05.14.25

Cantwell Statement on the Passing of Rep. Phyllis Gutiérrez Kenney

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) released the following statement on the passing of former Washington State Representative Phyllis Gutiérrez Kenney:

“Phyllis Gutiérrez Kenney was a dear friend and mentor to generations of legislators and Latino leaders who would come after her. We lost a true leader. Even before being elected to the State House, Phyllis' mark was being felt across Central Washington as she worked to bring childcare and educational services to migrant children. In the legislature, she was a champion for education equity, leading the fight for a groundbreaking law to provide undocumented individuals educated in Washington State access to state tuition rates at our public colleges. Phyllis' legacy will live on in the children she helped provide resources for and in the many legislators she mentored.”