Rep. Lekanoff provides update on legislative session half-way point

As Rep. Johnson, the prime sponsor of the bill, said after passage, “Preserving and protecting human life must be law enforcement’s highest values. To build trust in communities, we must set expectations that honor those values and build systems of accountability and transparency.”

Current law allows police to complete an arrest by any means necessary, a broad authorization that allows an unlimited amount of force. When determining use of force, officers would be required to consider circumstances, such as a person having a disability, experiencing a mental health crisis, pregnancy, or the presence of children. By setting that new standard, deadly force would be a last resort after de-escalation efforts failed.

HB 1310 is one of a series of bills brought forward by members of the Policing Policy Leadership Team in the House Democratic Caucus, on which I serve. Already, the House has passed HB 1267 to establish an independent agency to investigate police uses of deadly force and HB 1054 to ban dangerous and unacceptable police tactics.

In addition to my work for the caucus Policing Policy Leadership Team, I held my own public safety round tables to hear from leaders and interested parties in the 40th District. The round tables included Reps. Roger Goodman, Jesse Johnson, and Javier Valdez, as well as Sen. Liz Lovelett, governor’s office and congressional staff. Together we listened to guidance from 40th District elected leaders, sheriffs and police chiefs, public defenders and prosecutors. A second listening session was held with leaders of the Latinx community, which accounts for around 40% of the population in Skagit County. I also have a strong relationship with federally-recognized tribes and as sovereign nations it was important to meet with tribal police chiefs and prosecutors. The public may not be aware, but many of the tribal police force work in local and state police jobs part time and often transfer from tribal to local police jobs and vice versa.

At the end of the day, the resounding message from these meetings was that we need to honor the call to action for police reform, and we need to recognize that each community has challenges and solutions. If we are going to invest in policing reform, then the state must obligate funds and fully invest in partnerships with local governments to find model best practices and next steps together. We are on the path toward providing safe communities for ALL, and we can only find success if we move forward together with local governments and our tribal nations.

The Working Families Tax Credit, or Recovery Rebate, is our promise to the people of Washington that when they work hard to achieve their dreams, their community will rise up to support them.

I am so overjoyed by the collective hope and resilience of everyone who has advocated for this policy since 2008. This is our chance to reclaim the American Dream as a tool for racial justice, economic recovery, and community health.

Our state is known for our upside-down tax structure, where those who make the least pay the most in taxes. Putting people first means recognizing our wrongs to make them right.

This Recovery Rebate, which passed the House this week, is a lifeline for the immigrants, refugees, people of color, and low-income workers who have always kept our communities strong. It’s our turn to lift them up and give everyone a chance at a healthy, happy life.

Accessible, affordable, high-quality child care is the key to restarting our economy, getting parents back to work, and giving our kids a fair start in life.⁠⁠

This week, we passed HB 1213, the Fair Start for Kids Act, off the floor of the People’s House, because our economy and our children’s success begins with child care!⁠⁠

We urgently need strong support for child care and early learning programs so families and businesses can thrive. And we must ensure livable wages for our child care providers, who are overwhelmingly women of color going without sufficient pay.⁠⁠

Children are our most precious resource. Investing in them is an investment in the future of Washington!

This week, the House passed House Bill 1236 to protect month-to-month tenants from no-cause evictions by requiring landlords to cite a reason for eviction. ⁠⁠

Without this legislation, Washington state law allows landlords to evict a month-to-month renter with a 20-day notice without even telling the tenant why. ⁠

Stopping evictions means preventing homelessness. The majority of families of color in Washington rely on rental housing to keep a roof over their head. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic exposed that the status quo is leaving too many vulnerable.⁠⁠

We cannot go back to a system where renters can easily be forced into homelessness for no fault of their own. A stable home is essential for all Washingtonians now more than ever. For all of us to stay healthy and safe. ⁠⁠

This Tuesday was Billy Frank Jr. Day, and we celebrate and honor his legacy and his fight for all Washingtonians and the Salmon.

My experience at the Legislature working on environmental protections, fisheries regulation, salmon recovery, and more, such as my work this session on HB 1117 to incorporate salmon recovery and a net ecological gain standard into the Growth Management Act, will benefit me in my tenure in this position, and I look forward to working with my colleagues on the Advisory Body!