Dear Friends and Neighbors,

We are rapidly approaching Sine Die, the last day of the session, on April 27. That means we are spending most of our time debating bills and passing legislation.

In this update, I wanted to share the latest on where my bills are in the legislative process, some upcoming events, and how you can engage with my office once the session ends.

Progress on my bills

We’ve had tremendous success this session getting important legislation passed that will directly benefit the 33rd district.  

Several of my bills have already been signed into law or have been sent to the Governor for signature:

HB 1490 – Protecting youth and vulnerable populations through background checks. This bill clarifies and outlines who needs a federal background check in order to work in certain facilities and brings Washington into compliance with federal requirements. It also includes background check requirements for those working at the Lake Burien Transitional Care Facility for Youth.

HB 1524 – Protecting isolated workers like janitors, housekeepers, and security guards. This bill expands the definition of isolated workers to cover more types of work and strengthens protection and enforcement for these workers.

HB 1332 – Protecting rideshare drivers. This bill helps rideshare drivers gain better access to their rideshare data and have more control over their earning potential. 

 

I also sponsored several bills this year that had companions in the Senate. While my version of the legislation in the House did not move forward, a similar version of each of these bills from the Senate side is! Here are a few that have already been signed into law. 

SB 5641 – Encouraging awareness about blood donations in public schools. Public schools are already encouraged to offer instruction in awareness of bone marrow donation. This bill would also encourage schools to offer instruction in awareness of blood donation. While 62 percent of people are eligible to donate blood just 3 percent actually do. This bill will help share the importance of donating blood, inspire young people to do so, and hopefully save lives all across Washington. 

SB 5051 – Supporting nursing assistants. This bill consolidates regulatory authority for nursing professions and expands the Washington State Board of Nursing (WSBN). This bill will promote career advancement for nursing assistants and remove confusion around the disciplinary authority for nursing assistants.   

Plans for the interim and a communications freeze

This will be my last email update for several months. Because my seat is up for election, state ethics law requires certain restrictions on legislative communications to prevent the use of state resources for campaign purposes. That means a freeze on email updates, Facebook posts, and my website. That is why you won’t be getting updates from me beginning May 5, 2025 until December.  

That does not prevent you from reaching out to my office, nor does it keep me from responding to you. Connecting with you is always important and helps inform my legislative priorities. I value hearing your ideas, thoughts, concerns, or questions. If you reach out, I can and will get back to you.  

You can contact me by calling my legislative phone number at (360) 786-7834 or by emailing me or my Legislative Assistant, Ted Metcalf.  

Join us at our next town hall!

In the meantime, here is one more opportunity to connect with me and my seatmates. We are hosting a telephone town hall! 

During the town hall we will reflect on the progress made over the 105-day session, answer questions about the issues that matter to you, and hear your thoughts on priorities for the months ahead. 

Submit your questions ahead of time here. 

I look forward to hearing from you during our town hall and I wish you a wonderful summer and fall.
Sincerely, 

Rep. Edwin Obras