In the News

Below are links to some news stories about legislation I am working on for the 28th District:

2025:

• RV Travel: Washington state considers extreme measures to slow down speeders
• Hoodline and TechStory: Washington State Targets Surge in Traffic Deaths with Speed-Limiting Tech for Habitual Speeders
• Road and Track: Washington State Bill Would Put Smart Speed-Limiting Devices in Speeders’ Cars
• Tarmac Life: Washington Drivers May Face GPS-Based Speed-Limiting Devices
• Fox: Washington state lawmakers propose requiring speed-limiting devices in cars of drivers with speeding history
• Seattle Times: WA Legislature considers in-car speed limiters to help curb traffic deaths
• KIRO: Speed demons on a leash: Bill would require limiter device for reckless drivers
• The Suburban Times: Rep. Leavitt celebrating students and talent of 28th
  
• KIRO: Protest, but play nice: Washington weighs new rules on student aid, campus demos
• Seattle Times: WA bill would limit cellphone use in schools
• TVW Legislative Review: Overview of HB 1136

2024 and older:

• The News Tribune: Kids with disabilities soon will have fun at ‘inclusive playground’ in Pierce County
• KING 5: Sidewalks are finally coming to Bethel School District’s dark, dangerous roads
• Washington State Standard: As campaigning revs up, WA laws aim to detect cyber attacks and protect election workers
• The Suburban Times: Leavitt bill to help the vulnerable during extreme weather signed into law
• The Suburban Times: Governor signs Leavitt bill – the Lucas Petty Act – to protect students from opioids and fentanyl
• Seattle Times: Washington Gov. Inslee signs fentanyl bill sending money to disproportionately affected tribes
• ABC: Washington Gov. Inslee signs fentanyl bill sending money to disproportionately affected tribes
• Associated Press: Washington Gov. Inslee signs fentanyl bill sending money to disproportionately affected tribes
• Columbian: Washington Gov. Inslee signs fentanyl bill sending money to disproportionately affected tribes
• BNN: Washington State Legislature Passes Bills Boosting Support for Veterans and Military Families
• The Suburban Times: Leavitt bills to support military families and veterans headed to the Governor’s desk
• The News Tribune: Opioid prevention, new gun laws among bills passed 
• KHQ: Harassing election workers set to become a felony in Washington
• Tacoma Weekly: Legislature passes bills to support military families, veterans
• The 74: Bill Requiring WA Schools to Carry Overdose Reversal Medication Heads to Inslee
• Washington State Standard: Bill requiring WA schools to carry overdose reversal medication heads to Inslee
• KING5: ‘Lucas Petty Act’ would add opioid, fentanyl awareness to health education courses
• BNN: Rep. Mari Leavitt Champions Public Safety and Anti-Fentanyl Legislation as Session Nears End
• The Suburban Times: Legislative Update: A Focus on Community & Public Safety
• University of Washington: Session News: UW Regents thank lawmakers for continued support of the UW
• Washington Post: Washington lawmakers advance bill making it a felony to threaten election workers
• Lynwood Times: Snohomish County Auditor praises advance of election worker protection bill
• MLT News: State lawmakers show bipartisan support for fight against fentanyl
• KOMO: Washington lawmakers advance bill making it a felony to threaten election workers
• Seattle Times: WA lawmakers advance bill making it a felony to threaten election workers
• Associated Press: Washington lawmakers advance bill making it a felony to threaten election workers
• The Lion: Bill mandating fentanyl education for students passes Washington state House
• The Spectator: New House Bill Seeks to Transform Education on Fentanyl
• KHQ: Bill relaxing zoning requirements for small businesses before Washington Senate
• FOX28: Bill relaxing zoning requirements for small businesses before Washington Senate
• KUOW: Curriculum about fentanyl, other opioids could come to WA junior high classrooms
• KUOW: Week in Review: crime prevention, fentanyl, and kids
• Seattle Times: WA House passes fentanyl education bill
• The News-Tribune: My constituent lost a son to fentanyl. WA can solve this crisis — if we act fast
• KIRO: ‘Worst drug threat I’ve seen’: Washington’s teen fentanyl overdoses double rate of U.S. average
• The News-Tribune: New session, new bills. Here’s some of what WA lawmakers are proposing in 2024
• The Spokesman: Tougher punishment for harassing election workers passes the House twice, now confronts the Senate
• The Chronicle: Other Views: Bill requiring fentanyl education in Washington schools deserves bipartisan support
• Seattle Times: Bill requiring fentanyl education in WA schools deserves bipartisan support
• Washington State Standard: For second time, Washington House backs tougher penalties for threatening election workers
• TVW: Testimony on HB 1241: Opioid and fentanyl prevention education in public schools
• Bellingham Herald: New session, new bills. Here’s some of what WA lawmakers are proposing in 2024
• The Suburban Times: Join Reps. Leavitt and Bronoske for events in December & January
  
