OLYMPIA – Sen. Lisa Wellman, D-Mercer Island, will serve as chair of the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee when the Senate convenes for the 2018 legislative session.
Wellman, a former educator, was chosen by her colleagues to lead the committee responsible for crafting policy that affects more than one million school-aged children in the state.
“Education is the best tool we have to improve lives throughout our state and I’m honored to take on this important responsibility. Working with our state’s dedicated educators, we’ll focus on improved student success at every level,” Wellman said. “We have important decisions to make as we work to improve the sweeping legislation passed during the 2017 legislative session in response to the McCleary decision.”
Wellman will also continue to focus on expanding economic opportunity throughout the state through her work on the Senate Economic Development & Trade Committee and the Senate Energy, Environment & Technology Committee.
The committee changes stem in part from Democrats gaining a one-seat majority in the Senate after winning a special election earlier this month in the 45th Legislative District. With Democrats back in the majority, they now have the power to set the agendas of Senate committees and floor action, determining which bills will be heard and brought up for votes.
The 2018 legislative session gets underway in Olympia on Jan. 8.
