Dear Friends and Neighbors,
We’re deep into the second week in our 105-day legislative session and I remain laser focused on uplifting working families, fully funding our world-class public schools, and ending gun violence in our communities.
- As a mom of two little kids and someone who has lost a friend to gun violence, this issue is personal to me. My bill HB 1163 is a commonsense proposal to establish a Permit to Purchase system in Washington state, a policy that has been shown to reduce gun violence, curb illegal gun trafficking, and ensure firearms are only in the hands of responsible gun owners.
- As Chair of the House Labor Committee, I’m proud to sponsor legislation that will close a loophole in our state’s Paid Family Medical Leave law (HB 1213). Right now, nearly half of Washington’s workers are unable to take paid leave without risking their job, meaning they could not only lose their job, but also access to health care at a time when they might most need it for themselves or a family member. Most of these workers without protections are low wage workers, while most high wage workers have job protection. That is inequitable and unfair, and this bill will fix it.
- HB 1155 will help workers and entrepreneurs by banning noncompete agreements, inspired by the Biden Administration’s recent FTC rule. It’s simple: When we allow companies to get in the way of someone starting their own business or simply accepting a better job, we are hurting ourselves, our economy, and our workers.
- Reducing environmental and health hazards from plastic pollution and toxic chemicals is a top priority. More than half of all paper and packaging is going into Washington landfills. Not every household has access to robust recycling services, and in 11 counties there’s no curbside recycling at all. That’s why I introduced the Recycling Reform Act (HB 1150) to make recycling more accessible, affordable and equitable for all Washingtonians. Click below to watch a press conference on the bill last week.
The legislative session deadlines are how we keep ourselves on track to finish on time. Below you can see key deadlines for when we have to pass bills out of our policy committees (such as the Labor & Workplace Standards, Environment & Energy, and Consumer Protection & Business committees that I serve on), our fiscal committees (Appropriations, Capital, Finance, and Transportation committees), and off the floor of the House.
Thanks for reading. And I’d love to hear from you directly about what you think of my priority bills this year.
Take care,
State Representative Liz Berry
36th Legislative District