Dear friends and neighbors,
Today is the 47th day of this 60-day session. Earlier this week, both chambers rolled out their respective supplemental budget proposals. You can take a look at what’s in the House budgets checking out their press releases: Operating, Transportation, and Capital.
Once we send our budgets to the Senate and they send theirs to us, we go through a process to see where the differences are and work on compromises until we reach consensus on all three budgets.
We will be adjourning in two weeks. Between now and then, we have a fiscal cutoff on February 26 and from then until March 7, we’ll be on the floor passing bills every day.
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Our Town Hall was great thanks to YOU!
I want to thank everyone who carved out some time last Saturday to attend our town hall. 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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Bill’s Bills
HB 1964: Enhancing prorate and fuel tax collections by improving taxpayer compliance, providing additional enforcement mechanisms, and protecting confidential taxpayer information
With the number of bills we pass in the Legislature in the hundreds and all the hurdles they have to go through to finally reach the governor’s desk, it’s kind of special when the very first one to be enacted into law this past Wednesday was ours!
And this is a great one because its goal is two-fold: on the one hand it’s about ensuring that the taxes you, I, and most people pay at the pump are not stolen by bad actors; and on the other, it’s about ensuring those funds go straight into construction and maintenance of our roads instead of lining the pockets of unscrupulous distributors.
For more on this legislation, you can read the press release, or listen to this radio capsule, or click here or on the image below to watch the bill signing ceremony:
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HB 1963: Prohibiting license plate covers
- Feb 8: Passed House 59-38
- Feb 20: Hearing in the Senate Committee on Transportation
- Feb 22: Passed committee 13-3
HB 2207: Providing tools designed to reduce the impacts of unlawful solid waste dumping
- Feb 12: Passed House unanimously
- Feb 20: Hearing in the Senate Committee on Environment, Energy & Technology
- Feb 21: Passed committee unanimously and was referred to Senate Ways & Means
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You should have control of your digital image
With the proliferation and availability of AI (artificial intelligence) programs and applications, we must establish ways to hold people accountable.
Last November, high school students in our district became victims of leaked fabricated nude images that were altered using AI. These experiences can cause lifelong trauma on those targeted and they disproportionately affect women.
I am one of the sponsors of House Bill 1999 to establish criminal offenses for possession, viewing, dealing in, and disclosing fabricated depictions of minors and adults engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Victims of fabricated intimate images need a pathway to justice, this measure does just that by providing an avenue for victims to seek civil cause action and remedies.
I discuss more on this legislation in my latest Ask Bill video. Watch it here or by clicking on the image below.
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The measure passed the House unanimously on February 8, was heard in the Senate Law & Justice Committee one week later and, on February 20, it passed the committee on a 10-1 vote. It is now in Senate Rules, so I am hoping it gets pulled from there and placed on the Senate floor run list soon.
A recent Bloomberg Law story points out that, with this legislation, Washington joins Indiana and Tennessee in pushing for measures to safeguard people against fake AI generated content. California, Texas, Florida, New York, and six other states have already enacted similar statutes.
I am proud that we’re taking a stand to ensure everyone has the right to control their digital image!
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We The People!
The Tahoma High School We the People: The Citizen and Constitution program recently placed first in the state for their knowledge of the US Constitution, US Government, and US history.
Last week, we had the opportunity to host them for a day down at the Capitol, as well as to adopt a resolution acknowledging this great accomplishment. Way to go Tahoma We the People! Best of luck at the Nationals competition in the other Washington!
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Thank you for reading my newsletter. If you need more information on any of the issues discussed here, or on any other legislative matter, please don’t hesitate to contact my office.
Sincerely,
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