Dear friends and neighbors,
The last time I wrote you we had not yet started our hectic 10-day run of bills on the House floor. That frenetic activity ended with the House of Origin cutoff last Wednesday, March 8. The House passed 328 bills off the House floor before cutoff, with nearly 200 bills receiving unanimous support and more than 250 receiving strong bipartisan support!
We are now almost five weeks until the end of legislative session, and in today’s newsletter I’ll be highlighting my seven bills that passed off the House floor. The House now pivots back to committees for public hearings regarding bills sent over from the Senate; and in upcoming newsletters, you’ll be getting updates on this work.
An Update on My Bills
My original goal as a freshman legislator was to successfully introduce five bills this legislative session. I’m pleased to have surpassed that by introducing seven—with all of them making it out of committee and passing off the House floor so far! I encourage you to click on the bill number to learn more, as well as on the links after their brief explanation for a link to any press releases and/or videos that came out once they passed off the House floor.
- HB 1302 protects consumers by revising the auto report of sale process. It was the first bill I passed off the House floor in early February! Click here to read more (note: this release also contains a video link).
- HB 1431 is a sales tax exemption bill for seniors who live in assisted living communities. This bill clarifies that meals provided as an amenity of senior living are not subject to tax. It passed off the House floor today and heads to the Senate! Click here to read more (note: this release also contains a video link).
- HB 1452 establishes a state emergency medical reserve corps. Click here to read a release on it once it passed the House floor.
- HB 1478 is the first of three education-related bills I passed; this piece of legislation will establish a statement of student rights for high school students that is incorporated into civics education.
- HB 1536 increases access for students to receive their high school diploma by modifying the standards for withholding Click here to read a press release on both HB 1478 and HB 1536 as they were passed off the House floor and sent on to the Senate for further consideration.
- HB 1792 provides transparency and clarity in the event of water rights adjudication in the Nooksack watershed. Click here for the press release; and as it passed off the House floor with unanimous and bipartisan support.
- HB 1823 is my third bill pertaining to education, and this piece of legislation is deeply personal to me. It makes modifications to the Washington Student Loan Program builds upon the work the Legislature did last year to create a low-interest student loan program. This bill improves the program by targeting fields of study in graduate school that address Washington’s workforce shortages in sectors such as healthcare, behavioral and mental health, educators, law enforcement, and public safety professionals. Click here to read more.
Video Update
In the video above, I respond to constituent emails on two of my bills: HB 1792, which modifies timelines and other initial procedural actions in a water rights adjudication (passed the House on Feb. 28); and HB 1431, which exempts senior living communities meals from sales tax (passed the House just yesterday).
Join Us at a Town Hall this Saturday!
Please join Sen. Sharon Shewmake, Rep. Alicia Rule, and me for an in-person town hall from 1-2 p.m. this Saturday at Ferndale High School (located at 5830 Golden Eagle Dr.). We see this meeting as an opportunity to hear from you and ask us questions, as well for us to update you on what we’re doing on your behalf in Olympia. Submitting questions in advance is encouraged so we know what’s important to you!
Click here to send in your questions. I look forward to seeing you there!
Best wishes,
