Dear friends and neighbors,
I am thrilled to share that yesterday, my colleagues in the House Democratic Caucus elected me as their Deputy Majority Floor Leader. I will assist our Majority Floor Leader with the management of the floor calendar and caucus debate. It is an honor to serve my district, the residents of Washington, and my caucus in this leadership capacity!
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SURVEY RESULTS
As of today, we have received 87 responses to the survey on the issues that are most important to you. Thanks for participating! It’s still open, so if you haven’t had the chance to give us your input, now’s the time! CLICK HERE to take the survey.
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Community safety, K-12 education, reducing gun violence, and affordable housing are your top priorities so far. If you take a look at the bills I am co-sponsoring, you’ll find several that address these challenging issues.
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UPDATED WEBSITE & MY BILLS
You may have noticed that the legislative website was redesigned over the interim and some things moved around:
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Here is the updated link with a chart of MY BILLS. It includes the status as well as other information such as companion bills, and TVW links where you can watch the hearings. It is updated every time I introduce a bill and follows the progression of every piece of legislation as it moves through the process.
Three of my bills have already had hearings:
HB 1069 – This bipartisan bill helps workers as it allows state agencies and their employees to bargain over contributions to a union’s supplemental retirement plan, including medical plans. Some state employees already have them but, sadly, others often have to work long past retirement age because they are not yet eligible for Medicare and they can’t afford the cost of continuing their coverage through PEBB.
HB 1105 – This bipartisan bill simply helps streamline the collective bargaining process for the state and the Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE) union. Let’s hear it for government efficiency policy!
HB 1128 – This bill address Washington’s child care workforce shortage through a workforce standards board. It will bring workers, employers, parents, and agencies to a table to make rules to improve industry standards and working conditions. Industry and workforce standards boards are a great tool used in sectors where there are shared challenges for employers, workers, and government that create affordability and access barriers for consumers. Standards boards have been successfully used in peer states like Minnesota, Colorado, Michigan, and others to address diffuse workforces common in the care economy.
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VIDEO UPDATE
Click here to watch my first video update of 2025 with some of the highlights of opening day, my work in the Labor and Workplace Standards Committee, and my appointment as co-chair with Sen. Steve Conway of the Underground Economy Task Force.
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UNDERGROUND ECONOMY TASK FORCE
I’m co-chair of the new Underground Economy Taskforce! The task force was included in last year’s budget and created to study the nature and scope of the underground economy within the construction industry. The term, Underground Economy, means contracting and construction activities where payroll is unreported or underreported to avoid business taxes, as well as nonpayment of workers’ and unemployment compensation taxes. Our first meeting was in November and I am excited about this work because, as vice chair of the House Labor and Workplace Standards Committee, I am particularly concerned with issues of wage theft, holding bad actors accountable, and ensuring all workers in Washington are treated fairly |
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KEEP IN TOUCH
I am truly honored to continue serving you and am grateful for the trust you’ve placed in me. In addition to my bi-monthly e-newsletter, you can also check out my official Facebook page for more frequent content.
I will leave you now with this fantastic photograph of Wednesday’s sunset here in Olympia.
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In solidarity,
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