Legislation strengthening criminal penalties against corporate actors responsible for pollution spills and other environmental crimes passed the Washington State Senate Tuesday on a 29-20 vote. Under current law, violations of federal environmental law face harsher penalties than state violations. Senate Bill 5360, sponsored by Sen. Yasmin Trudeau (D-Tacoma), comprehensively updates state statutes to more closely align with federal penalties, enabling stronger enforcement of Washington’s clean air, clean water, and hazardous waste laws. “Cracking down on criminal pollution is more important than ever right now,” Trudeau said. “With so much uncertainty around how and whether the EPA will actually enforce federal laws for clean air and water, Washington state needs to step up and make sure the Evergreen State stays evergreen. We ...

The Islamic holidays of Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha will be officially recognized by Washington state under legislation sponsored by Sen. Yasmin Trudeau (D-Tacoma) passed by the Senate Wednesday. State days of recognition are days passed into law as officially recognized by the state. These are not paid holidays, but employees can use their personal paid time off to utilize them. Examples include Lunar New Year, Cesar Chavez Day, Civil Liberties Day of Remembrance, and others. “This bill is about visibility and our state’s commitment to religious liberty,” Trudeau said. “There are close to 100,000 Muslims living in Washington state. Unfortunately, our communities are often misunderstood, and negative stereotypes that have attached put us in harm’s way. For decades, our community ...