Dear friends and neighbors, I always enjoy town hall meetings, but Monday’s was extra special. The level of participation was by far our highest ever, and it showed in the quality of discussion. The questions were plentiful and knowledgeable, and ...
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Dear friends and neighbors, Earlier this month, the Senate passed two major bills on a long Saturday afternoon. It was no accident that we passed both bills the same day, because they are related. Senate Bill 5237 is a sweeping ...
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Dear friends and neighbors, Though the pandemic has made direct interactions a little trickier this legislative session, one communications channel is unchanged—the telephone town hall meetings I host with my district seatmates, Rep. Steve Tharinger of Port Townsend and Rep. ...
Read MoreCostly prescription drugs could become available to Washingtonians in the form of far less expensive generic products, under legislation passed today by the Senate. “We want generics to be as cheap and safe as possible,” Sen. Kevin Van De Wege ...
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Legislation passed 48-1 today by the Senate would ensure that grants to boost the state’s salmon population cannot be subjected to sales or B&O taxes. Senate Bill 5220 would codify that nonprofits do not need to pay sales-and-use tax on ...
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Legislation passed unanimously today by the Senate would ban seabed mining, a growing industry that ravages natural habitat to extract minerals and deposits from the ocean floor. “So far, seabed mining has not been practiced in our state, and this ...
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Dear friends and neighbors, Olympia can be a stuffy place. We vote on bills with titles like “Dredged material disposal,” “Irrigation dist. elections” and “Bridge year pilot program.” Then you get a bill titled “Prohibiting the feeding of garbage to ...
Read MoreDear friends and neighbors, Now that we’ve passed the first big cut-off deadline of this legislative session, we know which bills have died and which are moving forward. And two of the biggest deal with protecting sensitive personal information that ...
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Legislation to make less expensive prescription drugs available to Washingtonians cleared a pivotal committee today, positioning it for a vote before the full Senate. Senate Bill 5203, sponsored by Sen. Kevin Van De Wege, (D-Sequim), was approved by the Senate ...
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Local governments would be able to improve, expand and add public parks to satisfy historically high demand, under legislation passed by the Senate Housing & Local Government Committee. “The coronavirus pandemic has reconnected people with the pleasures and enjoyment of ...
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