In The News

Last month, an elected state official publicly used a slur for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities while also claiming to protect them. Although the derogatory language rightly caught everyone’s attention, there is a deeper, more insidious harm caused by the persistent dehumanization and stigmatization of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities that preceded that moment in debate. Although the ...

Washington’s free preschool program for low-income and at-risk 3- and 4-year-olds is on its way to getting a big boost thanks to a new state law. Gov. Bob Ferguson signed Senate Bill 5872 this month, creating the PreK Promise Account to accept donations, grants and gifts to support the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP). Click here to read more.

The OIC Answers podcast’s On Campus miniseries continues with guest Sen. Claire Wilson, who represents the 30th District. Sen. Wilson, a longtime educator, sits down with Insurance Commissioner Patty Kuderer to discuss a report the OIC sent to the Legislature in December on the availability of insurance coverage for child-placing agencies and family homes. The two cover why the issues exist, what ...

Sen. Claire Wilson, D-Auburn, has tried multiple times now to get a pilot program to provide rental assistance to young adults who agree to continue receiving foster services after they turn 18. Last year’s version of the legislation would’ve helped 200 people. This year, it was scaled down to 50. Wilson was willing to trim it to 25 ...

While there are various types of child care facilities in Washington, in general they are all subject to annual unannounced inspections by the Department of Children, Youth and Family (DCYF) and food inspections from the USDA every few months. “Monitoring and accountability and support of our providers is not one tool … it’s a system of checks and balances, conversations across ...

In a call this summer, Wilson underscored that lawmakers had a challenging 2025 session as they worked to solve budget problems. Senate Bill 5752, which modified the Fair Start for Kids Act and made ECEAP adjustments and delays, was “probably one of the hardest bills that I’d ever had to talk about on the Senate floor.” Fast forward to Nov. 12: ...

Washington Senate legislation recently approved by the House aims to enhance foster care support for young people aged 18 to 21. “Young people have expressed their need for continued support as they transition to living on their own,” Sen. Claire Wilson, D-Auburn, the bill’s sponsor, said in a statement. “Extending support through these few critical years can make or break the ...

OLYMPIA, Wash.- A bill which would increase the number of people eligible to receive financial assistance after being released by the Department of Corrections (DOC) has passed the Washington State Senate. SB 5893 would expand a 2023 policy which increased the amount of money that individuals being discharged by the DOC receive when they leave government custody. Referred to as “gate money,” ...

In an opinion piece in the Federal Way Mirror, Federal Way resident Keith Livingston shares some thoughts on SB 5644 and how the sealing of juvenile criminal records relates to public safety and recidivism.   https://www.federalwaymirror.com/opinion/a-closer-look-at-the-sealing-of-juvenile-crime-records-livingston/

On Jan. 19, The Imprint published this story on Sen. Claire Wilson's SB 6109: Western States Wrestle With a Child Welfare Response to Addictive Drugs