Washington State Senate Democrats: Maralyn Chase

Sen. Chase’s statement on Sen. Brown’s decision to not seek re-election

Senate Democrats — Thu, 03 May 2012 20:09:00 GMT

Sen. Maralyn Chase, D-Shoreline, issued the following statement in response to Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown's decision to not seek re-election:

"I was very surprised and saddened to learn that Sen. Brown has decided not to seek re-election, but at the same time I am hopeful that she will apply her vast knowledge and leadership ability to serve the people of our state in another capacity.

“All of us had the opportunity to see Lisa at her best this past session. There were tense moments throughout, but she never flinched, she never waned and showed everyone how a leader is expected to rise to the occasion under tremendous pressure.

“Whoever is next in line has an enormous task in front of them and a proud legacy of leadership to continue.”

Sen. Chase’s biomass amendment protects jobs

Senate Democrats — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 21:11:46 GMT

An amendment added to Senate Bill 5575 by Sen. Maralyn Chase added a Georgia-Pacific paper mill in Camas, WA to the list of pre-1999 biomass facilities that may generate renewable electricity.

SB 5575 alters some of the regulations in I-937, adding new sources to the list of eligible biomass products and allowing biomass facilities in operation before 1999 to qualify as eligible for renewable energy credits.

Without this amendment, paper mills would have been able to shutdown, keeping only their boilers operational and still earn the renewable energy credit. The amendment makes it so that mills must remain open or they will lose their renewable energy credit.

“This made her a hero in the eyes of every pulp and paper worker in the state of Washington,” said Sean O’Sullivan, who represents the Association of Western Pulp & Paper Workers. “If we didn’t have that in there the companies could shut down their mills and still make a lot of money burning biomass for the production of electricity. Basically I see this as Chase saving hundreds of jobs.”

O’Sullivan said plants in Longview and Cosmopolis would have also been at risk.

“These are good, hard-working people and in many cases these plants are the lifeblood of their communities,” Chase said. “We must do everything we can to protect our manufacturing industry in this state and in this country; that was the intention of my amendment.”

The amendment removed from the original bill (as was written in 2011) the requirement that the biomass facility must be in an “economically distressed community,” defined as a county in Washington that has a three-year average unemployment rate that is equal to or greater than one hundred twenty percent of the state’s unemployment rate; or adjacent to a county identified in an earlier subsection of the bill.

Sen. Chase discusses Affordable Care Act and women's health

Senate Democrats — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 21:55:00 GMT

Sen. Chase: Republican budget a 'love letter to the one percent'

Senate Democrats — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 02:07:38 GMT

Sen. Chase talks about the positive economic impact of spay/neuter bill

Senate Democrats — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 22:51:00 GMT

Sen. Chase talks about economic recovery, tax expenditure reform

Senate Democrats — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 22:45:16 GMT

Senate honors state’s civic educators

Senate Democrats — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 22:17:00 GMT

The importance of civic education and the men and women who teach our state’s students about their government took center stage Monday.

Civic Education Day was held in the Legislative Building to honor those who teach civics and to create awareness about its importance.

“In order to have a truly representative democracy, Americans must have a thorough understanding of the process,” said Sen. Maralyn Chase, D-Shoreline, who sponsored a resolution commemorating the day. “We owe a debt of gratitude to the teachers here today who are being honored for their outstanding commitment to civics education.”

Nine finalists and two winners were honored as the Washington State Legislature's Civic Educators of the Year for 2012. Among the finalists was Judi MacRae of Shoreline.

MacRae teaches at Madrona School in Edmonds. Last year she worked with 4^th-6^th graders to introduce and lobby legislation through the process which encourages civil rights education. The students wrote letters, testified via the internet during a hearing on the bill and many of them were present when Gov. Chris Gregorie signed Senate Bill 5174 into law.

“Ms. MacRae proved to her students that they truly can have an impact on government,” Chase said. “It’s a great lesson not just for students, but for all of us.”

Sen. Chase talks about the need for consumer consumption

Senate Democrats — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 23:12:10 GMT

Sen. Chase talks about responsible budgeting

Senate Democrats — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 23:46:14 GMT

Sen. Chase talks about the passage of marriage equality

Senate Democrats — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:02:53 GMT