Committees
Olympia Office
412 Legislative Building
Olympia, WA 98504-0403
(360) 786-7604
Spokane Office
25 W. Main, Suite #237
Spokane, WA 99201
(509) 209-2427
Local Governments
News
Billig consumer safety bill signed into law 4/23/2013
Consumers will be safer from cancer-causing building materials under legislation signed into law today by Gov. Jay Inslee.
Asbestos has been known to be a carcinogen for decades, but many asbestos-containing building materials are still legal. SSB 5458 would require that any products containing asbestos be clearly labeled to ensure that consumers are informed that the product contains this dangerous element.
Statement on Senate Republican majority’s operating budget proposal 4/3/2013
Senator Andy Billig, D-Spokane, released the following statement today regarding the Senate Republican majority’s operating budget proposal:
“While the Republican budget proposal has some positive aspects, in its current form it fails to deliver for the Spokane community.
Balancing the state budget - Sen. Billig's March 25th Session Update 3/25/2013
AUDIO: Senate approves Billig consumer safety bill 3/18/2013
If products containing a cancer causing material are going to be sold in Washington, consumers need to know. A bill from the Washington State Senate would accomplish that. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD
March 18th Session Update: "I'm just a bill" 3/18/2013
Town Hall Meetings
Sen. Billig March 11th Session Update: Town Hall Edition 3/11/2013
3rd District Delegation to hold townhall meetings March 16 3/7/2013
With the legislative session halfway over, Sen. Andy Billig, Rep. Timm Ormsby and Rep. Marcus Riccelli will be holding two townhall meetings to hear from constituents and answer questions on Saturday, March 16th. Topics will include education, transportation, job creation, the state budget and others. The meetings will be at:
March 4th Session Update: Go Zags! 3/4/2013
Supreme Court rules supermajority requirement unconstitutional
Last week, the Washington State Supreme Court ruled that our state constitution is clear - all regular legislation requires only a simple majority vote of the Legislature to pass unless a specific supermajority is noted in the constitution. This ruling reaffirms the principle of majority rule, one of the basic tenets of our representative democracy.
First Billig bill passes Senate, increases campaign finance transparency 2/27/2013
Today the Senate passed a bill by a unanimous vote increasing transparency in elections. Senate Bill 5507 would help voters to find information on financial donors to candidates and ballot measures by placing the Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) website right where voters are sure to look: on their ballot. It was Sen. Andy Billig’s first bill to pass the Senate in his new role as the senator for the 3rd Legislative District in Spokane.
February 25th Session Update: The Cut-off Edition 2/25/2013
Cut-Off Week
Last week was committee “cut-off” week for Senate bills to be passed out of policy committees. The Legislative schedule provides for certain cut-off dates that serve as a funnel to narrow down the number of bills under consideration this session. If a bill did not pass out of committee by the policy cutoff date, it is dead for this session. The fiscal committees (Transportation and Ways & Means have an extra week and their cut-off date is this Friday).
The only exception to these committee cut-off dates are bills directly related to the budget. The cut-off process is essential for the effective operation of the Legislature but it makes for some tense days for citizens, stakeholders and legislators who watch their bills survive to the next legislative hurdle or die until next session.
