Governor Bob Ferguson signs roughly 17 bipartisan bills covering hiring, education, health and housing

Bob Ferguson signed roughly 17 bills into law during a Saturday bill-signing event, telling the assembled sponsors and community members, “I'm Bob Ferguson, and, we're signing, I think, about 17 or 18 bills this morning.”

The signings covered a mix of administrative fixes and policy changes across workforce, public safety, housing, education and health. Ferguson said House Bill 2309, requested by the Office of Financial Management, "eliminates the requirement for a postgraduate degree to apply for state jobs when that degree is not required by law," a change he said will expand the applicant pool and help the state attract qualified public servants. He thanked the prime sponsor, state representative Mari Levitt, and companion sponsor, state senator Tijuana Nobles.

Among other measures signed, Ferguson described House Bill 2441 as helping families of first responders killed in the line of duty by expanding reimbursements for health insurance premiums to include Medicare Parts A and B, COBRA and employer-provided plans, and by covering the period needed to determine whether a death occurred in the line of duty. He thanked Representative Sam Lowe and Senator Jeff Foley for sponsoring that bill.

He also signe…