23rd LD Update: Join us for our next Town Hall! And an update on my bills!

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Before I get into the latest on what’s happening at the legislature, I want to invite you to the 23rd Legislative District Town Hall happening on Saturday, March 22nd. The entire 23rd Legislative District delegation including myself, Rep. Greg Nance, and Sen. Drew Hansen, will host town halls at two locations that day:

Town Hall #1: 9:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. at Bainbridge High School with Bainbridge Mayor Ashley Mathews – RSVP here

Town Hall #2: 1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. at Olympic College Bremerton Campus with Tony Ives, Kitsap Community Resources Executive Director– RSVP here

This will be live and in-person so it’s a great opportunity to connect. We’ll share more about what’s happening down in Olympia, and we’d love to hear directly from you about what concerns you have. RSVP to let us know you’re coming. I hope to see you there!

What’s happening in Olympia?

We recently passed a deadline called ‘House of Origin Cutoff.’ That means we spent the past few weeks on the House floor non-stop debating bills and passing legislation out of the House. Our Senate colleagues went through a similar process. Any bill that passed out of the House is now in the Senate for consideration and the Senate has sent us their bills. Now, we’re back in the process of committee review and debate. We have less than 40 days left in the session to not only pass bills, but we also have to pass the state’s budgets. Things will move quickly – you can stay informed by tracking bills and by tuning in to TVW to watch the action live.

An update on my bills

I am pleased to share that several of my bills made it past House of Origin Cutoff and are currently being considered in the Senate:

HB 1432 – ensuring life-saving mental health care coverage for all Washingtonians

This bill establishes a definition of “medical necessity” that includes mental health services and substance use disorder services. It also aligns standards between Medicaid and commercial insurance providers, ensuring coverage for behavioral health services is available and affordable in Washington. Too many of our friends and neighbors are being denied health insurance coverage because companies deem some mental health care and substance use disorder treatments medically unnecessary. This bill will ensure that the millions of Washington children and adults have access to the doctor-prescribed, life-saving care, that they need.

HB 1430 – increasing pay for Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) and Physician Assistants (PAs)

This bill will increase reimbursement to Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) and Physician Assistants (PAs), bringing them in line with reimbursement rates for physicians for the same services. This hasn’t been aligned since 2013, even though it was aligned prior to. This bill fixes that.

HB 1233 – ending forced labor in Washington prisons

This bill will make work programs in Washington prisons voluntary and prevent the Department of Corrections from reducing an incarcerated person’s earned early release or other privileges by issuing infractions, or taking any other punitive, disciplinary, or retaliatory actions if someone chooses not to participate. Incarcerated people deserve to work with dignity and pride, not by force as part of a punishment. This bill takes a step toward ensuring Washington’s criminal justice system is focused on support rather than pure punishment.

Make Sure Your ID is REAL ID Compliant – You Can’t Fly Without It!

Finally, a brief PSA.

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. Click here to learn more and click here to see if you’re ready for this change.

REAL ID is a federal law, though Washington state has worked hard to help people get the ID they need to comply and fly.

Of course, you still need a passport to fly overseas. That hasn’t changed. These new requirements are for flying domestically. The days of showing your driver’s license and getting through security are over.