Jessica Bateman

Jessica Bateman
Member of the Washington House of Representatives
from the 22nd district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 11, 2021
Serving with Beth Doglio
Preceded byBeth Doglio
Personal details
Born
Jessica Danielle Bateman

1981 (age 42–43)
Kent, Washington, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Residence(s)Olympia, Washington, U.S.
EducationGreen River College (AA)
Evergreen State College (BA, MPP)

Jessica Danielle Bateman[1] (born 1981)[2] is an American politician who is the Representative for District 22 in the Washington House of Representatives. Elected in 2020, she assumed office on January 11, 2021, succeeding Beth Doglio. During her tenure, she has authored legislation to increase housing construction in Washington.[3][4]

Early life and education

Raised by a single mother, Bateman earned an associate degree from Green River College and moved to Olympia, Washington to attend Evergreen State College. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in environmental studies and Master of Public Policy.[5][6]

Career

From 2012 to 2015, she worked as a legislative assistant in the Washington House of Representatives.[7] In 2015, she was elected to the Olympia, Washington City Council and later served as Mayor Pro Tem of Olympia.[8][9][10] After Beth Doglio announced that she would not seek re-election to the State House and instead run for Washington's 10th congressional district, Bateman announced her candidacy to succeed her. Bateman placed second in the nonpartisan blanket primary and defeated her Republican opponent, Dusty Pierpoint, in the November election. She assumed office on January 11, 2021.[11]

During her tenure in the Washington House, she has authored legislation to increase housing construction in Washington.[3][4] In 2024, Bateman criticized Seattle's housing plan for not facilitating enough housing.[12]

References

  1. ^ "Fortieth Annual Commencement Ceremony" (PDF). Evergreen State College. 2011-06-10. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  2. ^ "Legislative Manual 2021-2022" (PDF). Washington State Legislature.
  3. ^ a b Packer, Ryan (2024-01-04). "'Housing Accountability Act' Seeks to Push Local Governments to Boost Homebuilding - The Urbanist". www.theurbanist.org.
  4. ^ a b Roberts, David (2024-02-09). "Washington state Democrats are tackling the housing crisis". www.volts.wtf.
  5. ^ "About the Speakers". The Evergreen State College. 2017-07-31. Retrieved 2020-11-09.
  6. ^ Scott, Douglas (2017-03-24). "People in Politics: Jessica Bateman". ThurstonTalk. Retrieved 2020-11-09.
  7. ^ "Jessica Bateman, Progressive Voters Guide". progressivevotersguide.com. Retrieved 2020-11-09.
  8. ^ "Jessica Bateman". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2020-11-09.
  9. ^ "Jessica Bateman". olympiawa.gov. Retrieved 2020-11-09.
  10. ^ Pickford, Owen (2020-07-02). "Jessica Bateman 2020 Questionnaire – State House District 22, Position 2". The Urbanist. Retrieved 2020-11-09.
  11. ^ JOLT, Paul Pickett for. "Compare Candidates: 22nd Legislative District Primary". The JOLT - The Journal of Olympia, Lacey & Tumwater. Retrieved 2020-11-09.
  12. ^ "WA lawmaker questions validity of Seattle's housing plan". The Seattle Times. 2024-03-06.