Andrew Swire Billig (born May 1, 1968) is an American politician of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

and co-owner of the

Spokane Indians The Spokane Indians are a Minor League Baseball team located in Spokane Valley, the city immediately east of Spokane, Washington, in the Pacific Northwest. The Indians are members of the High-A Northwest League (NWL) as an affiliate of the Color ...

minor league baseball team. On November 6, 2012, Billig was elected to the

Washington State Senate The Washington State Senate is the upper house of the Washington State Legislature. The body consists of 49 members, each representing a district with a population of nearly 160,000. The State Senate meets at the Legislative Building in Olympi ...

, representing the 3rd Legislative District.(November 7, 2012
"Democrats holding edge in Legislature"
Spokesman Review. Retrieved on December 5, 2012. He currently serves as the Senate Majority Leader."Washington State Wire"

Personal life

Billig grew up in

Chevy Chase, Maryland Chevy Chase () is the name of both a town and an unincorporated census-designated place (Chevy Chase (CDP), Maryland) that straddle the northwest border of Washington, D.C. and Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. Several settlements in th ...

. He is of

Jewish descent ''Zera Yisrael'' ( he, זרע ישראל, , meaning "Seed fIsrael") is a legal category in Halakha, Jewish law that denotes the blood descendants of Jews who, for one reason or another, are not legally of Jewish ethnicity according to religiou ...

. Billig graduated

cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sou ...

from

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

in 1990 with a degree in

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...

. He has two

children A child ( : children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger ...

, Isabella "Bella" and Samuel, and is an active runner and triathlete, having completed the Coeur d’Alene

Ironman Triathlon An Ironman Triathlon is one of a series of long-distance triathlon races organized by the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC), consisting of a swim, a bicycle ride and a marathon run completed in that order, a total of . It is widely consider ...

in 2004."The Spokesman-Review Election Center"
Retrieved on June 26, 2012.

Political positions

Billig has supported bills that would improve

primary education Primary education or elementary education is typically the first stage of formal education, coming after preschool/kindergarten and before secondary school. Primary education takes place in ''primary schools'', ''elementary schools'', or first ...

, including a bill that would lower the

compulsory education Compulsory education refers to a period of education that is required of all people and is imposed by the government. This education may take place at a registered school or at other places. Compulsory school attendance or compulsory schooling ...

age in Washington from 8 to 5. He has also been active in expanding statewide voter access and

campaign finance Campaign finance, also known as election finance or political donations, refers to the funds raised to promote candidates, political parties, or policy initiatives and referendums. Political parties, charitable organizations, and political ac ...

reform in addition to efforts to protect the Spokane River. In 2011, Billig received the Inter-Continental Smackdown Champion Award from Fuse Washington for his work against phosphorus pollution in Washington's lakes and rivers. He has also expressed support for

gun control Gun control, or firearms regulation, is the set of laws or policies that regulate the manufacture, sale, transfer, possession, modification, or use of firearms by civilians. Most countries have a restrictive firearm guiding policy, with on ...

, including a bill that would ban possession of high-capacity magazines.

Washington House of Representatives

After he was elected to the House of Representatives in 2010, Billig immediately assumed a transportation leadership position in the House, serving as vice-chair of the House Transportation Committee., Retrieved on June 26, 2012. In that role, he helped write the state's two-year transportation budget.
, Retrieved on July 10, 2012. Billig also served on the Education, Environment, and Technology & Economic Development committees.

Washington Senate

In 2012, Billig was elected to the Senate, where he was given a position of leadership as the Minority Whip. In 2015 he was chosen to represent the caucus as the Deputy Leader, and now serves as the Senate Majority Leader. During the 2018 legislative session, he served on the Early Learning & K-2 Education, Ways & Means, and Rule
committees
One of his primary achievements of the 2018 session was the DISCLOSE Act, which increases transparency of campaign contributions and closes campaign finance disclosure loopholes.

Spokane Indians Baseball Team

In 1992, Billig became general manager of the Spokane Indians Baseball Team. He later became president and co-owner of the team and remains active in management and ownership."Northwest League Awards"
Retrieved on June 26, 2012.

Awards

Billig has been recognized repeatedly for his leadership with the Spokane Indians, being voted Northwest League Executive of the Year in both 1994 and 2004. He was also nominated for the

Larry MacPhail Award The Larry MacPhail Award was presented annually from 1966 to 2019 by Minor League Baseball to recognize "a club that demonstrates outstanding and creative marketing and promotional efforts within its community, its ballpark (including non-game da ...

for promotional excellence several times and won the Joe Martin Award for Service to Baseball and the Community in 2007.

References

External links

Senate homepageCampaign website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Billig, Andy 1968 births 21st-century American politicians Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School alumni Living people Democratic Party members of the Washington House of Representatives People from Chevy Chase, Maryland Democratic Party Washington (state) state senators