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We have wrapped up the 2024 legislative session, and I'm pleased to report that state lawmakers worked together to pass legislation and fund projects to benefit Washingtonians. I'm especially proud that my bill to lower the cost of health care by capping the price of asthma inhalers and epi-pens passed both the House and the Senate unanimously. This is great news for families who use these life-saving medications for asthma and allergies. In addition, the Legislature passed two very important...
Here’s an inside look at how your democracy works in Olympia. We just passed the deadline for bills to make it out of the House of Origin, meaning House bills needed to pass the House and Senate bills had to get voted out of the Senate. That meant we spent all day debating bills for about a week. More than once, we voted until about 2 a.m. I’m proud to report that we actually agree far more often than we disagree. Of the 270 bills we passed this year in the House, 76% received strong bipartisan support and 54% were passed unanimously. Thos...
Our state has a diverse economy, and manufacturing plays a key role. Aerospace is what usually comes to mind when we talk about manufacturing – but our state has a rich history across a number of important industries. When our state, businesses, labor and local communities collaborate to make the right decisions and investments, we will have a prosperous future producing what people around the world need. This is a bipartisan issue: Democrats and Republicans alike recognize that increasing the number of manufacturing jobs is good for our...
Last week, the Legislature finished the house-of-origin cutoff. This means that House bills needed to pass the House – and Senate bills needed to pass the Senate – in order to stay alive for consideration during this legislative session. There are only a few budget-related exceptions that don’t fall on this timeline. Fortunately, nearly all of the bills I sponsored this session were passed by the House and are now in the Senate. This includes the three bills I sponsored to expand veterans’ benefits and a bill to explore summer sch...
In my work at both the State Legislature and at Skagit Valley College, I’ve learned that veterans face significant challenges during and after the transition to civilian life. Many face significant mental health and medical hurdles, as well as an increased risk of experiencing homelessness. Here are some quick facts about the difficulties many veterans face. Veterans are more likely to experience homelessness than non-veterans. Male veterans are twice as likely—while female veterans are three times as likely—to experience h...
On January 14, I had the honor of being sworn in as one of your representatives for the 10th district. I look forward to addressing tough issues like transportation infrastructure development, strengthening our public schools and developing effective and diverse college and professional-training pathways. The last topic is very important to me. I have taught in higher education for 20 years. The last 10 years, I have helped students at Skagit Valley College earn a degree or certificate that leads to a living-wage job or allows them to transfer...
