On May 19, SR and our allies in the Rail Can’t Wait Coalition made a splash by getting a bill passed to expand the frequency and improve the reliability of the Amtrak Cascades service between Vancouver, B.C., Seattle, and Portland, OR.

Our success was largely thanks to the unprecedented level of action you took, emailing and calling legislators. At one hearing, over 2,000 supporters propelled legislators to take action, passing HR 1837 into law. This victory continues to inspire similar initiatives across the country. With another bill in the pipeline for the 2026 legislative session, and a slew of preparatory meetings with officials and representatives in the state, the momentum continues to build.

As we continue to appreciate all the hard work and collaboration that went into this victory, we would like to recognize the key role played by some of our champions in the Legislature. Getting this bill passed was an absolute nail-biter. Grassroots enthusiasm was pivotal in getting it over each hurdle—and so was the initiative shown by lawmakers who acted on that enthusiasm.

For those in Washington State, we hope that you will help us amplify our appreciation by emailing or calling some of these lawmakers. A full table of bill sponsors with their legislative district, email, and phone number is included below. 

In particular, we would like to highlight:

• Rep. Julia Reed (D-36): the author of ESHB 1837 and its prime sponsor in the House, we worked very closely with Rep. Reed throughout this process. She has become a priceless ally to the Rail Can't Wait campaign. Rep. Reed is Vice Chair of the House Transportation Committee.

• Sen. Javier Valdez (D-46): the main sponsor of our bill in the Senate, Sen. Valdez spoke in support of it during the full Senate floor vote earlier this month.

• Sen. Bob Hasegawa (D-11) and Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen (D-43): Sens. Hasegawa and Pedersen were pivotal in getting ESHB 1837 out of the Senate Rules Committee for a final floor vote. Leader Pedersen also serves on the Senate Transportation Committee.

A full list of bill sponsors and other key supporters can be found on this spreadsheet, along with their legislative district, contact information, and notes highlighting some of the key lifts they performed.

If any of these legislators represent you, we would be grateful if you'd either write a short email or give them a call expressing gratitude for their support on this bill.

We have mentioned before that this bill is only the first milestone in our campaign to deliver the excellent rail system that Washington deserves. As we continue to move this effort foreword, we will need the continued collaboration of these leaders in the legislature. With your help, these budding alliances will continue to bear fruit!

Forward Together!

–The Solutionary Rail Team