by Lindsay Fujimoto, MPA Student Ambassador

April 7, 2021

This year, another MPA alumna has joined the Washington House of Representatives. Rep. Jessica Bateman ‘12 became Representative for District 22, following five years serving on the Olympia City Council.

When asked by the Washington State Wire about her motivation to run for office, Rep. Bateman said, “I felt like I could use my experience at the local level working on issues like health and housing, that those issues are felt statewide, and I wanted to lend my voice to be able to work on those issues at a statewide level, really focusing on the upstream solutions.”

In this new role, Rep. Bateman’s priorities will be housing, health care, and the environment. She dives deeper into her motivations behind her top priorities on the Washington State House Democrats’ site: “The price for housing continues to rise much faster than paychecks with more families spending half their income on it…That’s unsustainable and puts people at greater risk for homelessness, especially low-wage workers, seniors, and those with disabilities.” Rep. Bateman also believes that health care is essential and will be the Vice Chair of the Health Care and Wellness Committee.

Rep. Bateman’s work in these areas aims to move the needle forward on her vision: “an inclusive, equitable future for all who call this region home.”