• KUOW: Election mail threats across the PNW prompt new look at protections heading into 2024
• The Suburban Times: A Day to Honor Our Veterans
• KING5: Envelope that led to King County Elections office evacuation had traces of fentanyl in it
• KING5: Snohomish County finds suspicious mail similar to items found at 4 other Washington election officers
• US Times Post: Snohomish County finds suspicious mail similar to items found at 4 other Washington election officers
• KING5: Suspicious envelopes stop ballot counts
• The News Tribune: Should WA police be able to pursue stolen vehicles? 16 Pierce County mayors think so
• The Suburban Times: Veterans Day Memorial Ceremony Planned for Nov. 11
  
• Stateline: It’s hazing season on college campuses. State safeguards are uneven
• Spokesman Review: New Washington state laws take effect in July. Here are a few:
• City of Lakewood: Transforming Fort Steilacoom Park
• Tacoma News Tribune: New improvements coming to Lakewood Fort Steilacoom Park’s baseball diamond next month
• KIRO7: Sen. Cantwell visits Seattle to discuss area’s fentanyl crisis
• Olympian: New Washington state laws go into effect Sunday. Here are some of the key ones
• KING5: Family of WSU hazing victim working with UW students on national database to track incidents
• Tacoma Weekly: Korean Community Marks Key Anniversaries
• Tacoma Weekly: Teen Late Night Program Launched For Summer
• The Seattle Times: New law, inspired by WSU student’s death, stiffens penalties for hazing
• Big Country News:Gov. Inslee signs anti-hazing bill named after Sam Martinez into law
• KING5: Washington is 15th state to make hazing a felony under new law
• KING5: Gov. Inslee expected to sign “Sam’s Law” anti-hazing bill
• KREM2: ‘It’s bittersweet,’ Inslee to sign WA’s new hazing law Monday
• The Chronicle: Bill Addressing Overdoses by Banning Private Use of Pill Presses Signed Into Law
• The Chronicle: Robocall Protection Bill Signed Into Law After Passing Washington Legislature
• Spokesman Review: EWU gets broader authority for doctorate degrees
• KIRO7: Gov. Inslee signs bill targeting illegal robocalls in Washington
• My Northwest: New law aims to protect people from phone scams, robocalls
• KOMO: Inslee signs bill aimed to crack down on illegal pill press operations
• Cascadia Daily News: Legislature passes several bills to support higher education
• Olympian: WA governor has signed nearly 100 bills into law so far. Here are some of the key ones
• U.S. Attorney Office: Fentanyl Pill Press Operator Sentenced to 30 Years in Federal Prison
• Yahoo News: Inslee signs “Tyler’s Law” prohibiting pill presses
• KIT Newstalk: Illegal Robocalls Get The Boot From WA State Lawmakers
• KING 5: Gov. Jay Inslee signs bill targeting fentanyl ‘pill press’ use
• FOX Q13: War on Fentanyl: Bill to make ownership of pill presses illegal in Washington heads to Governor’s desk
• News Tribune: Lawmakers have until Wednesday to pass bills from the other chamber. Here’s some of what’s passed
• WA Office of the Attorney General: AG Ferguson, Rep. Leavitt bill providing accountability for illegal robocalls passes legislature
• Geekwire: Washington state lawmakers unanimously approve law to limit robocalls, hold telecoms accountable
• Seattle Times: WA lawmakers crack down on robocalls
• KING5: Washington state lawmakers pass bill strengthening protections against robocalls, phone scams
• KIRO:  Legislation seeks to make robocalls illegal in Washington
• KLXY: WA Senate passes bill to create more penalties for hazing
• Yahoo News: 35th District State Lawmaker Voices Support for Bill Addressing Fake Pills
• Capital Ideas Podcast: Supporting Military Spouses, Mitigating Climate Change Impacs, and Pushing Back Against Fentanyl
• The Center Square: ‘Industrious monsters’: Washington bill targets fentanyl pill production
• Columbia Basin Herald: Bill targets use of pill presses to make counterfeit drugs
• Spokesman Review: ‘Culture of secrecy’: Bill to increase hazing penalty moves closer to final passage
• Big Country News: Wellness phone app now available for Washington state law enforcement
• KING5: Bill to strengthen hazing laws gets support, scrutiny during Senate hearing
• KING5: Hazing was the ‘breaking point’ for WSU freshman who died by suicide, parents say
• KING5: Bill to strengthen hazing laws gets support, scrutiny during Senate hearing
• KNDO NBC: Bill to crack down on robocalls passes in Washington state House
• The Seattle Times: Pass anti-hazing legislation to help save students’ lives
• The Seattle Times: Increase the penalties for hazing and end the culture that took my son’s life
