Hello to everyone and happy March. The past week, I have been voting on the floor of the House on a whole range of bills, including some of my own. The deadline for us to pass all of our policy bills was Wednesday by 5 pm so it was a very hectic time with many long hours on the floor. Not every bill made the cutoff and unfortunately will have to be considered again next year. I do have an update on my bills that passed the House as well as an announcement for my first town hall.
Town hall on March 23
Join me along with Representative Pat Sullivan and Senator Mona Das for our first town hall together. We are meeting on Saturday, March 23 starting at 10:30 am at Green River College, 12401 SE 320th St., Auburn, WA 98092. This will be a chance for us to update you on the 2019 legislative session and take questions from you about what is happening in the Legislature.
Bills that passed the House
- Stopping sex traffickers when they violate no-contact order (HB 1055): This bill passed out of the House earlier in February and had a hearing in the Senate Committee on Law & Justice.
- Supporting community and technical college students (HB 1893): Very excited to share that the House passed this bill to give community and technical college students access to emergency grants for unexpected financial burdens. It is now in the Senate.
- Removing barriers to attending college (HB 1715): Another great bill to help students who want to further their education and make positive improvements to their life, this legislation eases restrictions on students who have fines in high school but want to go to college. It passed the House and is in the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education committee.
- Granting high school diplomas to students who earn an associate degree (HB 1714): This bill passed the House and is scheduled for a hearing in the Senate Higher Education & Workforce Development committee. It allows students to get a high school diploma if they are under the age of 21 and complete an associate degree.
Not every bill can pass, sadly. While there are many bills I co-sponsored and supported that did not make it out of the House this year, there are some similar bills in the Senate that we have a chance to vote on later this month and next month. And every bill that fails to pass this year can be considered again next year, so there is always a hope that good policy will still have its chance.
I hope you have a chance to come to the town hall on March 23. If not, please reach out to my office with any questions or concerns you have for the Legislature.
Debra