Dear friends and neighbors,
Hello from Olympia, where we’re wrapping up our third week of this year’s legislative session. This year is a short session and it’s going by quickly, but we’re taking advantage of the time we have. We’ve already passed 32 bills off the House floor, half of which have passed unanimously. This includes:
- Giving law enforcement agencies a wider pool of candidates by allowing lawful permanent residents to serve in these positions (HB 1530)
- Removing the statute of limitations for survivors of childhood sexual abuse to sue for that abuse in civil court (HB 1618)
- Expanding access to anaphylaxis medication in our schools to help students that have allergic reactions get immediate care (HB 1608)
- Raising awareness about dual credit opportunities where high school students can earn college credit alongside their high school credit, giving them a jump start and reducing their potential student debt (HB 1146)
This is really just the tip of the iceberg, if you’re curious about what else we’ve passed you can learn more at leg.wa.gov, you can also check out bills by issue area here.
I also want to recognize Tacoma Public Schools for hitting a new record with a 91.1% graduation rate! This is the result of a lot of work done by our students, teachers, staff, and administrators over the years, and I’m so grateful for their commitment to our youth.
I’m thinking about how this news is connected to some other recognition we’ve received recently – Washington has been named the safest state for high school students, in no small part thanks to the steps we’ve taken support our students and protect them from gun violence. We were also recently recognized as one of the best states in the nation for working parents. These things are all connected, and while we’re celebrating the recognition we know there’s still more we can do for students and working families across our state.
We’ve got 41 days left this session, and I’m looking forward to what else we can accomplish.
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Earlier this week we also recognized the 51st anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision. I am proud of the work that Washington has done to protect access to reproductive care like abortion, and I continue to believe that Washington serves as a beacon of light for people impacted by draconian, anti-choice laws in other states.
However, the fight over reproductive health is happening everywhere. In the last eight years Republicans in the Washington State Legislature have sponsored over 40 bills to restrict access to abortion and reproductive care. We have stopped those bills every time.
We also know that just stopping those bills isn’t enough; we have to ensure that our protections for people seeking reproductive health care meet the moment. That’s why last year we passed bills that strengthen protections for people seeking reproductive care, and this year we’re working on legislation that will fine tune some of those protections.