• The Daily Evergreen: Increase in legal penalties for hazing reaches second bid
• The Suburban Times: Legislation on illegal robocalls passes House Consumer Protection & Business Committee
• The Suburban Times: Harrison Preparatory Student Completes House Page Program
• KXLY: Heartbroken parents plea for more severe penalties for hazing
• KING5: House committee debates bill that would increase penalty for hazing
• KIRO7: Parents of student who died in hazing incident testify in hearing for new bill
• KING5: Washington House bill to increase penalty for hazing under debate
• Spokesman Review: Anti-hazing bill ‘Sam’s Law’ appears in the Washington House for the second year
• The Seattle Times: WA attorney general pushes to strengthen laws against robocalls
• KIMA: Washington AG proposes anti-robocall legislation to harshen punishment for scammers
• NewsTalk 870 AM: Proposed Bill Would Greatly Enhance Robocall Penalties in WA
• Communications Daily: Washington State AG Pushes Anti-Robocall Bill
• Patch: Tougher Robocall Laws May Be Coming To Washington
• The Chronicle: Attorney General Bob Ferguson Announces Partnership With State Representative on Bill Combatting Robocalls
• KING5: Washington bill would ban robocallers from using fake caller ID, tapping Do Not Call Registry
• Yahoo News: AG Ferguson pushes for change on state laws related to robocalls
• KGMI: State AG wants to overhaul robocall laws
• The Center Square: Proposed Washington law would hold carriers responsible for knowingly transmitting robocalls
• KHQ – Attorney General Bob Ferguson plans to introduce Robocall Protection Act
• KUOW: Washington lawmakers to target robocalls, spam in 2023 legislative session
• FOX 28 Spokane: Attorney General, Seattle-area state legislator propose law to crack down on robocalls
• News Tribune: DUI limits, prison wages and abortion are already on the docket for 2023 WA legislature
• Q13: Inslee signs law intended to reduce hazing incidents after WSU freshman’s death
• KREM2: ‘I miss Sam every day’: Sam Martinez’s mother reacts as Inslee signs Sam’s Law into effect
• The Olympian: Inslee signs law intended to reduce hazing incidents
• Moscow-Pullman Daily News: Washington Senate unanimously passes anti-hazing bill
• Moscow-Pullman Daily News: Anti-hazing advocates hopeful for Sam’s Law
• KUOW: Their son died in a hazing incident at WSU. They’ve since worked to change Washington’s laws around hazing
• KING5: ‘Sam would be proud’: anti-hazing ‘Sam’s Law’ passes unanimously
• Seattle Times: Anti-hazing bill ‘Sam’s Law’ inches closer to passing WA Legislature focusing on education, transparency
• Lewiston Tribune: Anti-hazing advocates hopeful for Sam’s Law measure
• Spokesman-Review: College hazing: Washington House OKs bill to bolster education and reporting of ‘barbaric acts’
• The Guardian: ‘We have to adapt’: US Pacific north-west weighs plans to cope with extreme weather
• News Tribune: Bills addressing college hazing in Washington moving through state Legislature
• Seattle Times: Grieving WA family pushing for bills that would toughen penalties for hazing
• KING 5-TV: Here are some of the bills Washington legislators are hoping to pass next session
• Wahkiakum County Eagle: Families press for end to hazing
• Columbia Basin Herald: Legislators consider bill to crack down on hazing
• Peninsula Daily News: Bill aims to help homeless community college students
• Spokesman-Review: After son’s death at WSU, family hopes loss leads to hazing legislation: ‘It’s to save a life for the one taken from us’
• Northwest Public Broadcasting: Family of Sam Martinez back two anti-hazing bills in Washington
• Moscow-Pullman Daily News: Initial testimony for anti-hazing bill set for today
• KING-5 TV: State lawmakers consider two bills that would strengthen penalties for hazing-related deaths
• Columbia Basin Herald: Bills could improve extreme weather response
• Kitsap Daily News: Bill aims to help homeless and former foster care college students
• State of Reform: Prefiled bills that we’re watching – State of Reform
• Geekwire: AWS and Washington state launch cloud training, but educators have big questions about rollout
• Kitsap Sun: Legislative proposals would pay off the Tacoma Narrows Bridge and remove tolling early
• Washington State Wire: Leavitt, Caldier introduce bill to help foster and homeless college students
• Suburban Times: CPSD Hosts Washington State Representatives Leavitt and Bronoske for Facility Tour
• News Tribune: Folks aren’t happy that Inslee’s pause of COVID rollbacks came too late for Pierce County
• News Tribune Editorial: Showing some spine: On capital gains tax, two Pierce County Democrats break ranks
