About Rep. Norma Smith

Since January 2008, Rep. Norma Smith has served the people of the 10th Legislative District, which includes all of Island County and parts of Skagit and Snohomish counties.

Norma is the ranking member on the House Innovation, Technology and Economic Development Committee and the assistant ranking member on the House Capital Budget Committee. She also serves on the House State Government and Tribal Relations Committee.

In her time in the Washington State House of Representatives, Norma has prime sponsored 19 bills that were signed into law. She has built, and been involved with, multiple bipartisan coalitions addressing several critical issues over the last 13 years.

This year, Norma introduced nationally recognized, consumer-focused, online data privacy legislation to draw attention to the vital importance of consumer empowerment, corporate responsibility and strong enforcement. She also led efforts with consumer advocates to help defeat controversial legislation that purported to be comprehensive consumer data privacy but was not.

In 2019, Norma led a bipartisan coalition on the House Capital Budget Committee to reform the state’s mental and behavioral health system. This included $308 million in historic investments that built out the state’s safety net for our most vulnerable.

Norma helped negotiate and pass the first state net neutrality law in the country in 2018. The legislation preserved a fair and free Internet, protected consumer choice, and ensured entrepreneurs and small business owners could remain competitive globally.

During the 2015 legislative session, Norma introduced legislation to establish the Joint Center for Deployment and Research in Earth-Abundant Materials (JCDREAM). Her bill passed with overwhelming support and put Washington state on a path to become a leader in advancing the use of earth-abundant materials in clean technologies. These technologies will have a profound impact on the future of our national security, energy independence, sustainability and environmental responsibility.

The 10th Legislative District lawmaker has been a strong advocate for other environmental stewardship policies. This year, Norma prime sponsored a bill signed into law that changed existing state solar stewardship laws to cover utility-scale panels. In 2014, she co-sponsored landmark, bipartisan legislation to address derelict and abandoned vessels and prevent crises in our waterways. And in 2013, Norma led an effort to secure the final $3.5 million needed to complete the removal of derelict fishing nets from the shallow waters of the Puget Sound.

Norma also remains strongly committed to supporting economic policies that help strengthen the middle class and allow job creators to grow. She sponsored multiple pieces of legislation which became law to improve the regulatory climate for Washington’s small businesses and manufacturers. These include holding state agencies accountable when they are not being fair to small business, providing greater transparency and timeliness for permitting, fighting to keep energy costs low for families and the production sector of our economy, and supporting responsible tax policies that do not overburden taxpayers.

Norma lives in Clinton on Whidbey Island. She is active in her church and community and dedicates time to mentoring young adults. She previously served on the South Whidbey School Board and as Special Assistant to Congressman Jack Metcalf, in addition to her private and non-profit professional work experiences.