Dear Friends and Neighbors,
House of Origin cutoff has officially passed! The House of Representatives worked long hours and several late nights to pass legislation important to Washington State.
Protecting Reproductive Care
The House passed bills to protect patients and providers here in Washington from hostile legal action by other states (HB 1469) to ensure Washington providers cannot be disciplined for providing reproductive care to their patients, regardless of where their patients reside (HB 1340). And we prevented websites and apps from collecting and sharing health data (HB 1155). The Senate also passed SB 5242 to prohibit co-pays and deductible requirements for anyone seeking reproductive care.
Addressing Dangerous Wildfires
Wildfire season is a danger to us all. The smoke lingers for weeks and causes serious respiratory illness. Taxpayers foot the bill for smokejumpers and firefighters on the front lines. And local families deal with the fear of losing their home or business to the flames.
To address these growing concerns, I sponsored House Bill 1578 which takes a comprehensive look at wildfires and how we can do a better job of planning, preventing, and responding to fires. In particular it addresses smoke mitigation efforts and slope stabilization after a wildfire is over.
We also passed House Bill 1789. The bill directs the Department of Natural Resources to sell carbon credits to other industries by realizing the significant carbon sequestration provided by our forests. Another tool to use to combat climate change.
Common sense legislation to address gun violence
The House passed two gun safety bills aimed at reducing gun violence and accidental gun deaths and injuries. House Bill 1143 requires safety training before purchasing a firearm. It is a tragedy whenever a child finds an unsecured gun and a death is the result. Better information and training can help prevent those deaths. This legislation takes the same safety training course set up after voters passed a gun safety initiative a few years ago and makes that training universal. You can find this safety training online, often for free.
We also passed House Bill 1240. Assault weapons are the No. 1 choice for mass shooters and firearms are now the No. 1 cause of death for children. If you already own a rifle like this in your gun safe, you can keep it, and pass it on to your kids. If this law passes the Senate, the assault weapons listed in the law simply could not be imported or sold in Washington State in the future.
Join us at our townhalls
Government works best when the people it serves get involved. I hope you will join us at our upcoming townhalls!
In Service,
