Dear friends and neighbors,
The last time I wrote you we were starting day one of our 10-day run of bills on the House floor. That hectic activity ended last Wednesday, March 8. The House passed 328 bills off the House floor, with nearly 200 receiving unanimous support and more than 250 receiving strong bipartisan support!
We are now less than six weeks from sine die, and in today’s newsletter I’ll be highlighting important bills of my fellow members that are now with the Senate, as well as give you an update on some of my own bills that are now in the other chamber for consideration. The House now pivots back to committee hearings to look at bills sent over from the Senate and in upcoming newsletters, you’ll be getting updates on this work.
Plus, don’t forget that Sen. Karen Keiser, Rep. Tina Orwall and I will be hosting a town hall from 1:30-3 p.m. this Saturday in Des Moines. Interpreters will be available and full details are at the end of this newsletter.
On to the Senate for Further Consideration
Two key themes important to the House Democratic Caucus this year include housing and reproductive rights. I also want to provide a brief update on the Fair Repair Act that passed the House.
Housing
Families are struggling to find accessible and affordable housing across our community and across the state. Our state needs to build 1.1 million homes within the next couple decades to meet our current and future housing needs. Almost half of these homes will need to be accessible for low-income Washingtonians.
Rep. Jessica Bateman (D-Olympia) was successful in passing HB 1110, which will expand our state’s middle housing supply by allowing more diverse housing options like duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, fiveplexes, sixplexes, townhomes, stacked flats, courtyard apartments or cottage housing in residential neighborhoods. Click here to read more about it.
I’m excited to report that my own bill to make building Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) easier to construct (HB 1337) also passed off the House floor on March 2 with strong bipartisan support. The vote was 81-15 and was heard in the Senate for the first time one week ago.
Reproductive Rights
I have always been a strong advocate for reproductive rights. I’m happy to let you know that Rep. Drew Hansen’s (D-Bainbridge Island) Shield Law (HB 1469) passed the House! It is scheduled for public testimony in the Senate later this week.
This piece of legislation will help protect those who seek reproductive and gender-affirming care in Washington from hostile actions by other states. We knew as soon as the Supreme Court’s Dobbs draft leaked that Texas and other states would find ways to impose civil liability for abortion and criminalize care. If these states are going to be creative and aggressive in restricting abortion, we in Washington state will be creative and aggressive in fighting back. With this bill, we will use every tool at our disposal to make sure all our state’s residents are safe from the reach of anti-abortion laws from Texas and elsewhere.
Fair Repair Act
After several years of working on this legislation and getting former opponents to a place of support, the Fair Repair Act (HB 1392) passed out of the House with a vote of 58-38. Click here or on the image below to watch my floor remarks on this important work.
Video Update
Sharonne Navas, Executive Director of the Equity in Education Coalition and I recently sat down to discuss digital equity with students across the state. We talk about where we are, where we need to go, and how we’ll get there. Tune in below!
Join Us at a Town Hall this Saturday!
Join Sen. Karen Keiser, Rep. Tina Orwall, and me from 1:30-3 p.m. this Saturday at the LiUNA Labor Hall in Des Moines. Interpreters will be available.
Click here to send us your questions in advance and see you soon!
Best wishes,
