
Redmond, WA 98052 

Would you like to share your question for us in advance? Please feel free to fill out this brief survey! 

I hope to see you this Sunday and learn more about the issues that matter most to you! Stay tuned for more information on future town halls and coffee chats in the 48th Legislative District. 

Thank you for the opportunity to serve. 

Sen. Vandana Slatter