Margarita Prentice
Washington State Senate
Biography
Born in San Bernardino, CA, Senator Prentice is the youngest of five children. Her family has lived in California since the 1800's. She came to Washington State in 1954 after completing her nursing education at St. Joseph's Hospital School of Nursing in Phoenix, AZ. She has also attended the Univeristy of Washington. She and her husband, Bill, raised their three children in the Skyway area. She has lived here 50 years. Their three granddaughters and two grandsons live in Phoenix, AZ.
During her 45+ years as a registered nurse, Senator Prentice served in almost every nursing capacity from emergency room nurse to director of nursing.
Senator Prentice was a board member of the Renton Area Youth Services. She has served as the secretary to to the National Democratic Committee for 8 years.
Senator Prentice is very much the champion of youth. She was instrumental in enacting controversial child labor laws that regulate working hours and encourage school attendance. She participated in mock legislative committee hearings at the Labor Summer School for high school students sponsored by the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO. These students prepared and presented issues to the mock committee and learned firsthand how the legislative system works.
The Senator has received numerous awards and recognitions for her service in the legislature, a full list of which can be seen here. Throughout her tenure, Senator Prentice has truly made a difference in the lives of everyone in her district and across the state.
Senator Prentice's legislative career began when she was appointed to the House of Representatives in 1988. In November, 1988, she was elected to serve the first of two 2-year terms in the House. In 1992, she was elected to the Senate, serving as Majority Caucus Vice-Chair for two years; Chair of the Financial Institutions, Housing, and Insurance Committee; and Chair of the Labor, Commerce and Financial Institutions while serving on the Education and Transportation Committees. She is completing her 4th year as Chair of the Senate Ways and Means Committee and continues to be on the Financial Institutions and Insurance and the Labor, Commerce, Research and Development Committees. In addition, she has been an ex-officio member of the State of Washington Gambling Commission for 14 years.
"My life in public service began as a member of the local PTA forty years ago. There were no options for my autistic child in public school back then and I soon realized I need to be part of the solution."
"During my career as a registered nurse, I was a shop steward and then elected to the negotiating team and eventually became and organizer. Promotion to management showed me the other negotiating perspective. It became very clear both sides have legitimate concerns. I worked hard to make things better for as many as possible."
"This possibility drives my career in the legislature. It's not about Republicans or Democrats--it's about the people: rich, poor, worker, employer, 'abled' or disabled. You can't just be pro-worker if there aren't enough jobs and you can't just kick the disabled off welfare after a certain amount of time. Innovative and objective discussions do produce solutions. Incentives for employers to generate more jobs and training for the disabled to provide basic skills to earn a living and be self-sufficient. Every citizen is important--every citizen is part of the solution."
Let's keep Margarita working for us!
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