OLYMPIA – Sen. Derek Stanford (D-Bothell) has been chosen to chair the Senate Business, Financial Services, Gaming & Trade Committee in the 2023 legislative session.
“Our state has the strongest economy in the country and has been recognized as one of the best places both to do business and to be a worker,” said Stanford. “I’m honored my colleagues have chosen me to lead our efforts to build on that success.”
Gaming, an issue area added to the committee’s bailiwick this year, has been the topic of legislation in recent years to legalize and regulate sports wagering.
The committee also has jurisdiction over issues relating to insurance, including rates and solvency; financial services, including the soundness of state banks and credit unions; the regulation of consumer credit and lending; the regulation of securities and investments; and economic development, international trade and tourism.
Stanford will remain a member of the Senate Agriculture, Water, Natural Resources & Parks Committee as well as the Labor & Commerce Committee.
“Washington is leading the way in creating an economy that enables robust growth while providing some of the nation’s strongest protections for workers and consumers,” said Stanford. “That is the balance we will continue to strike.”
The Senate is scheduled to confirm all committee roles by vote on Jan. 9, the first day of the 2023 legislative session.
Information about participating in legislative hearings can be found at leg.wa.gov. Hearings as well as floor votes are streamed live on TVW.org, and recordings are available to view in TVW’s archive.
