Dear friends and neighbors,
Over the last couple months, we’ve covered nearly all the major issue areas from last session. This will be one of our last “legislative victories” e-newsletters as we pivot to preparations for next year. This one is dedicated to the work we did in consumer protection, but you can see any of the other issue areas on my website here. If there’s something we didn’t cover that you want to hear more about, please let me know.
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I’m proud of the work we were able to do this year to protect Washington consumers from scams and predatory practices. Creating a more fair and transparent business environment benefits all our residents, especially the most vulnerable in our communities.
One example of this is HB 1051, which protects Washingtonians from predatory robocalling and telephone scams. This legislation strengthens our laws around robocalling, makes it easier for people to recover damages, and connects these predatory calls and scams to our Consumer Protection Act and the protections it provides.
Another example is HB 1311 which helps bring more transparency to the credit repair act, strengthens our laws governing credit services, and empowers consumers. This bill will help ensure that credit repair services are doing what you expect them to and following through on promises they’ve made. This bill also provides consumers more information about their rights, and ability to file a complaint with the Attorney General.
 We also passed legislation to end the puppy mill to pet store pipeline, HB 1424. Washington has worked hard over the years to protect consumers and animals in pet store settings, however some stores exploited loopholes to get around breeding requirements and use predatory third-party lending services. This legislation helps ensure that all animals sold in Washington meet the state’s breeding requirements and prohibits the use of predatory loans.
Another area where we increased consumer protections is in the construction industry. HB 1534 helps protect consumers that are looking to build or remodel their homes by increasing bond payments for contractors to establish a Homeowner Recovery Program. It also helps prevent the “revolving door” problem by ensuring that contractors cannot simply open a new business to get out of judgment in a complaint process. I covered our reproductive health legislation in an earlier e-newsletter, but one bill that deserves to be mentioned again here is the My Health, My Data Act, HB 1155. You should have control over your sensitive health data, and thanks to this legislation websites and apps cannot collect and share that information without your permission. |
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Last month I mentioned that the legislative internship program is accepting applications. The priority deadline for those applications is October 22nd.
This program is an incredible opportunity for higher education students – you’re matched with legislators in the House or Senate based on your interest areas and political ideology, and you spend a session working in Olympia and learning about the legislative process. You also receive academic credit for the program as well as a monthly stipend of $2,400.
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