||| FROM REP. DEBRA LEKANOFF ||
As of today, all six of my bills have had their public hearings in Senate committees!
House Bill 1117 integrates salmon recovery into the Growth Management Act (GMA), which guides land management and planning in our state. The bill also sets a standard for net ecological gain, or ‘leaving it better than you found it,’ rather than our state’s current standard of no net loss when it comes to community development. Through these policies, our communities will be better able to protect our environment and mitigate the impacts of climate change as we continue to grow. The bill had a public hearing in the Senate Housing & Local Government Committee on Tuesday.
House Bill 1326, which addresses qualifications, training and accreditation for coroners and medical examiners, passed off the floor of the People’s House last Saturday, March 6, on a unanimous vote! The bill had a public hearing in the Senate Housing & Local Government Committee on Tuesday.
House Bill 1372 authorizes putting a statue of Billy Frank Jr. — who was a dedicated advocate for equality, justice, and environmental protections — in the National Statuary Hall collection in Washington D.C. The bill had a public hearing in the Senate State Government & Elections Committee. Watch my testimony from the hearing on Wednesday, March 17, or as it’s more commonly known, St. Patrick’s Day!
There was such compelling testimony during the hearing, that I wanted to be sure to share, so click their name to watch the testimony from each of the following: Lieutenant Governor Denny Heck; Martha Kongsgaard, a past Chair of the Puget Sound Partnership on which she served with Billy Frank Jr.; Chair Ron Allen, of the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe; Chair Leonard Forsman, of the Suquamish Tribe; and Councilman Willie Frank III, of the Nisqually Tribe and Billy Frank Jr.’s son.
I’m also excited to say that the bill is scheduled to be voted on in committee this morning! I’ll keep you updated as it continues to move through the legislative process. Read more about this bill in this recent opinion piece in The Nisqually Valley News authored by Lorraine Loomis, the Chair of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission.
House Bill 1172 repeals a part of Washington law in direct conflict with the judicially-affirmed and treaty-reserved fishing rights of Northwest tribes. By repealing this section, we can avoid any legal confusion with state-tribal cooperative agreements in the management of salmon, trout, and steelhead resources. The bill had a public hearing in the Senate Agriculture, Water, Natural Resources & Parks Committee yesterday and is scheduled for executive session on Thursday, March 25 at 1:30 p.m.
House Bill 1356 is my bill to help heal our communities and tribes by no longer allowing the derogatory use of Native Americans as mascots in public schools. Native Americans are not animals, we are not symbols, we are people, communities, and nations who deserve respect and dignity. The bill had a public hearing in the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee, and was voted out of committee on Monday. It’s now scheduled for a public hearing in the Senate Ways & Means Committee on Monday, March 22 at 4:00 p.m.
House Bill 1072, which eliminates a provision in current law that denies equity and access to justice for undocumented immigrants by restricting them from accessing state-funded civil legal aid, is in the Rules Committee awaiting a vote by the full Senate.
What does Phase 3 mean?
On Monday, March 22nd the entire state enters Phase 3 of the Roadmap to Recovery. This is possible because of the work of healthcare professionals to get people vaccinated and the work of everyone to decrease rates of transmission. If we continue to follow the guidance, mask up, and keep social gatherings small and distant, then we can all recover more quickly.
Phase 3 will be one more step on the Roadmap to Recovery and I want to share the initial, high level guidance. For a full and current description, please refer to coronavirus.wa.gov.
- First, the state will return to evaluating phases by county instead of by region.
- Sports spectators will be allowed to gather for events with limited capacity and following specific safety guidelines.
- Industries and indoor activities that were allowed in Phase 2 can increase capacity. This includes businesses like restaurants, gyms and fitness centers, and movie theaters, among others.
Again, please refer to coronavirus.wa.gov for the most up to date details. If cases in a county increase at a certain rate then that county may be moved to a previous phase and if statewide ICU capacity reaches greater than 90% then all counties will move to a previous phase in order to maintain enough beds for patients needing critical care.
I know we all want to return to doing the things we miss. We can get there faster if we follow the evidence backed guidance to make sure we keep the virus under control while reopening safely.
Expanded vaccine eligibility
Critical workers in grocery stories, food banks, public transit, agriculture and more are now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine, along with people over the age of 16 who are pregnant or have a disability that puts them at high risk. You may have also heard that vaccine eligibility will be expanded on March 31 to include anyone with two or more comorbidities, those between the ages of 60 and 64, workers in restaurants, food service, manufacturing and construction, people experiencing homelessness and others. This means that by the end of this month, 5 million Washingtonians will be eligible for a shot. For help finding a vaccine appointment, visit this link or dial 1-800-525-0127. I know it’s hard to keep waiting for your turn to get a vaccine, but we’re making progress. House Democrats will continue to push for more resources for vaccine distribution and those who have been hurt most by this crisis. Everyone who wants a vaccine should be able to get one. |
American Rescue Plan: What’s in it for Washington?
