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Gov. Bob Ferguson signs four bills sponsored by late Sen. Bill Ramos at family home
Summary
Gov. Bob Ferguson signed four bills that had Sen. Bill Ramos as prime sponsor during a private signing at Ramos's Seattle home, presented a Capitol flag to Ramos's wife Sarah Perry and described the bills as legacy items affecting bargaining laws, litter control, utility safety and toll-rate procedures.
SEATTLE — Gov. Bob Ferguson on Monday visited the Seattle home of the late state Sen. Bill Ramos to sign four bills Ramos had sponsored and to present a flag that flew at the state Capitol to Ramos’s widow, Sarah Perry, a King County council member.
Ferguson said the event was “a lot more than a bill signing,” calling it an occasion to honor Ramos, who died unexpectedly a few weeks earlier. He presented Perry with a flag that had been flown at the Capitol and described the four bills as part of Ramos’s legacy of public service.
The first measure Ferguson read and signed, transcribed in the event as “Senate Bill 54 35,” was described by the governor as reorganizing Washington’s public employee collective bargaining laws to add subchapter headings and improve accessibility for workers, unions and employers. “It’s my honor to sign this legislation into law,” Ferguson said.
The second bill, transcribed as “Senate Bill 55 56,” was characterized as a modernization of the Washington State Department of Transportation’s Adopt-a-Highway anti-litter program. Ferguson said the change conditions signage on the availability of funding and strengthens enforcement that participants meet their commitments.
Ferguson also signed a bill transcribed as “Senate Bill 56 27” that, he said, modernizes the Call Before You Dig Act by establishing a website that provides the same service as the 811 phone number, clarifying marking requirements for underground infrastructure and aligning Washington with federal pipeline-safety rules.
The fourth bill, transcribed as “Senate Bill 57 0 2,” was described as streamlining the process for setting or adjusting toll rates by removing bureaucratic timelines that the governor said can produce negative financial impacts for the state. Ferguson noted the Washington State Transportation Commission currently takes “more than 5 months on average” to set or adjust toll rates, and said the bill creates a more transparent and responsive process.
Sarah Perry thanked the governor for holding the signing at her home and acknowledged several legislators and staff who attended. Perry said she was grateful to have the ceremony in the house she shared with Ramos and that the bills carry personal as well as public meaning.
Ferguson spoke at length about personal memories with Ramos and family and said he ordered the flag flown at half-staff at the Capitol; he presented the flag to Perry at the event. As a memento, Ferguson said he planned to keep one of the pens used for the signings in his office “as a way to remember Bill.”
The governor read brief descriptions of each bill before signing them; the event ended after the four signings and closing remarks. No votes were reported at the ceremony — the bills were signed into law by the governor during the event.
