Published by JD Rossetti in The Rebel on November 30, 2018

National election trends favored Democrats who picked up more than 30 Congressional seats in the 2018 election, flipping control of the U.S. House of Representatives to a Democratic Majority, while Republicans maintained control of the U.S. Senate.

In Washington’s 3rd Congressional District, WSLC-endorsed Carolyn Long (D) conceded to Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R) which means Washington’s U.S. House delegation will consist of seven Democrats and three Republicans in the next term of Congress that begins in January 2019.

Washington State election results mirrored the national trend with Democratic gains in Tuesday’s election. Washington State Democrats will have a strong majority in the upcoming 2019 Washington Legislative session with a Senate increase by at least three Democratic seats and by at least a half dozen Democratic seats in the House.

Washington State voters rejected Initiative 1631, a proposed carbon fee on fossil-fuel emissions and supported Initiative 1639, a ballot measure seeking to make Washington’s firearms law among the strictest in the country.
Senate Democrats recently met to select a new majority leader because the current leader, Sharon Nelson, retired rather than running for re-election. Senator Andy Billig, who serves as deputy majority leader, was selected as the Senate Majority Leader.

The 2019 legislative session will begin in early January. A Democratic controlled Legislature could mean more discussion on Democratic priorities such as women’s health, gun control, campaign finance reform and a legislative proposed carbon tax. We will be following these and other issues that may have an impact on the AWPPW.

If you are interested in following what’s going on in the legislative session visit www.leg.wa.gov or tune into tvw.org.

If you want to find and contact your legislators go to http://app.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder.

The Stand is an email publication brought to you by the Washington State Labor Council. Sign up to receive this email publication at wslc.org.

I am grateful for the opportunity to continue providing legislative support and updates through the upcoming 2019 legislative session.

Sincerely,
JD Rossetti
Washington Legislative & Political Director
Washington Area Council, AWPPW