Inslee signs abortion access bill and more

||| FROM THE OFFICE OF GOVERNOR JAY INSLEE |||

Inslee signs abortion access bill, policing law, and more at this week’s bill signings

Following the end of the 2022 legislative session last week, Gov. Jay Inslee will be taking action over the next couple weeks on more than 300 bills sent to his desk.

Among the notable bills Inslee signed this week was the Affirm Washington Abortion Access Act, sponsored by Rep. My-Linh Thai. With the shift in our nation’s Supreme Court, several states – including Texas and Washington’s neighboring state, Idaho – have been emboldened to pass dangerous and draconian bills that will leave millions of people in the country without access to safe abortion care. Washington state has repeatedly affirmed patients’ right to abortion and reproductive health care and continues to do so. This bill expands access to abortion care and prohibits legal action against people seeking an abortion and their medical providers.

The law takes effect in June. Similar laws are also awaiting action in California, New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

Watch: KING 5 – Inslee signs bill prohibiting abortion lawsuits in Washington state

This week the governor also signed the so-called “Terry stop bill” that clarifies when and how law enforcement can use physical force to stop a person from fleeing a crime scene. An officer may use force to prevent a suspect from walking or running away from an investigative stop so long as the suspect was told they were not free to leave.

The governor also signed the Diaper Need Act, sponsored by Sen. T’wina Nobles. The bill passed unanimously from the Legislature. It directs the Department of Social and Health Services to provide assistance to help pay for diapers for low-income parents and caregivers who receive Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and have children under the age of three.

Watch the rest of the governor’s bill signings from Thursday here.

Washington and British Columbia to discuss Nooksack River flood prevention and response initiative

British Columbia Premier John Horgan and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee  announced further bilateral cooperation between B.C. and Washington state this week to build a sustained and ongoing transboundary initiative to address Nooksack River flooding prevention and response.

Their announcement follows months of high-level discussions after the catastrophic flood in November 2021 that displaced an estimated 500 people in Whatcom County, led to the evacuation of over 14,000 people in B.C., and resulted in billions of dollars in damage across B.C. Flooding in the Nooksack watershed has been a long-standing issue for residents, Tribes and First Nations, and government leaders.

“Washington state and British Columbia have a unique role to play in addressing the urgent challenge of Nooksack River flooding,” Inslee said. “Flooding will continue to worsen in the face of population growth, development and climate change, and this challenge is bigger and more urgent than any level of government can solve on its own. Long-term, sustainable solutions will require resources from all levels of government on both sides of our border, and we are committed to working together to leverage input and significant expertise from impacted communities.”

Washington state and B.C. officials will begin initial engagement and process planning this month. They will work with First Nations, Tribal, local governments, and stakeholders to identify the areas that need coordinated work, and develop the governance structure and work plan. The two governments will announce the details of the Nooksack transboundary flooding initiative this spring.

Read more in the Bellingham Herald.

Washington’s Small Business Flex Fund brings government and business together to support equitable recovery
An innovative state Department of Commerce loan program launched in 2021 is proving its merit helping small businesses and nonprofits, Commerce director Lisa Brown and Dan Marsh, president and CEO of National Development Council, wrote in a Seattle Times op-ed.

The fund has already provided loans for more than 350 businesses and nonprofits, the majority of them with diverse ownership.

The Department of Commerce launched the program particularly to help those in low-income communities gain access to low-interest loans that would help with short- and long-term recovery.

The Small Business Flex Fund is a public-private partnership that started with a foundational investment of $30 million of COVID relief funding approved by Gov. Jay Inslee in November 2020.. It has since grown to $85.5 million with investments from Umpqua Bank, Heritage Bank, JPMorgan Chase and WaFD Bank. Community Development Financial Institutions and National Development Council serve as the nonprofit lenders and are known for successfully serving underbanked and underserved communities.

Additionally, Commerce has also distributed $370 million in grants to more than 25,000 small businesses since the COVID pandemic struck.

Read the op-ed and learn more about the Small Business Flex Fund.

Department of Health releases long-term ForWArd plan to support ongoing COVID-19 prevention and readiness

As Washington’s COVID-19 response continues to evolve, the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) released the state’s new long-term  ForWArd plan to keep people safe and healthy as we co-exist with COVID-19 for the foreseeable future.

To date, more than 13 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered across Washington, leading to one of the highest state vaccination rates in the country and helping the state maintain one of the lowest COVID-19 death rates among states. The ForWArd plan outlines ongoing actions that will allow communities and state leaders to prioritize prevention and readiness for this new phase of the pandemic.

The long-term response plan prioritizes engagement and empowerment of people so everyone has the necessary information and guidance to stay safe; prevention through vaccines, tests and masks; and system readiness that ensures public health leaders and providers can anticipate and respond to changing transmission trends.

“While we don’t know when the pandemic will truly end, we do know how to protect ourselves and our communities from COVID-19. DOH is committed to following a path to recovery by empowering people, organizations, and businesses to come together to protect each other, keep our economy strong, our schools open, and our state moving forward,” said DOH Deputy Secretary Lacy Fehrenbach.

Read more about the ForWArd plan from DOH.

EPA prioritizes cleanup on Columbia River’s Bradford Island

The Environmental Protection Agency will prioritize cleanup at Bradford Island, a site in the Columbia River that for decades was used as a dumping ground by the Army Corps of Engineers, following an announcement Thursday where the governor joined other state, Tribal and federal leaders.

By adding the site to the EPA’s Superfund list of toxic cleanup sites, leaders can now begin the process of cleaning up the landfill on the island. The landfill has resulted in “the highest levels of toxic PCBs” in resident fish populations “anywhere in the Pacific Northwest.”

The designation was jointly sought by the state Department of Ecology, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, and the Yakama Nation.

“I am so pleased the Biden-Harris administration has heard this call, answered it, and brought its commitment to providing environmental justice to these shores of the Columbia,” Inslee said at the EPA’s virtual press conference.

Read more about the Superfund designation here.

Hate has no place in Washington: Faith leaders, elected officials and community members show solidarity for Muslim neighbors

Gov. Jay Inslee was among several elected leaders who joined a multi-faith solidarity gathering Wednesday at the Muslim-American Youth Foundation in Burien, which was the site of a hit-and-run incident March 7 still under police investigation.

Fortunately, no one was using the foundation’s prayer room at the time it was struck. The driver is yet to be apprehended.

There has been a concerning trend of criminal incidents involving houses of worship over the last year in Washington, including three other incidents at Muslim houses of worship, the burglary of Sikh temple, and a fire set at a church in Tacoma.

“We don’t know all the reasons or what led to these events, but we do know they’re unacceptable in the state of Washington,” Inslee said. “We are one of the most welcoming states in the nation with some of the most inclusive laws in the nation to protect everyone who lives here – regardless of religion, ethnicity or nationality.”