About Laurie

Laurie Jinkins is Washington state’s first woman and first lesbian Speaker of the House.  In her first session as Speaker, she led the House Democratic Caucus in focusing on ending homelessness, increasing access to childcare, bringing down health care costs and addressing climate change.

Elected to the State House of Representatives in 2010, Laurie chaired the Civil Rights and Judiciary Committee, and served on the House Appropriations, Capital Budget, Environment, Health Care & Wellness and Transportation committees.

In addition to her service in the Legislature, Laurie serves as Senior Advisor at the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department. She started her career in the state Attorney General’s Office litigating child abuse and neglect cases and went on to serve as an Assistant Secretary of Health at the State Department of Health.

Laurie is a native Midwesterner and earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a Juris Doctor from Seattle University School of Law (then the University of Puget Sound School of Law).

Laurie and her wife, Laura, (married for 31 or 6 years depending on how you count) live in Tacoma with their son Wulf.