Rep. Doglio & Sen. Conway: WA Legislature can protect warehouse workers when employers won’t
In 2020, 23.9 out of every 100 workers in Amazon’s DuPont distribution center in Pierce County fell victim to a serious injury. Let us say that again. Nearly a quarter of all workers at the warehouse were injured seriously. That’s one of the highest injury rates in the country. Those injuries range from carpal tunnel to back sprains to more debilitating musculoskeletal disorders from doing strenuous tasks and repetitive motions for hours. These are our friends, family members and neighbors living in our state. They should not experience life-threatening injuries, constant pain, and punishing health care costs just for trying to make a decent wage and provide for their families. Continue reading at Seattle Times. (Ted S. Warren)

Rep. Leavitt: Washington election workers still face violent threats. We need to protect them
The belligerent threats against Washington’s state elections director in fall of 2020 still shock the system. A state official — a constituent of Rep. Leavitt — had publicly challenged lies about elections, and as a result had their personal information put on a website, which had a photo of the official’s face in crosshairs. In the two years since, the situation on the ground for election workers has gotten no easier. Successful elections depend on professional, experienced staff who understand the nuances of this important process. The Legislature is now considering Rep. Leavitt’s bill, House Bill 1241, which sends a strong message that the major issue of harassment of election officials is completely unacceptable. Continue reading at News Tribune. (Peter Haley)

WA House passes bill banning single-family zoning
The Washington state House of Representatives late Monday passed a bill that would legalize duplexes and fourplexes in almost every neighborhood of every city in Washington, potentially bringing an end to local zoning rules that limit large swaths of cities to only single-family homes. The bill (HB 1110) passed overwhelmingly on a bipartisan 75-21 vote. It aims to increase housing supply and density in cities across the state without increasing sprawl. Supporters say that increasing housing supply is critical to easing the housing crisis that has seen home prices and homelessness climb throughout the state. Continue reading at Seattle Times. (Ken Lambert)