 Dear friends and neighbors,
Last Sunday the legislature adjourned Sine Die (pronounced sigh-knee die), which is the formal way of saying that this year’s 105-day session came to an end. It was an incredibly challenging session. We had a significant budget deficit to address, made worse by the chaos coming from President Trump’s federal administration, and amid that challenge we lost friends and colleagues in the legislative world. Just this week I was over in Colville to celebrate the life of a mentor of mine, former Secretary of Health Mary Selecky. Even facing these challenges, we were able to get a lot done. We passed rent stabilization, we passed legislation protecting our most vulnerable students through a safe and supportive school environment, we passed a permit to purchase bill that will help reduce gun violence, and much more. We also sent a balanced budget to the Governor’s desk. It doesn’t include everything we might have wanted, but it protects food, shelter, and health for the people of our state. One of the only areas that saw new investment was K-12 education, where we removed the cap for Special Education funding and provided more funds for the materials, supplies, and operating costs that help keep our schools running. I’m very proud of the work we did this year, and I’m looking forward to talking more about it in coming newsletters. For now, though, I’m grateful to be back in-district, spending time with my wife, and running into friends and constituents at the park or grocery store. |
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Sen. Yasmin Trudeau, Rep. Jake Fey and I will be hosting a telephone town hall next Tuesday, May 6th from 6:00-7:00PM.
If you do not automatically receive a phone call before 6PM inviting you to join the town hall, you can call toll-free at (855)-756-7520; extension: 122733#. This dial-in number will open up a few minutes before the town hall begins.
We’ll be taking questions live, so come with yours ready to go. Hope you can join us!
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On May 7, 2025, the federal REAL ID Act goes into effect nationwide. Beginning on that date, if you don’t have a REAL ID-compliant driver license or ID card, you won’t be able to fly in the U.S. or enter a restricted federal facility. We’ve heard from the Washington state Department of Licensing about significant increases in demand as we approach the deadline – in March they issued over 57,000 first-time enhanced documents, their highest ever month for enhanced documents and a 265% increase from last year, and they expected April to reach 70,000 by the month’s end.
If you’re calling with questions or going in for an enhanced ID, expect that they’ll be busier than normal as people update their documentation.
Click here to learn more and click here to see if you’re ready for this change.
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