Capitol Ideas: The Washington State House Democratic Caucus Podcast

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Today, Rep. Adison Richards (D-Gig Harbor) makes an encore appearance on Capitol Ideas, midway through his second legislative session Feb 05, 2026

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In this episode of Capitol Ideas, you’ll meet, or re-meet, Rep. Adison Richards. He was our guest almost exactly a year ago, less than a month into his new job as a state lawmaker. We invited him back to catch up on his trajectory as a representative, to hear about his key bills, and to check on the health and happiness of his faithful dog, Blue.

Rep. April Berg visits Capitol Ideas today to talk about her views on problems facing today’s boys and men, particularly young men, and the bill that will, she hopes, provide some solutions Feb 02, 2026

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Rep. April Berg chairs the House Finance Committee, so you might think we’d be talking about revenue today. We’ll mostly save that for another time. This episode of Capitol Ideas is where you’ll learn about Rep. Berg’s bill creating the Washington State Boys and Men Commission, an innovative idea that can help lawmakers address some of the unique challenges facing half of the state’s population.

Rep. Chipalo Street (Seattle-37th) makes an encore appearance on today’s Capitol Ideas, after helping us close out season 17 last spring Jan 22, 2026

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In today’s episode, Rep. Chipalo Street talks about issues ranging from housing (affordable and otherwise), juvenile justice reforms, the state’s responsibility to persons under its complete control, and the challenges facing Washington’s budget.

Washington’s young people have a lawmaker in their corner 24/7/365. Rep. Lisa Callan visits Capitol Ideas to talk about her priorities for 2026, including the progress of Washington Thriving, a comprehensive program she created in 2022. Jan 19, 2026

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Some lawmakers come to Olympia to fix the climate. Others might be here to improve public schools, or make our communities safer, or upend our regressive tax system. Rep. Lisa Callan, a veteran member from Issaquah, looks at all those issues and more through the lens of making the state a better place for infants, toddlers, “kids,” and those on the exciting brink of young adulthood. If you have children, or if you’ve ever been young, you’ll enjoy this one.

Speaker of the House Laurie Jinkins returns to Capitol Ideas today for her annual post-session visit. It's a half-hour wrap-up of a challenging session that featured political victories, personal losses, 400+ bills sent to the governor's desk, and 105 day May 08, 2025

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We're grateful to have Speaker Laurie Jinkins as today's guest on Capitol Ideas, to share her perspective on the just-ended 2025 session of the Washington state Legislature. Her sixth year leading the House of Representatives was by far the most difficult she's encountered, and today she walks us through what turned out to be a session marked by landmark victories and sometimes-painful realities. If you're interested in Washington state legislative goings-on, this is a half-hour to savor.

It's a shame that it took three years to feature Rep. Chipalo Street on Capitol Ideas, because this turned out to be one of the most informative and entertaining episodes in a long while. Good things are worth waiting for, and we finally got him. Enjoy. Apr 30, 2025

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Washington state lawmakers and staff were still celebrating the final gavel of the 2025 session when Rep. Chipalo Street sat down for his first appearance on Capitol Ideas. We covered everything from rent stabilization and safer streets to life as a professional soccer referee, and ended up with a half hour that goes by much too quickly.

Rep. Mia Gregerson carved out 20 minutes during the hectic closing days of session to share some Capitol Ideas. They're good ones. Apr 26, 2025

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As vice chair of the House Appropriations Committee, Rep. Mia Gregerson has a lot on her mind in the final 72 hours of the legislative session. The fact that we got her to sit down and share the Capitol Ideas mics makes this a special episode, all by itself.

Sen. Bill Ramos, in memoriam. Apr 21, 2025

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Sen. Bill Ramos, who was Rep. Bill Ramos for six years before his election to the Senate last fall, died suddenly Saturday evening. Bill's voice being silenced is a loss for his 5th district, and for the people of Washington. Today's Capitol Ideas is a repost of a conversation that originally ran in early 2024.

Rep. Julio Cortes joins us for conversation on Capitol Ideas today that touches on at-risk youth, the purposely slow pace of lawmaking, maintaining a positive attitude in challenging times, and industrial symbiosis. You'll have to listen to find out what Apr 15, 2025

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This is the third legislative session for Rep. Julio Cortes, and his second visit to Capitol Ideas. Today he reflects on the difference between being a brand-new legislator and a veteran, talks about his journey from one capitol -- Mexico City -- to another, and explains his bills, his committee leadership and the work of the Latino Democratic Caucus...and does it all in 20 minutes!

The lawmaker of the day on Capitol Ideas this time around is 47th-district Rep. Chris Stearns, AKA Speaker Pro Tem Chris Stearns. We'll talk about that new position and how he got here, and you'll hear a new guest host as well. Listen. Apr 11, 2025

Show notes

Rep. Chris Stearns moved to Washington state many years ago because it was the most beautiful place he'd ever seen. Now he's Speaker Pro Tem of the state House of Representatives, and as of today he's a two-time visitor to Capitol Ideas. There are interesting things to learn if you'll hit the play button on this episode.

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