Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Thank you for the opportunity to represent the 43rd District in the Washington State House of Representatives. I am grateful for your support and am working closely with my seatmates, Speaker Frank Chopp and Senator Ed Murray, to advance our district's priorities in Olympia.

Since I was first elected in 2006, the legislature has made great progress on health care (providing for health coverage for all Washington kids and mental health parity); public education (passing simple majority approval for school levies and redefining K-12 "basic education"); the environment (including significant funding for the cleanup of Puget Sound, a plan for the shutdown of the last coal-burning power plant in the state, and bans on toxic flame retardants, toxic toys, bisphenol A, copper brake pads, and phosphorus in fertilizer) and civil rights (including creation and expansion of a statewide domestic partner registry to protect same-sex couples and their families).

I am proud to have been the prime sponsor of twenty four bills that have been signed into law by the Governor in my first five sessions. Those included:

• Establishing a housing voucher program for foster youth aging out of care to help them from becoming homeless;
• Significantly expanding the state"s domestic partner registry to provide financial security for domestic partners;
• Updating our parentage law to protect same-sex couples and their children;
• Protecting victims of domestic violence from contact with their abusers;
• Recognizing Juneteenth (the day on which the last slaves in the United States were freed) as a statewide day of remembrance;
• Modernizing the rules regarding the investment and spending of endowment funds by nonprofits and educational institutions; and
• Protecting our unique houseboat communities.

I currently serve as chair of the House Judiciary Committee, which has broad jurisdiction over family law issues such as marriage, adoption, and child support; commercial law; landlord/tenant issues; real estate; intellectual property; domestic violence; drunk driving; constitutional rights; and the court system. I also serve as the representative for the House Democrats on the Legislative Ethics Board and the Office of Civil Legal Aid Oversight Committee.  I was also appointed by Governor Gregoire in 2010 to serve on the Uniform Law Commission 

The 2011 legislative session was another challenging one, dominated by our continuing economic crisis. In November 2010, the voters rejected taxes on candy, soda, and bottled water and reimposed a requirement that any tax increases be approved by 2/3 majorities in the legislature. As we wrestled to address a $5.2 billion budget shortfall, we had no ability to raise revenues. No one is very happy with the resulting budget, but I do think that it was the best we could do under the circumstances. I am working actively on plans to change that dynamic for future sessions.

The 2010 legislative session was the most challenging one for me yet, as we wrestled together to address another $2.8 billion budget shortfall. In the end, we managed to protect the most critical state services, such as funding for all-day kindergarten, levy equalization, the disability lifeline, and the Basic Health Plan, though a combination of budget cuts and targeted tax increases. It is not perfect, but I believe that it was a good solution to a very difficult problem.

You can visit my homepage on the House Democrats site at and look at a list of bills that I have sponsored and track their progress.

Thank you again for your support. Please feel free to contact me at any time if you have questions or comments.

Best wishes,