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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
House or Origin cutoff was last Wednesday, which means that any policy bills that didn’t pass their house of origin are dead, or at least tabled until the beginning of the 2026 session next January. House bills that made it through this process are now in the Senate for further consideration, and, if passed by that chamber, they will eventually reach Gov. Ferguson’s desk.
This is a great time to share with you our progress so far this session, to that end, your 49th district delegation has scheduled a telephone town hall next week, on Thursday, March 27th at 6:30 PM.
We’ll give you an update on the 2025 session and will answer your questions live. You are welcome to send us your questions in advance by clicking here.
The system will dial out to landlines in our district inviting constituents to stay on the line to join the call. If you don’t receive a call but want to join, please use the dial in number and enter the PIN below when prompted:
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BILLS IN THE SENATE
Safe & Supportive Schools – House Bill 1296
I’d like to touch base on this bill, because it Is important and because there has been so much disinformation about it. Last year, the Legislature adopted I-2081, The Parental Bill of Rights Initiative, but its language, according to many parents, teachers and school administrators, is both confusing and conflicting.
This year, HB 1296 was introduced by my seatmate, Rep. Monica Stonier, to clarify and align the language. The legislation brings the parental bill of rights into alignment with state law, protects student safety and privacy, and expands the parental rights established in the initiative.
Last Wednesday evening we brought the bill to the House floor and, after a lengthy debate, finally passed it at 2:30 AM on Thursday. We considered multiple amendments and adopted some of them. The most significant change was updating the notification timeline to establish that parents or guardians have the right to receive immediate notification when a student is the victim of sexual misconduct by a school employee.
I spoke on final passage and read a story from a concerned mother that illustrates why we need this legislation. If you’re interested in this issue and want to see why we spent so many hours debating it on the floor, you can watch all the action on TVW.
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Two of my prime-sponsored bills passed the House:
HB 1244, which establishes training as an alternative to driver license suspension for the accumulation of certain traffic infractions. Read my press release here.
HB 1341, which strengthens medical cannabis tax exemption protections. Read my press release and watch my floor remarks here.
Many of the bills I co-sponsored are also now in the senate, including:
- Pioneering clean energy (HB 1018) by adding fusion energy to the types of clean energy facilities eligible for streamlined state certification.
- Expanding opportunities to finance housing construction (HB 1075) by allowing public housing authorities to partner with private developers to finance housing projects, without imposing certain rent restrictions.
- Protecting communities against sexually violent predators (HB 1133) by strengthening public safety measures.
- Preventing cruelty to animals (HB 1149) by expanding the crimes of Animal Fighting and Animal Cruelty.
- Requiring a permit to purchase firearms (HB 1163), a common-sense policy that will safeguard families, children, and communities from gun violence by keeping guns out of dangerous hands.
- Providing predictability and stability in rental increases (HB 1217), by capping returning tenant rent increases at 7 percent.
- The Right to Repair Act (HB 1483), which ensures Washington residents have the freedom to repair their own devices without unnecessary costs or restrictions.
WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH
This month we are celebrating and honoring the trailblazing women who have shaped history and continue to break barriers! This year’s theme for Women’s History Month is “Moving Forward Together! Women Educating & Inspiring Generations.” Let’s move forward together to continue paving the way for our daughters.
In Washington, more women than ever before are serving in the Legislature, and more than half of the House Democratic Caucus are women!
Here’s a roundup of bills introduced this year by women for women:
- Contraceptive coverage: HB 1090
- IUD pain control options: HB 1077
- Health plan coverage of fertility-related services: HB 1129
- Removal of pregnancy exclusion from advance health directives: HB 1215
- Cost sharing for maternity services: HB 1291
- Sales tax exemption for children’s diapers: HB 1318
- Dignity in pregnancy loss: HB 1333
- Access at public higher ed institutions to medication abortion: HB 1677
- Chemicals in personal hygiene products: HB 2008
Some of these bills went to the Senate and the ones that didn’t move will be automatically reintroduced next session.
Follow the Washington House Democrats on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube to learn more about powerful women in Washington state history, and hear from the strong women in our caucus today.
WYLIE & FEY TALK TRANSPORTATION
Washington has a complex transportation system that involves numerous moving pieces. Who better than the chair of the Transportation Committee to talk to us about it? Rep. Jake Fey and I met at the gallery and had a brief but very informative conversation about where we are and what we are doing to address a loss of revenue and an ageing ferry fleet, among other things. Watch:
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WASHINGTON BY THE NUMBERS
Ever wonder how our state compares to other states in this great nation? Or maybe you’d like to know how many wineries, breweries and craft distilleries we have? How about what our largest exporting goods are? Wonder no more! The Department of Commerce has done the legwork for us and, in its Choose Washington website, has a page adequately named Washington by the Numbers.
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KEEP IN TOUCH
I thank you for reading my electronic updates and hope you find them informative. Please don’t hesitate to contact my office with your feedback and concerns.
I hope you can join our call next week!
Sincerely,
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