Greetings Friends,

We’re in the second week of the 2022 legislative session and things are starting to heat up. This week committees are continuing to hold public hearings on legislation that will significantly impact your rights. So, I’m writing you to make sure you have every opportunity to have your voice heard.

If you weren’t aware, the Legislature is continuing its nearly all virtual session, which in my opinion is not only limiting my ability to represent you in the Senate but is creating concerns for the public’s access to their state government.

We have now been in an “emergency” for nearly 700 days and it’s becoming clearer that this virus is something we are going to have to live with. It is time to return to normal proceedings and Zoom is not a substitute to being able to represent my constituents on the Senate Floor.

In the first week of session, I made a principled stand for transparency and common sense by protesting the Senate’s rules. On the first day, I showed up in-person to work from my office but refused to participate in their arbitrary and ineffective testing policy. I declined to sign the waiver form that essentially allowed the Senate to dictate my health decisions.

I did not back down and fought to get a change in the waiver language that empower legislators and staff. Those efforts were successful.

Requiring testing of people with no symptoms when there is a shortage of tests is ridiculous. Why does the majority think we are so special that we should be taking these valuable resources? We are not more important than the people paying our salaries that have had to work this entire pandemic without any safety measures in place.

Get Involved

Since the 2022 legislative session is being conducted remotely, I want to be sure you have access to your government. Below are resources on how you can provide input on bills and keep apprised of what’s happening virtually in Olympia.

Overview of how to testify remotely: 

https://leg.wa.gov/legislature/Pages/Testify.aspx

General information on how to sign in to testify remotely before a Senate committee: 

https://app.leg.wa.gov/CSIRemote/Senate

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Protecting your rights

This Wednesday, the Senate Law & Justice Committee will be acting on bills that will further restrict your Second Amendment rights. The onslaught is constant. I do not support these proposals that are grounded in fear and misinformation. During the public hearing thousands of people signed in opposition to the handful of bills. Our state already has some of the most stringent laws concerning firearms and we don’t need more. What I’m hearing from constituents is resounding opposition to banning fictitious “assault weapons” and placing further restrictions on where and how law-abiding gun owners can exercise their rights.