• Patch.com: Lakewood Receives $3.7 Million For Quality Of Life Projects
• Suburban Times: City of Lakewood secures $3.7 million in capital funding from state legislature
• Suburban Times: Governor signs Leavitt bill expanding assistance programs for struggling college students
• Suburban Times: Leavitt bill to expand education opportunities for incarcerated people passes state House
• Trains.com: Washington state House passes rail oversight bill
• Suburban Times: Leavitt rail safety bill passes state House
• Suburban Times: State House passes Leavitt’s workforce training bill
• Suburban Times: Leavitt bill to help struggling families passes state House
• The UW Daily: Prison education bill seeks to provide second — and first — chances to Washington’s incarcerated
• Suburban Times: Representative Mari Leavitt Announces 2021 Legislative Priorities
• The News Tribune: Time’s up for students’ pandemic meal money, but most in WA haven’t enrolled
• The News Tribune: Cocktails to-go? Tacoma officials push state to loosen regulations during coronavirus
• Tacoma Weekly: Kilduff and Leavitt team up to push for rail safety
• Suburban Times: Leavitt Passes New Bills to Assist Military Families
• Seattle Times: Creation of state Office of Firearm Safety and Violence Prevention awaits Inslee’s signature
• Suburban Times: Kilduff and Leavitt team up to push for rail safety
• Tacoma Weekly: Leavitt passes cost of living increase for retirees 
• Tacoma Weekly: Leavitt’s online privacy for minors bill passes House
• Suburban Times: Leavitt Passes Cost of Living Increase for Retirees
• Suburban Times: Leavitt’s Washington Online Privacy for Minors Bill Passes House
• Suburban Times: Leavitt Rail Safety Governance Bill Passes House
• The UW Daily: Legislature looks to require total cost of degree on college acceptance letters
• The News Tribune (Editorial Board): Schools don’t have to track youth head injuries in Washington. Two Pierce County legislators want to change that
• Seattle Times: Washington school leaders are worried about students’ mental health. Now lawmakers are proposing fixes
• FOX 21: Hospitality Supports Bill Requiring Human Trafficking Prevention Training
• Seattle Times: Last year, Washington lawmakers made college free for some. This year, they want to make it more accessible.
• Suburban Times: Representative Mari Leavitt Announces 2020 Legislative Priorities
• Seattle Times: If you’re couch surfing and disabled, the state can reduce your cash assistance. But that could change.
• The News Tribune: Letter to the editor from Rep. Leavitt: College: Financial aid form is key to success
• Suburban Times: Rep. Leavitt says we can do better for our soldiers, veterans and their families
• Patch.com: Veteran Reforms A Priority, Says Rep. Leavitt
• KING 5 TV: Washington National Guard joins statewide training to fight wildfires
• Suburban Times: New Accreditation Standards for Dual Enrollment Courses Signed into Law
• Suburban Times: New State Transportation Budget to Improve I-5, DuPont-Steilacoom Road and more
• Suburban Times: Pierce County Scores Big with Construction Budget Projects
• Patch.com: Pierce County Benefits From State Budget Plan
• The News Tribune: Editorial: Duty calls for Washington lawmakers to serve military families and veterans
• Suburban Times: Leavitt Welcomes Service Members for 111th Anniversary of U.S. Army Reserve
• KING 5: Washington National Guard firefighting pay raise
• Suburban Times: Leavitt Law to Increase National Guard Pay for Wildland Fire Response Signed by Governor
• Suburban Times: Affordable Housing Sales Tax Exemption Passes Legislature
• Patch.com: UP Reps Set Date For Inaugural ‘Coffee & Conversations’
• Suburban Times: Leavitt Bill to Fund PERS 1 COLA Included in House Budget
• Suburban Times: Leavitt Passes First Bill Increasing National Guard Pay for Wildland Fire Response
• Kirkland Reporter: National Guard could see pay bump for wildfire response
• The News Tribune: Editorial: 890 assaults against staff, 9 months, 1 hospital. That’s intolerable. This small step could help
• Suburban Times: Leavitt Introduces Legislation to Address Violence at State Hospitals
• Suburban Times: Kilduff, Leavitt to host Telephone Town Hall, Feb. 20
• Suburban Times: Kilduff, Leavitt Introduce Package of Bills to Address Public Safety
• Army.mil: Proposed state legislation could provide Guardsmen equal pay during state activations
• Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS): Proposed state legislation could provide Guardsmen equal pay during state activations
• Suburban Times: Rep. Leavitt Appointed Vice Chair of College & Workforce Development