Category Archives: In The News

15 May
0

The state’s child care gap proves tough to solve

Growing up, Shannon Edwards watched as her mom, a child care provider, was often forced to choose between maintaining her own income and keeping her center affordable for families. Now a preschool teacher herself, Edwards understands how unfair that choice ...

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15 May
0

Expansion of access to Working Connections Child Care will help Washington families

Washington is facing two big challenges when it comes to childcare. The first is access to safe and reliable care, and the second is maintaining a strong, stable workforce. Senate Bill 5225 will help solve both.

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27 Apr
0

Lawmakers pass bill to change how WA cares for youth stuck in hospitals

Washington lawmakers have passed legislation holding the governor’s office accountable for a growing crisis of children warehoused in hospitals awaiting psychiatric care, after a final unanimous Senate vote Wednesday.

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27 Apr
0

Legislature strengthens oversight of private special ed schools

Washington lawmakers voted nearly unanimously Friday to strengthen oversight of private special education schools that serve some of the state’s most vulnerable public school students.

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07 Mar
0

Bill to remove childcare workforce applicant fees passes state Senate

The state Senate has passed a bill to remove licensing and background check fees for those entering Washington’s childcare workforce. Senate Bill 5316 sponsored by Senator Claire Wilson (D-Auburn) would waive application and background check fees for those applying for childcare ...

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07 Mar
0

Washington looks to help young people aging out of foster care until age 26

For every 100 young people aging out of foster care, according to the Department of Children, Youth and Families, 17 of them will end up living on the streets within a year and one in 4 young adults are arrested within ...

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07 Mar
0

WA bills propose initiatives to bring special-ed students back home

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 ...

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06 May
0

BREAKING: Senator Murray Rallies to Protect the Right to Abortion Alongside Washington State Women Leaders

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, joined Washington state women leaders at a Seattle Planned Parenthood clinic to sound the alarm about the urgent need to protect ...

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24 Mar
0

Auburn Examiner: Looking Back on Washington’s 2022 Legislative Session

The State Legislature concluded their 60-day lawmaking in Olympia on March 10, with Sine Die, which is Latin for “without a day.” Among those legislators retiring after the 2022 legislative session is Rep. Jesse Johnson (LD30). The 2022 Washington State Legislature ...

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18 Feb
0

Crosscut: WA proposed budget funds stipends to attract low-income board members

$50,000 is allocated for constituents to help shape boards and commissions with their lived experiences. Drayton Jackson was homeless for two decades, living in shelters in New York City and, later, Washington state. Over the years, he compiled notes on ...

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