January 2024 News

January 18, 2024 — “Washington State Leadership Board (WSLB) announces the 48th Annual Washington Leadership Award Honorees”

The Washington State Leadership Board (WSLB), in partnership with Lt. Governor Denny Heck’s office, have announced this year's recipients of the Washingtonian of the Year, Organization of the Year, Justice for All, and Legacy of Service awards. These awards are given every year on behalf of the State of Washington in recognition of outstanding service and leadership. “Congratulations to all the honorees," said Lt. Governor Heck. "This year's recipients have demonstrated dedication to improving lives and bridging divides through their legacies and innovations. These awards appreciate their achievements for all Washingtonians."

January 10, 2024 — “What’s happening this week around Thurston County”

The Office of Lt. Gov. Denny Heck will host an unveiling ceremony of the Billy Frank Jr. maquette created by Seattle artist Haiying Wu. The unveiling will take place in the State Reception Room of the Legislative Building from 4-5 p.m. Wednesday. The Billy Frank Jr. maquette models a statue that will be displayed in the National Statuary Hall in Washington, D.C. It will be the first to depict a contemporary Native American. This decision was part of legislation passed in 2021 to replace the Marcus Whitman statue in the national statuary hall collection. Haiying Wu was selected by the National Statuary Hall Selection Committee, co-chaired by Willie Frank III, Heck, and Rep. Debra Lekanoff, to create the statue. Haiying then built a “maquette” to understand the proportions, gesture, and arrangement of the different elements of the sculpture, which will later be developed into a full-scale clay statue cast in bronze. After Wednesday’s ceremony, a copy of the maquette will be displayed in the lobby of the Lt. Governor’s office.

January 8, 2024 — “WA Legislature kicks off short session with optimism, lengthy agenda”

Across the rotunda, Lt. Gov. Denny Heck, who presides over the Senate, mentioned the 1889 state Constitution, on loan from the state archives and displayed on the dais to mark the opening of the session. (The glass-encased document meant that statehouse reporters could not sit at their assigned table on the floor in the chamber.)

“Our system of government is unique,” Heck said. “It’s been called ‘the great experiment,’ the longest surviving democracy in the world, and our state is an extension of that. And we govern through rule of law — not the whim of an individual but the rule of law, which is your sacred mission to modify and propose changes to, in keeping with our founding document.”

January 8, 2024 — “Following the ‘year of housing,’ issue likely again to be a priority for legislators”

“In the meantime, the lack of affordable housing continues to damage low-income families as their rents have risen much faster than their incomes,” Lieutenant Governor Denny Heck wrote in a letter to legislators on Jan. 4, signed by a collection of unions, trade organizations, corporations and other stakeholders. “More families are becoming homeless. Older adults have a harder time ‘aging in place.’ Fewer young families can afford to buy their first home. And workforce housing is increasingly out of reach.”

January 2, 2024 — “State Legislators Push for ‘Year of Housing 2.0’”

Lieutenant Governor Denny Heck, who takes credit for being the first person to call 2023 session the “year of housing,” spent decades working on housing policy reform in both the state legislature and U.S. Congress. He intends to press the issue again in the coming year.

“Our work is not done,” Heck told The Urbanist. “Pretty straightforward: the problem is so big, and some of the solutions that were adopted in [last] year’s legislative session are going to take quite some time to actually be felt on the ground. It’s not a time to let up.”