Dear friends and neighbors,
The 2025 legislative session starts next week! Washington has a part-time legislature (as do many states), so we’re only down in Olympia for a few months of the year. Our state constitution dictates when session begins and how long it lasts, and it runs on a two-year cycle. This year is a “long” session, so we’ll be down in Olympia for 105 days starting next Monday, January 13.
Apart from length, the other big difference between a long session year and a short session year is the state budget – which is actually a combination of three different budgets (but more on that in a future e-newsletter). During long session years we write the state’s budget for the two-year cycle. It’s one of the largest and most important bills we pass, so you can expect a lot of talk about that this year, too.
Want to get involved? There are a lot of different ways to engage with your legislature. As always, you can reach out to my office by phone (360-786-7930) or email, or follow my Facebook page for regular updates.
You can also watch committee hearings on TVW, comment on a bill, or testify either remotely or in-person. You can read about how a bill becomes a law, or you can watch a video about it instead (in English or Spanish). If you have questions, please reach out!
Opening day ceremonies in the state House can be viewed online, but I also invite 27th District constituents come to Olympia and experience it in person if you are able. The House galleries are open to the public and seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. Opening ceremonies start at noon on Monday, and include the swearing-in of the Speaker of the House, the Speaker Pro Tempore, and the Deputy Speaker Pro Tempore (tip: to secure a seat in the public gallery, arrive by 11:00 a.m.). More information on visiting the Capitol campus can be found here.
Presuming I’m elected Speaker of the House again, I’ll be giving remarks to the full chamber laying out House Democrats’ priorities for the coming session. These will be posted to my website after the event.
Next Wednesday, January 15th, the 2025 Washington State Governor’s Inaugural Ball will take place on the Capitol campus. This ticketed event is open to all and tickets can be purchased here: https://wastategovball.org/
The last time our state held a Governor’s Inaugural Ball was in 2017. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 Inaugural Ball did not take place, so it has been eight years since the last one. This will be my first Inaugural Ball in my role as Speaker, and I hope to see many Washingtonians there enjoying the food, music, dancing, and community. All statewide officials are sworn in earlier that day, and are formally introduced to the crowd at the ball. There are also opportunities to volunteer at the event (details on the event website).
I’m here to represent you, and hearing from you on the issues you care about helps better inform my work in the Legislature. It is an immense privilege to serve you all in this role, and I’m excited to get to work. Thank you,
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Earlier today, I joined the caucus leaders of the House and Senate for the annual Legislative Session Preview. It’s a panel Q&A-style discussion about the issues that will likely be before the legislature. Joining me was Senate Majority Leader Sen. Jamie Pedersen, as well as the Republican minority leaders of the House and Senate. There were additional panels featuring the budget leads from each chamber, and the Transportation budget leads.
This longstanding event is, in many ways, the unofficial start of the session. I’ll post highlights of the event over on my legislative Facebook page in coming days.