Senator Karen Keiser was absent from Tuesday night’s (June 11, 2024) SeaTac City Council Meeting, and in her absence, a 33rd District Legislative wrap-up was given by Rep. Tina Orwall and Rep. Mia Gregerson.

Sen. Keiser was on the agenda to give the City Council the Legislative wrap-up, but was absent due to illness. 

Here are some of the highlights from the re-cap:

Airport Public Health Concerns

Due to the high rate of asthma in our community, a partnership with King County Department of Health was established to provide free healthcare and community outreach to all kids over 5 years of age who have asthma or asthma related difficulties. This is available to any child in the area who is struggling with asthma. “This really started because we lost a young kid to asthma,” said Rep. Orwall. “Kids shouldn’t be dying from asthma, so we really wanted to move forward with this.”

New Testing and Training Implemented for Survivors of Sexual Assault

10,000 rape kits previously awaiting attention have now been tested. All kits are now tested within 45 days. Additionally, informed trauma training has been implemented for law enforcement and prosecutors. “What we’re finding is a lot of these cases don’t end up being prosecuted and we really want to see what the training and tools are to really hold those folks accountable because there’s a very strong serial nature and that’s what we found after we tested these kits,” said Rep. Orwall. “There were twelve offenders that had harmed multiple people that were able to be held accountable.” 

988 Behavioral Healthline Providing Support for Teens

The 3-digit behavioral health help line, 988, saw a 1,000% increase in texts received. In the state of Washington, you can call, text, or chat 988 if you are in crisis. Rep. Orwall attributes the increase in text communication to more teens reaching out for help, as texting is often their preferred method of communicating. “As you can imagine [that number of texts] is a lot of our youth, right? That’s how they reach out for help,” said Rep. Orwall. 

Hugo’s Law

Rep. Orwall sponsored a bill that requires insurance companies to cover up to $6,000 for hearing aids. Previously, insurance companies were not required to cover the cost of hearing aids. The law is named for 8-year-old Hugo Esterhay who testified to the House of Representatives in January, along with several of his friends who are also hard of hearing, about the necessity for hearing aids, especially for education. Governor Jay Inslee signed the bill into law in May 2024. 

 To watch the entirety of the 33rd Delegation Legislative wrap-up, click here.