Capitol Ideas: The Washington State House Democratic Caucus Podcast

Listens: 0

About

Welcome to Capitol Ideas. This is where we sit down with members of the majority Democratic caucus in the Washington State House of Representatives, to give listeners an inside look at important aspects of how their citizen Legislature works together for one Washington.

This week Rep. My-Linh Thai makes a return visit to Capitol Ideas. We'll hear about compassionate legislating, her unique approach to lawmaking that has its roots in her practice of Zen Buddhism.

June 9, 2021

Rep. My-Linh Thai is many things: a pharmacist, a mother, a PTA leader, a former school board director, a state representative, and an American citize...

Show notes

The 2021 legislative session might be adjourned for the year, but Capitol Ideas will still be here to bring you interesting, informative, and sometimes provocative conversations with the diverse cast of majority Democrats who get things done in Olympia. Our leadoff guest for the interim season is 29th-district Rep. Melanie Morgan.

May 20, 2021

Rep. Melanie Morgan makes an encore appearance in today's Capitol Ideas, and we'll talk about racial equity, the new Juneteenth state holiday, why pas...

Show notes

Rep. Tarra Simmons is a survivor, and in this episode of Capitol Ideas you'll meet up with her on Day 99 of her legislative career. She's already well-established as an effective civil-rights champion, and today you'll find out why.

April 21, 2021

Brand-new state Rep. Tarra Simmons is an attorney, a former nurse, and a familiar face at the Capitol from her years of advocacy for laws designed to ...

Show notes

In just his second session, Rep. Jesse Johnson has shouldered the legislative load of reforming policing in Washington. He's taken giant strides this year, and we talk about them in this edition of Capitol Ideas.

March 20, 2021

In a tragic and tumultuous year, relations between law enforcement and the communities they are sworn to serve have frayed beyond the breaking point. ...

Show notes

Rep. Shelley Kloba is back, and she's still working to protect your digital privacy. We'll talk today about the long and winding road she's traveling to try to make the people's personal data privacy bill of rights a reality.

March 2, 2021

It's been a little over a year since Rep. Shelley Kloba sat down for a conversation on Capitol Ideas. A lot has changed in that time, including the pa...

Show notes

Rep. Melanie Morgan is sponsoring HB 1395, the Equity in Farming Act, to widen opportunities in agriculture for Black African Americans, Indigenous People, and other potential farmers of color.

February 12, 2021

Of the thousands of farms in Washington, an agriculture-intensive state, fewer than 100 are owned by Black farmers. Rep. Melanie Morgan points to gene...

Show notes

Healthy homes and clean buildings. Who could argue with that? Not Rep. Alex Ramel, who's sponsoring the Healthy Homes and Clean Buildings Act this session. Find out what it's all about in today's Capitol Ideas.

February 9, 2021

Rep. Alex Ramel introduced the Healthy Homes and Clean Buildings Act this session to put Washington on track to meet its carbon goals by mid-century. ...

Show notes

Meet Davina Duerr: architect, Bothell city councilmember, and a first-year state representative from Washington's 1st legislative district.

March 13, 2020

Rep. Davina Duerr was appointed last summer to the state House seat in the 1st district that came open when its previous occupant moved to the Senate ...

Show notes

Last week the Legislature approved Senate Bill 5395, which makes sexual-health education part of the public-school curriculum in Washington. Today's special "Capitol Ideas" features Rep. Monica Stonier in a candid conversation about the campaign to defeat the bill, a campaign that was fueled by misinformation, disinformation, and personal insults that may have marked a new low in the Legislature.

March 10, 2020

Democratic lawmakers have received thousands of emails, letters, phone calls, personal visits and, sadly, threats, in recent days from people hoping t...

Show notes

Today’s Capitol Idea is election security, and Democratic state Rep. Gael Tarleton of Seattle is the Legislature's recognized authority on the issue. Today's conversation is longer than usual, but the topic is that important. Stick around.

March 6, 2020

Given what’s gone on and is still going on in the world, ensuring the security and integrity of elections is about as important an idea as it’s possib...

Show notes