Lisa In The News

Washington state Sen. Lisa Wellman is a self-described science fiction fanatic. Wellman regularly gives teenagers Isaac Asimov’s 1950 short story collection I, Robot. She recalls the book’s famous “Three Laws of Robotics,” which include the provision that “a robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.” It’s a good lesson, ...

As three legislators sat at the front of the room addressing a slew of important topics while their constituents listened in, a group of Washington Education Association (WEA) members stood at the back holding signs that read, “raise revenue, fund our schools.” Education funding was certainly part of the agenda at the one-hour 41st Legislative District Town Hall held on Feb. ...

Washington state lawmakers are considering stronger regulations on artificial intelligence companion chatbots. This comes amid growing concern over the technology’s impact on young peoples’ mental health. Senate Bill 5984 and its companion House Bill 2225 would require that chatbots remind the user that they are not talking to a real person every three hours; prohibit minors ...

The next two months could bring some changes to education in Washington. The 2026 legislative session began Monday and will run through mid-March. As with last year, the budget is the elephant in the room. Legislators are facing a $2.3 billion funding shortfall through mid-2027. And budget writers jumped in right away, spending part of the first day of session hearing ...

From Spokane Public Radio, it’s SPR News Today. I’m Owen Henderson. It’s January 13, 2026. On today’s show, what are the risks for people who turn to artificial intelligence for emotional support? Now that the legislative session is underway in Washington, we’ll look at one lawmaker’s attempt to put safeguards in place for those in emotional crisis who use chatbots like therapists.

Regulating artificial intelligence — especially how it affects children and teens — has become a key issue as Washington's Legislature begins its new session Monday. Why it matters: As AI use Read More

With fingers crossed, Gig Harbor’s Peninsula School District made the move to ban social media access and restrict cellphone use in classrooms this year. There has been less pushback than anticipated and some surprising gains, one district official said. “We came out of the pandemic and realized something has changed about students and their relationships with their devices,” said Kris Hagel, ...

Washington is the only state in the nation that doesn't require kids to go to school until age 8 — but that could change this year. What's happening: A bill in Washington's Legislature would lower the state's compulsory age for school attendance ...

Alarmed at the number of special education students shipped away from Washington, state lawmakers and education officials hope to use this legislative session to increase oversight of kids sent out of state, prohibit or limit the use of isolation and restraint, and ultimately find a way to bring those students back home.

This year, Washington state lawmakers are making big promises to fund and improve the education services that help roughly 158,449 disabled kids around the state. If the promise sounds familiar, that’s because it is. Lawmakers worked on this issue the last time they were all together in person, writing the state budget in 2019. After two years of dousing educational pandemic ...