In March, Congress passed President Biden’s American Rescue Plan, a strong federal investment in communities to help us all get past the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to strong leadership at the federal level, Washington state residents will receive support in the form of economic impact payments, while state, county, city, and tribal governments will receive increased funding and access to vaccines and testing, boosts to school districts and higher education institutions, rental assistance and child care funding, and support for small business grants.
Washington state’s share of the funds that the Legislature will have control over is about $4.253 billion. While we do not know exactly where that money will be directed yet, we should have a better idea by the time the House and Senate approve an operating budget in late April. Like we passed in February with our Step One for Community and Economic Recovery Plan (HB 1368), I will support using these federal funds to provide assistance to Washington families and businesses who have been most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. That means direct support for struggling renters, small restaurants and other neighborhood businesses, school districts, uninsured and underinsured individuals, and Black and Brown communities, which have been disproportionately hurt during the pandemic. Photo by Eric Haynes
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Protecting workers
All workers should be paid the wages they are owed, given the breaks guaranteed in law, and protected in the workplace. But that isn’t always the case, and in those unfortunate and thankfully rare occasions, workers need every tool available to them to get justice. This week, the House passed the Worker Protection Act, House Bill 1076, to allow workers to sue businesses on behalf of the state for violating labor and workplace standard laws.
Committee testimony from workers covered a variety of topics, including workplace violations for health and safety during the pandemic, wage theft and discrimination. While most businesses comply with workplace laws, this bill would expand workers’ rights to take on unscrupulous employers that are targeting workers and unfairly competing in the market. Simple violations, like technical bookkeeping mistakes, wouldn’t be allowed under HB 1076. The Worker Protection Act simply gives workers the chance to blow the whistle on bad activity they’re experiencing or witnessing, and get relief for themselves or their coworkers.
One of the biggest concerns for workers, particularly workers of color and undocumented immigrants, is retaliation from their employer, as those employers have already demonstrated they are willing to break state laws. Allowing other workers to pursue a “qui tam” suit is one way to protect those vulnerable workers. The bill is now headed to the Senate for further consideration.
988—a new lifeline for crisis response and suicide prevention
For most people in our community, the only number they know for emergencies is 911. When police or the fire department is needed, that’s the best number to call. But when the emergency is related to substance use, a mental health crisis, or a person at immediate risk of suicide, having a law enforcement officer arrive at their door may not be the appropriate emergency response.
Officers are not social workers, nor do they want to be. Without a comprehensive crisis response system, people in crisis can find themselves in standoffs with law enforcement when they should be in the care of a counselor. People with severe mental illness are far more likely to end up in jail or prison and are more likely to be involved in fatal police encounters.
An improved crisis response system would reduce reliance on emergency room services and the use of law enforcement response to crises. Last year, the bipartisan National Suicide Hotline Designation Act designated 988 as the new national suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline number, paving the way for states to develop improved crisis response systems. The federal law requires the line be operational by July 16, 2022.
Earlier this week, I was proud to vote for House Bill 1477 which would implement the 988 system here in Washington state. The vision of this bill and the 988 line is to create robust call centers to support people in crisis and ensure they receive the care they need, when they need it. These enhanced 988 services will coordinate with 911, EMT and law enforcement, and behavioral health systems to create a seamless system of care for those in crisis.
Notable Meetings
Ramon Rivera is the Mariachi Teacher at Mount Vernon High School, and during Latino Legislative Day, he and his students gave us a preview of the performance they would later share with the governor!
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Some of the critical issues discussed during Latino Legislative Day were around the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and the vaccine rollout in particular. Iniquities in the vaccine rollout seem clear when Latinos make up 31% of cases in the state, but only make up 13% of the population.
Terrific Tuesday Roundtable – Health Care
This week Rep. Marcus Riccelli joined me to meet with 40th District local health departments, providers, and health care advocates to talk about a wide range of health care topics. We discussed House Bill 1152, COVID-19 and vaccine distribution, tele-medicine, behavioral health, reproductive health, children’s health, long term care, and workforce development. We heard from hospitals, community health centers, Pioneer Human Services, Planned Parenthood, doctors, nurses, and several other service providers.
Washington Education Association Native American Caucus
On Tuesday, I met with members of the Washington Education Association’s Native American/Alaskan Native/First Nations Education Council. Members of the caucus group included WEA-Retired member Buddy Bear from Port Angeles, Stephanie Ervin from Spokane, and Shawn Brehm from Wellpinit. We discussed my bills, House Bill 1356 and House Bill 1372, as well as issues regarding how to not only increase communication, but the speed of communication between law enforcement agencies in regards to MMIWG (Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls). The conversation ended with a discussion on how to best encourage our youth, and especially our youth of color to see themselves as the next legislators of color and how to teach them what it takes to run for office themselves!
Thank you all for taking to the time to read this week’s Fantastic Friday, and for taking an interest in our progress at the House of Representatives. I will be sending out a Fantastic Friday letter each week throughout the legislative session.
Please feel free to reach out to me using the information below, with any questions, inquiries, or concerns you may have.
I am here for you!
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