Phil Fortunato

Flanked by victims and advocates at a news conference in Olympia on Thursday, state Sen. Phil Fortunato outlined his vision to reform the state’s failing family courts. Included in the package are bills aimed at training judges, providing more protections for abuse victims – mostly women and children – and...

State Sen. Phil Fortunato is seeking to create a middle path that protects biological women in sports while allowing transgender athletes to continue competing. Senate Bill 6116 would do away with women’s and men’s sports, instead relying on biological sex to determine how athletes compete in schools. “This is about...

Friends, I hope you had a wonderful holiday season. I’ve been busy preparing for the 2024 legislative session which begins in just under a week. In preparation, I finished the year strong, meeting with constituents in our district and attending a variety of conferences and workshops to help me better...

The homeless population is exploding and housing prices are skyrocketing… a state Senator has a plan to tackle both. Tracy Ellis explains. #waleg LISTEN: https://ow.ly/aH4K50PGyIY

Japanese researchers uncover glacial patterns unrelated to human carbon emissions Washington’s Climate Commitment Act is being felt by drivers at the pump, driving gas prices higher by nearly 50 cents per gallon. The goal is to reduce human-caused carbon emissions by imposing a “cap-and-tax” scheme for so-called polluters. State Sen....

While the Legislature met earlier this week for a one-day special session to address the controversial drug-possession law known as the Blake fix, Gov. Jay Inslee signed the three state budgets into law. However, he quietly vetoed bipartisan provisions to look at why housing and homelessness in Washington is so...

On the final day of the 2023 legislative session, the Democratic-led state House failed to approve a fix to the 2021 Blake drug possession decision, Senate Bill 5536, by a vote of 43 to 55. That means that the stopgap bill approved that same year, which sunsets this July, would...

State employees eligible for bonuses while saving taxpayer money Legislation sponsored by state Sen. Phil Fortunato that aims to find government waste was signed today in a ceremony with the governor. Senate Bill 5015 reestablishes the state Productivity Board, which is tasked with creating financial incentives and awarding state employees who...

Revelations out of Washington D.C. are shedding light on concerning tactics by the Department of Justice targeting Catholic parishes. A leaked memorandum from the Richmond field office indicated that the Federal Bureau of Investigation was indeed working to infiltrate Catholic churches to combat extremism, conflicting with testimony from the U.S....

Banning some rifles won’t protect kids, according to a state Senator, but increasing security at schools will. I voted against the Democrat “assault weapons” bill that passed out of the Senate, but first tried to amend the legislation. Among other things, my amendment would have spent $50million to improve safety...