State Rep. Joe McDermott, D-West Seattle, last week was appointed by the King County Council to the state Senate.
McDermott replaced Erik Poulsen, who resigned earlier this month to become a lobbyist on energy issues.
"It's an honor and a privilege to serve the citizens of the 34th District," which includes part of the Highline area, said the new senator after taking the oath of office.
"I will take my passion for education and equal rights to the Senate."
McDermott was elected to the House of Representatives in 2000. During his four terms in the House, his legislative priorities have included education, elections and public disclosure, the environment, and civil rights issues.
"We look forward to welcoming Joe to the Senate," said Majority Leader Lisa Brown, D-Spokane. "We know he is passionate about education and that he will continue the 34th District tradition of strong advocacy for the environment."
McDermott's extensive experience on education issues led to his election by the House Democratic Caucus as Caucus Education Policy Leader earlier this year.
Over the last several years, he introduced and passed legislation to assure alternative assessments other than the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) are available to high school students, and to reconstitute the composition and responsibilities of the State Board of Education.
During his tenure in the House, McDermott also worked to pass two historic measures in the struggle for equal rights.
The first was the Anti-Discrimination Bill of 2006, which added sexual orientation to Washington's discrimination laws.
That legislation was followed this year by the Domestic Partnership Registry, which gives state-registered domestic partners some basic protections for their families, such the right to visit a partner in the hospital, the right to make health care decisions and the right to make funeral arrangements.
King County Superior Court Judge Michael Heavey, himself a former state senator and representative from the 34th District, administered the oath to McDermott.
