To my community –  

We have some MAJOR milestones to celebrate. Our community’s legislative priorities are on the move, and with just a couple more weeks of the 2022 session left, we’re also poised to make bold investments in the projects and values that our neighbors here in LD 27 have championed.  

Keep reading for the highlights! 

  • SB 5583 was passed by the House with broad bipartisan support – 88 to 7 – meaning the legislature has finally ended the practice of prison gerrymandering in the state of Washington!
    • Why is this a big deal? It builds on the legislature’s past work to eliminate prison gerrymandering, which is the unjust and harmful practice of counting incarcerated people as members of the community where they are incarcerated for purposes of redistricting. The result is that communities with large prison populations “benefit” from having extra people in their towns and cities when the redistricting process determines how much representation they receive. This practice came at a cost disproportionately to communities of color, and continues to harm our democracy. 

The Washington State Senate convenes for floor debate, Feb. 11, 2022.

  • SB 5702 was passed by the House unanimously – 96 to 0! – after also receiving unanimous support in the Senate (47 to 0). 
    • Why is this a big deal? This is a huge win for parents and babies in our state. The opportunity to provide human milk to our infants is something that so many parents want but for all kinds of reasons are often unable to do – speaking from experience. It can be a huge challenge for families who want this resource for the newest little member of their family – and now that we’ve passed SB 5702, Washingtonians can rest easy knowing that health insurance will cover donor human milk. Removing the barrier of cost means more families in our state will be able to connect with this crucial resource.
  • SB 5883 was passed by the House! That means that the Governor now has this bill to give young Washingtonians experiencing homelessness more freedom to consent to the healthcare that they want and need on the way to his desk.
    • Why is this a big deal? Youth experiencing homelessness face barriers to healthcare and when one of us is sick and cannot access care, the health of our community is at stake. SB 5883 will allow our most vulnerable youth access to nonemergency and outpatient services, to physical examinations, and dental care, and immunizations – all crucial healthcare services that they often can’t access. 
  • SB 5749 was passed by the House, 91-5! This means landlords will be required to accept both electronic and non-electronic forms of rent payment for tenants – an idea that received unanimous, bipartisan support in the Senate!
    • Why is this a big deal? Washingtonians like my mom – who don’t speak English as their first language, struggle to access reliable internet, or don’t have access to a debit/credit card – struggle when landlords require only non-electronic forms of payment to pay their rent. I brought this bill because I learned from my mom’s experience that having no non-electronic option is a huge barrier and causes undue stressors during a time when we are trying to lower barriers to housing options. The result of the bill is that landlords and renters will now have an easier time receiving and sending rent payment when all avenues to payment are available. I’m proud of the complete bipartisan support we got in the Senate, and look forward to this bill coming up for a vote in the House.

Sen. Yasmin Trudeau speaks to her first bill in the Washington State Senate, February 2, 2022.

It remains an honor and a privilege to be of service to you. Stay tuned for more updates soon about state operating and capital construction budget investments! And just like always: you can reach me any time (I’ve made as many channels available as possible) so that we can put our heads together and fight for our shared priorities. I want to hear from you! This work can’t happen without you. Click here to visit my website or follow/contact me on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, or by email (Yasmin.Trudeau@leg.wa.gov) or phone (360-786-7652). I remain ready to collaborate with you on the issues that uplift our community and all the wonderful people that are a part of it.

In service and solidarity,

Yasmin