Have you been following the progress being made for sexual assault survivors in Olympia? The Washington Legislature has passed bills that extend the statute of limitations for prosecuting sex crimes, redefine third-degree rape to be more aligned with affirmative consent standards, and take important steps to eliminating the rape kit backlog. But another bill that will improve the law for survivors is still awaiting its final vote—and it must get this vote by 5:00 tomorrow eve

Big news! The Reproductive Parity Act (SB 6219) has officially been signed into law! Today, legislative champions and community advocates gathered in Olympia as Gov. Jay Inslee signed this powerful bill into law. The Reproductive Parity Act (RPA) requires health insurance plans to cover all FDA-approved contraceptive methods free of cost-sharing requirements and over-the-counter contraceptives without a prescription. The bill goes even further, requiring health plans that cov

Do you have a few minutes to speak out in support of improving workplace protections for survivors? House Bill 2661 strengthens Washington law to ensure survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking cannot be fired, denied employment, or subject to other discrimination at work because they are victims of abuse. The bill also requires employers to make reasonable safety accommodations as requested by the survivor. Here's how you can help: WHO TO CALL: Your senat

Newsflash: Washington's equal pay laws have not been updated since 1943. Let's let that sink in. Have you joined us in outrage? Good. Now let's do something about it! Both the House and the Senate have the opportunity, right now, to update our equal pay law. But they are being pressured by employers and business lobbyists to weaken this bill by adding language that prevents local jurisdictions—our cities and counties—from creating stronger laws now and in the future. It is cr

This is huge! Late last night, the Washington State Legislature passed a comprehensive paid family and medical leave law! Starting in 2020, Washington workers will be able to take paid leave for the birth or placement of a new child, to take care of an ill family member, or for their own serious health conditions. Washington is only the 5th state in the nation, plus DC, to pass such a law - and ours is the strongest of its kind! While this law will benefit all workers and the

The Washington State Legislature unanimously passed the Healthy Starts Act! This groundbreaking law will protect pregnant workers' economic security and move Washington closer to ending maternal health disparities. After more than two years of advocacy, we are beyond thrilled that this issue received the bipartisan support it deserved. While it has long been unlawful to discriminate against workers because of pregnancy, unfortunately workers still lose their jobs because thei

The fight to reduce gun violence is an integral part of the fight against gender-based violence. In 2014 Legal Voice and our allies successfully advocated for a Washington law that keeps abusers with domestic violence protection orders against them from purchasing or possessing firearms. That same year, we supported an initiative that successfully closed a background check loophole to help ensure abusers cannot purchase guns. Even with those protections in place, Washington S

A significant yet basic way to support sexual assault survivors is to ensure that evidence from the crime is collected and tested in a timely manner. But far too often, rape kits are never examined, and agencies lose track of them, adding another barrier to achieving justice for sexual assault survivors. That's why we are thrilled to have helped pass House Bill 2530, making Washington the first state in the country to create a tracking system for rape kits. This system wil

Legal Voice has long advocated for all women to have access to the economic security they and their families deserve. Nearly 15 years ago, we helped pass the Washington Family Care Act, which allows a worker who receives paid sick days to use that leave to care for her child, her spouse, or another family member. This was a great victory, except for one detail: there was no law that required employers to provide paid sick leave to workers. And there still isn't one. For years

Today, Legal Voice joined bill sponsors Rep. Jessyn Farrell, Sen. Karen Keiser, and allied organizations to introduce the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), which would guarantee that no woman has to choose between a healthy pregnancy and a paycheck. Too often, pregnant women are still forced to take unpaid leave or are fired because of a pregnancy, when slight modifications would enable them to safely continue working. The bills (HB 2307 & SB 6149) would require that empl

Nonconsensual pornography, sometimes referred to as “revenge porn,” is a rapidly growing problem that occurs when a private, sexually explicit image of a person is disclosed without her consent. Today, Washington State took an important step forward in protecting victims of nonconsensual pornography when Governor Jay Inslee signed HB 1272 and HB 2160 into law. These bills, passed unanimously by both the House and Senate during the second special session, create new civil reme