Legislative & Policy

Our Goal

To improve the lives of Washington state-employed women by making policy recommendations to the Governor’s Office and Washington state government agencies with respect to desirable changes in program and law. We are particularly active in the areas of education, training, career development and other conditions of employment.

What We Do

The ICSEW represents the voice of Washington state-employed women during policy discussions that may impact them.

The Legislative & Policy Subcommittee equips ICSEW’s membership with the tools and resources needed to enter discussions, and ultimately make policy recommendations to the Governor’s Office and state agencies that better the lives of state-employed women. Subcommittee members contribute two to three hours monthly, plus optional activities (see below).

Activities include:

Creating bill alerts during the legislative cycle to inform state employees of pending legislation that may impact them. Bill alerts are shared on our blog, InterAct.
Providing information and research on bills of interest to ICSEW’s membership.
Advising the Governor’s Office concerning changes to legislation, rules, regulations and policies relating to improving the lives of state-employed women, when requested.
Advising Washington state government agencies on policy and workplace issues relating to improving the lives of state-employed women.
Training subcommittee members to track and report on legislation.
Preparing a Special Legislative Issue of the InterAct newsletter at the conclusion of each legislative session.
Recent optional activities included 3 hour volunteer sessions inoutdoor spaces at the Food Bank garden and the Domestic Violence Shelter. These volunteer times are primarily during weekends and on personal time.

Our Members

Legislative & Policy Co-Chair | Keri O' Connell

Keri O' Connell, Department of Revenue

kerio@dor.wa.gov

Keri O’Connell has been a public service for the state of Washington for almost 25 years, many of which being with the Department of Revenue. She is the Tribal Tax Information and Policy Specialist with Tribal Partnerships Program in the Executive Division. Through her work, she engages with tribes, tribal citizens, and entities conducting business with tribes. She enjoys discussing tax topics with others. Her passion is serving the public in the best capacity she can.

Through her employment with the state, Keri has been an active member of the Combined Fund Drive, serving in several roles of the Thurston County CFD Steering Committee.

Keri joined ICSEW in July 2020 as an alternate for her agency, joining the Legislation and Policy and the Communications subcommittees. She enjoys volunteering alongside her peers, pulling weeds for the Thurston County Food Bank’s garden and for SafePlace’s safe-housing property.

Keri is a from Olympia and enjoys spending time with her three children exploring the outdoors and culture our beautiful state has to offer.

Legislative & Policy Co-Chair | Leslie Wolff

Department of Commerce
360-725-2777
leslie.wolff@commerce.wa.gov

Hi. I’m Leslie Wolff. I joined ICSEW because I believe that while there have been improvements for state employed women since ICSEW’s beginnings, there is still equity work to be done on a lot of levels and this group can make a difference in that work. I get a lot out of this group. I really value having ways to connect with folks who work in other agencies, who I would never have had the opportunity to otherwise meet. I also really like the learning opportunities that this committee provides. I hope that I am able to help further improve the lives of state employees and all Washingtonians.

Subcommittee Members

Ann Bartholomew, Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals

Emily Duke, Department of Revenue

Veronica Hand, Department of Fish and Wildlife

Tahiamauani Malu, Employment Security Department

Katie Pruit, Governor's Salmon Recovery Office

Tammy Wild, Department of Health

Stephanie Goedecke, Employment Security Department

Janet McIntosh, Department of Natural Resources

Jessica Webb, Department of Revenue

Danielle Sager, Department of Health

Bill Alerts

During each legislative session we create bill alerts to notify Washington state-employed women of bills that may impact them. Find them on our blog, InterAct.

View Bill Alerts

Be Your Own Advocate

Is there a policy discussion you’d like to be a part of? Let your voice be heard!

Here are a few ways you can get in contact with your representatives and lobby for issues your care about.

Please note that state employees cannot use state time or resources to lobby for or against legislative proposals in accordance with RCW 42.52.160 and RCW 42.52.180, laws concerning ethics in public service and use of public resources for political campaigns.

ICSEW asks that state employees share opinions in an ethical way, using their own personal time, phone, computers, devices and resources.

Thank you for your participation!

ICSEW Events During COVID-19

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ICSEW executive board made the difficult decision to cancel our 2020 conference. ICSEW is exploring options for a future conference. This page will be updated when more information is available.

Subcommittees

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