Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen, a Seattle Democrat who sponsored the bill, said that at the same time, about 8 million people will reap financial benefits. The bill eliminates sales taxes for over-the-counter medicine, diapers and grooming and hygiene products beginning in 2029. In one example, parents buying cough syrup for their sick kid won’t have to pay tax on that anymore, Pedersen said. “Big picture is: Anyone who goes to the grocery store is going to benefit from the bill,” he said.

“I firmly believe now is the time for the Legislature to make a momentous fix to our broken tax structure, making life more affordable for working-class people and protecting what makes our state such a great place to live, work, and raise a family.”

State Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen is talking about passing a new income tax during next year’s short legislative session. Plus, how the state will pay for flood damage with a tight budget.

“There is no doubt that this kind of political violence stokes panic and distrust in our system of democracy. We must stand united against it, no matter our party allegiance or personal beliefs,” said House Speaker Laurie Jinkins, D-Tacoma, Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen, D-Seattle, House Minority Leader Drew Stokesbary, R-Auburn, and Senate Minority Leader John Braun, R-Centralia.

Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen, D-Seattle, and Senate Minority Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, are the bill’s co-sponsors.

Pedersen, prior to the Senate vote, acknowledged the state’s tight budget situation this year but said Washington’s Constitution “is very clear that funding basic education is our paramount duty.”

“The fact that it is expensive doesn’t change that on the ground we’ve got kids with special needs who are in our charge and are relying on us to make sure that they get the education to which they’re entitled,” he said.

On Monday, Washington Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen and Speaker of the House Laurie Jinkins issued a joint statement vowing to fight back against federal executive orders “attacking transgender youth:”

“As parents, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and the elected leaders of the Washington State Senate and House of Representatives, we will protect transgender youth. These attacks from the new federal administration are alarming, but they do not change Washington state law,” wrote Jinkins and Pedersen.

“We have established protections at the state level to ensure young people can access life-saving gender-affirming care.  We have strong nondiscrimination laws that protect our young people at school, and we are working to clarify and strengthen those laws this session.”

Washington state Sen. Jamie Pedersen (D-43) is a seasoned politician who, over the last two decades of his career, has been diligently securing legislative wins for the Queer community. He was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2006 and then joined the state Senate in 2013. Pedersen is also, above all, a family man who deeply loves his husband Eric and their four sons.

To start off the 2025 state legislative session, he sat down with the SGN to share his breadth of knowledge and experience as a Gay legislator.

“We have our own job to do,” Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen, D-Seattle, said Tuesday. “We’re, I think, not going to allow ourselves to be distracted by the chaos machine in Washington, D.C. We’re going to stay focused on meeting the needs of folks in Washington.”

Still, Pedersen acknowledged there could be overlap. As an example, he pointed to legislation discussed in committee on Tuesday that is geared toward protecting transgender students. 

“We are excited to see our majority grow,” Pedersen said in a statement Monday. “I am confident this new energy and passion will help Senate Democrats continue to put people first and tackle the issues Washingtonians care about most – affordable housing, great public schools, behavioral health, gun violence prevention, climate change, and more.”

Sponsored by Sen. Jamie Pedersen, D-Seattle, chair of the Senate Law and Justice Committee, SB 5051 is one of a slew of police accountability measures pending in the Legislature, spurred by a year of national protests against police brutality and racial injustice.

Pedersen, before the vote, said the bill is meant “to restore public confidence that members of our law enforcement and correctional officer professions, who are given the power of a badge and a gun to enforce the law, are appropriately exercising those powers.”