State Legislative Session Starts Soon

A New year means lawmakers will be back in Olympia soon. The 2017 legislative session starts on January 9 and is scheduled to end on April 23rd. Local lawmakers have some plans already like Republican Rep. David Taylor of Moxee and Gina McCabe of Goldendale. Taylor says he'll propose Yakima schools disconnect Biology assessments with graduation prerequisites so kids have an easier time graduating from High School.

Taylor says students often aren't able to graduate due to their inability to pass outdated tests.

Gina McCabe of Goldendale hopes to pass two bills in the new year, including the 'Travis Alert' bill which aims to make it easier for both police dispatch and the person reporting an emergency to better handle problems regarding people with disabilities.

The second is called 'Erin's Law' which hopes to set up appropriate sexual assault education for students from Kindergarten through 12th grade.