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Dear friends and neighbors,
Today is the 58th day of this 60-day session. A couple of weeks ago, both chambers rolled out their respective supplemental budget proposals. Between now and Thursday we will be ironing out differences through negotiations and compromises, until we can all go home with budgets that still reflect our values and that we can be proud of. In the meantime, you can take a look at what’s in the House budget proposals checking out their press releases: Operating, Transportation, and Capital.
Once the budgets are finalized, I will send you another update specifically focused on the investments we are making.
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Great Town Hall thanks to YOU!
I want to take a moment to thank everyone who came to our town hall on February 17. It was great to see you and have the opportunity to address some of your concerns. I appreciate how well-prepared and thoughtful you were with your questions; it facilitated the flow and made for a smooth and engaging event.
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Update on my Bills
SB 5955 / HB 2103 – MITIGATING HARM IN LARGE PORT DISTRICTS
I am very happy to report that our legislation to help homeowners in our airport communities passed the House this past Friday with strong bipartisan support. This bill establishes a grant program in the Department of Commerce to assist the Port of Seattle in undertaking a program to repair home noise mitigation equipment that is not working properly. We have been working on this issue for years and I want to give my seatmate, Sen. Karen Keiser, a shout-out for her partnership and persistence as we brought everyone to the table in search of solutions that could work for all parties involved. If you’d like more information, you can:
- Watch my floor remarks on final passage here.
- Read Sen. Keiser’s press release here.
- Read coverage on the bill by the B-Town Blog here.
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HB 1300 – ASSISTED REPRODUCTION FRAUD This bill is about safety and justice. It cracks down on fertility fraud by empowering patients to take recourse against healthcare providers who exploit their trust by implanting their own gametes or reproductive material. Learn more about my legislation in this press release. You can also read this KUOW story and this KIRO story as well. HB 1939 – SOCIAL WORK LICENSURE COMPACT This measure streamlines the licensing process for out-of-state social workers. The goal is to increase the number of social workers in the state, addressing a critical need for mental health services. Under my bill, social workers with a single, multistate license could practice in Washington, facilitating faster deployment during crises and seamless transitions for military families. This move will strengthen communities and improve access to care for countless individuals. Read this press release for more information.
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HB 1999 – FABRICATED INTIMATE MAGES This important legislation will protect people –especially children–from the harmful dissemination of AI-generated “deepfake” pornographic images. I introduced this bill after an incident in Issaquah High School where students became victims of leaked fabricated nude images that were altered using AI. For more on this legislation, read the press release I sent out when it passed the House. You can also check out this Crosscut story. HB 2088– CRISIS TEAMS / LIABILITY With this measure, we are strengthening the effectiveness of the 988 lifeline by safeguarding crisis response teams, community-based teams, and other responders from civil liability during the performance of their duties. This crucial legal protection allows responders to confidently perform their jobs amidst potentially volatile situations. Read the press release for more. |
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While my HB 2076 (crimes involving human trafficking or sexual exploitation) did not pass, its policy was amended into SB 6006. This bill implements the recommendations of Shared Hope International, the leading nonprofit working to eradicate sex trafficking, to improve how the state identifies and responds to child survivors of human trafficking. Read Sen. Manka Dhingra’s press release to learn more.
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HB 2221 – AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE
As I mentioned in my previous newsletter, this measure didn’t pass but it is in the House budget, While we wait to see if it will be in the final budget, I want to share the language in the proviso with you:
$926,000 of the general fund—state appropriation for fiscal year 2025 is provided solely for the office of the deaf and hard of hearing within the department to establish a work group to address the statewide shortage of qualified and certified American sign language interpreters and protactile interpreters.
The work group shall focus on developing training and certification standards, developing strategies for increasing interpreter numbers across all communities, for enhancing professional development, and for creating pathways to allow interpreters to be financially supported to work statewide.
The work group shall primarily be comprised of individuals who identify as deaf, deafblind, and hard of hearing who use American sign language or protactile, with priority for members from historically marginalized communities.
The work group shall provide a final report, including recommendations and a plan for implementation, to the governor and appropriate committees of the legislature by June 30, 2025.
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Supporting victims and survivors of sexual assault
Following recommendations by the Sexual Assault Forensic Examination Best Practices Advisory Group, this biennium we are making strides in our mission to provide survivors, victims, and witnesses of sexual assault with more supports and better tools as they navigate our legal system.
Last year, the Legislature passed my House Bill 1028, which requires prosecutors responsible for prosecuting sexual assaults to receive victim-centered, trauma-informed training; it also expands trauma-informed, victim-centered training requirements for police to include gender-based violence; makes victims’ past sexual behavior inadmissible as a defense except in rare circumstances; and expands the statute of limitations for sexual assaults from two to four years from the date the identity of the suspect is established by DNA testing or photograph.
On February 28, we passed Senate Bill 5937, sponsored by Sen. Manka Dhingra, which streamlines eligibility for crime victim benefits; covers more of victims’ costs for forensic examinations; expands protections to more victims; ensures victims of sexual assault are protected at trial; and ensures that children age 13 and up can consent to forensic sexual examinations and treatment for sexually transmitted infections.
Watch my floor remarks on House passage of SB 5937 here.
Both measures, which received the full support of the Legislature, reflect our steady commitment to continue transforming Washington’s legal response to sexual assault, so that we can build a truly victim-centered, trauma-informed system for investigating and prosecuting sexual assault that prioritizes victims and provides survivors a path to justice.
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Foreclosure Fairness Program
It’s been a while since we passed the Foreclosure Fairness Act in 2011, which created the Foreclosure Fairness Program, which provides homeowner foreclosure assistance through free housing counseling, civil legal aid, and foreclosure mediation. The program has been successful in helping people keep their homes whenever possible. If you, or someone you know is facing foreclosure, please contact a FREE housing counselor anytime at 1-877-894-HOME(4663).
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Stay in Touch
I always deeply appreciate your taking the time to read my updates. As mentioned at the start of this newsletter, keep an eye out for an update focused on the budgets in the near future.
If you have feedback, comments, questions, or concerns, please feel free to contact my office.
Sincerely,
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