Happy Friday, Washington Democrats! 

Working for Washington

This week we swore in our new legislative members including the NEW Democrats in the State House and Senate, heard from Governor Inslee in his final State of the State address, and inaugurated Governor Bob Ferguson! 

I especially want to congratulate our new state legislators who were elected or appointed to the 2025 session (some of the Senators were previously in the legislature as House members): LD 3 Representative Natasha Hill, LD 5 Representative Victoria Hunt, LD 22 Representative Lisa Parshley, LD 24 Representative Adam Bernbaum, LD 26 Representative Adison Richards, LD 33 Representative Edwin Obras, LD 43 Representative Shaun Scott, LD 48 Representative Osman Salahuddin, LD 3 Senator Marcus Riccelli, LD 5 Senator Bill Ramos, LD 18 Senator Adrian Cortes, LD 22 Senator Jessica Bateman, LD 24 Senator Mike Chapman,  LD 48 Senator Vandana Slatter, and LD 33 Senator Tina Orwall. Whew! 

On Tuesday the 21st, there will be appointments for a new House member from LD 41 and a new Senator and Representative from LD 34. I’ll be sure to update you next week when the final results are in for those appointments.

This year’s legislative session will see important debates on topics like the budget shortfall, Rep. Sharlett Mena’s bill to mitigate the environmental harms of fast fashion, Rep. Emily Alvarado’s rest restrictions legislation, Sen. Claire Wilson’s bills to eliminate licensing fees for child care operators and waive the $25 fee to obtain a copy of a birth certificate for families receiving federal food benefits. There’s also Sen. Manka Dhingra’s bill to allow school districts in good financial standing to take on debt to pay for building schools without voter approval and Sen. June Robinson’s bill to require health insurance carriers to report spending on primary care each year to the Office of the Insurance Commissioner. 

For the environment, our legislators will be working to pass a Sewage Spill Right-to-Know law, the Recycling Reform Act (formerly known as the WRAP Act), protecting the Advanced Clean Truck Rule, and making sure funds raised from the Climate Commitment Act are reducing pollution and investing in making our communities climate resilient. 

On Wednesday, State Party staff were on hand at the Governor’s Ball to celebrate our victories in November with our tremendous legislative and executive leaders. I had to miss the festivities for the DNC Vice Chair forum, but I loved seeing the photos of the event and am reminded of all we accomplished together in 2024.

This week, we are also gearing up for the Washington State Central Committee Re-Organization meeting on January 24-26. This is the meeting where State Committee Members gather to elect our Executive Board (including my position of Chair), pass resolutions, and chart our path through the next election cycle. I look forward to seeing our State Committee Members in Tacoma next week!

Unify & Organize

Washington High School Democrats and the Washington Democrats are coming together to Unify & Organize! 

This upcoming Monday, Jan. 20th, join us as we celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. and prepare for the resistance against the Trump administration. 

Monday, January 20th 

12 PM – 2 PM

Machinist Hall – 9125 15th Pl S, Seattle, WA 98108

https://secure.actblue.com/donate/wa-dems-hs-dems

Join your fellow Democrats for this FREE opportunity to connect with fellow Democrats and hear from our keynote speaker U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal and our newest Democratic Member of Congress, Emily Randall!