Gov. Jay Inslee and legislative leaders ended the legislative session after achieving many of the goals Inslee laid out including go-big proposals on housing, increased funding for education, and policies to address behavioral health, public safety, reproductive freedom and more.
“It’s been an extraordinary session,” Inslee said. “Lives are going to get better because of massive housing investments totaling over $1 billion, new gun safety laws, the clean energy jobs we’re creating, and our investments in education.”
Inslee noted that legislators left one important job undone, however. Legislators are up against a July 1 deadline to approve an urgently-needed “Blake fix” that ensures drug possession isn’t decriminalized and also provides options for substance use treatment.
"I hope the successes of this session aren't overshadowed by the way tonight ended with the failure of the Blake bill in the House. But what happened tonight was unacceptable. Decriminalization is not an option for me and it is not an option for the state of Washington. I expect legislators to deliver a solution."