Dear Neighbors,

The 2015 Legislative Session began this past Monday, and as I took the oath of office on the floor of the House I was filled with gratitude for the privilege of representing you here in Olympia.  Thank you for that honor!

I am also honored to have been reelected by my colleagues to serve as Deputy Speaker Pro Tem!

I will be sending these e-newsletters regularly to help you stay up-to-date on the issues and actions being considered in the Legislature.  I hope you find them informative.  If you have questions or comments, do not hesitate to contact my office.

Update on my bills

I’ve introduced a number of bills this session.  Today I’ll highlight two bills that I am excited to sponsor concerning DNA.

The first bill, HB 1068, requires that all sexual assault kits received after the bill is signed into law are sent to the state lab for testing.  It also creates a work group to study the issue of untested kits, which we estimate to be over 3,500, as well as to review best practices for how to  respond to victims of sexual assault.

I am grateful to Ohio prosecutor Rick Bell’s testimony on the importance of testing rape kits. Watch an interview with KING 5 Television immediately after the hearing on HB 1068:

There is a national movement across our country to test kits.  This is important because states such as Michigan, Texas and Ohio have found that testing kits not only gives a voice to the victim but has led to identifying and prosecuting many serial rapists.

You may also be interested in this story highlighting work being done on this issue in Detroit: https://www.wxyz.com/news/100-serial-rapists-identified-after-rape-kits-from-detroit-crime-lab-are-finally-processed

The second bill, HB 1069, creates a standardized way of protecting DNA evidence.  This is important to ensure that entities like the Innocence Project have the ability to seek justice for individuals who are wrongly convicted, and that we have a way to identify and prosecute the persons responsible for these serious crimes.

I’ve been working on these issues all interim, meeting with stakeholder groups to refine the bills.   Both bills have already had a public hearing in the House Public Safety committee this week.

I’m looking forward to your feedback!

Go Seahawks!