WASHINGTON STATE

Washington State House Democrats

HOUSE DEMOCRATS

Update from Rep. Sam Hunt: MLK Day, equal pay, mental health care

Dear Neighbors:

The Seahawks are returning to the Super Bowl! With all the hoopla, it is hard for many to keep track of other happenings. The legislature has been in session since January 12, so we are concluding our second week of session, and our first without a Seahawks playoff game. House Democrats are still in the majority, but by a smaller 51-47 margin. Committees have been appointed and have been holding hearings and work sessions since the first day of session.

The first big event of the 2015 session was Governor Jay Inslee’s State of the State address. He said:

“Today, our state stands at another crossroads. One path leads to an economy that works for all Washingtonians, supports thriving communities and preserves a healthy environment. The other path leads to a slow erosion of our shared prosperity, a widening gap of inequality and a deterioration of our clean air and water. The choice is ours. If we rise to the challenge, as we always have, we will choose the best path for Washington.”

At the start of those crossroads is education, the foundation for a stronger and more prosperous state. As the governor said, “Our most fundamental commitment needs to be to the very youngest Washingtonians.” I know which road I want Washington to take. It is not the easy road, but it is the right one. I hope you will join me in supporting efforts to build a strong economy, an even better education system, and a transportation infrastructure that meets 21st Century needs. Here is Governor Inslee’s speech.

MLK Day 2015

 More than half a century ago, Dr. King struck the conscious of America with a powerful message: separate is not equal.

Though the days of segregation and Jim Crow are long over, the racial inequity from that era still casts a shadow over our schools and communities. Equality and opportunity are not afforded to everyone.

Today, Dr. King would see that poverty disproportionately impacts communities of color. Kids in these communities don’t get the same quality education that children born to wealthy parents get. He’d watch middle class mothers and fathers get fired for taking sick days, and women get paid less to do the same job as men.

What do you think he’d have to say?

MLK Day is over, but it’s not enough to wait another year until we honor him again. We need to spend our year honoring Dr. King with our deeds.

Let’s keep fighting for a just and fair America. Let’s keep Dr. King’s march moving because we haven’t reached our destination yet. Let’s fight for equality and opportunity for all.

Equal work, equal pay

Equal work should result in equal pay.

Today, women still only average about 80 cents on the dollar compared to their male peers for comparable work. The evidence is clear that gender-based discrimination persists.

 The U.S. Department of Education recently released numbers showing the gender pay gap for women four years after graduating in 2008. It shows men out-earning their female colleagues in every field that the study covered.

This includes typically “female dominated” professions like teaching and health services.
This glaring inequality is not only contrary to our values regarding equality for all, it’s also terrible economics. Our economy would produce over $447 billion in additional income if this inequity were to be properly addressed.

This week, members of the House and Senate introduced the Equal Pay Opportunity Act in an attempt to solve this problem. Let’s bring fairness back to the workplace.

 

Fixing a broken mental health system

Recent high-profile tragedies have shown some gaping holes in our state’s mental health system that need to be addressed. A young man named Joel Reuter, suffering from a mental health crisis, was shot and killed by police after a standoff that could have been avoided with proper treatment.

“Joel’s Law” would allow families to get a second opinion to determine whether their loved one needs to be involuntarily committed. Right now, families have little recourse to contribute to that determination. Families should have input on these decisions because they know their loved ones best. The House passed Joel’s Law unanimously last year, but the Senate did not bring it up for a vote.

Another tragedy is the story of Sheena and Chris Henderson. Sheena was killed by her husband, Chris, after he suffered through several months of rapid decline in mental health status. But, because there lacked probable cause to involuntarily detain him, law enforcement officers were forced to let him go.

“Sheena’s Law” would give officers the option of reporting an incident that may require intervention to a mental health professional. It’s another tool in a law enforcement officer’s toolbox that allows them to keep our communities safe. And it allows mental health emergencies to be treated by mental health professionals.

These issues can affect anyone at any time. Every family has some connection with someone suffering from issues like depression, suicidal thoughts, or mood disorders.

Let’s pass Joel’s Law, Sheena’s Law, and increase funding for mental health care programs our communities desperately need.

Committee Assignments

It is a real honor to be elected as chair of the House State Government Committee—which usually gets more bills than any other committee referred to it. The committee covers issues such as state agency operations, elections, ethics, public disclosure, public employment, and e-government. I was also appointed to the House Appropriations (budget) and Education Committees. With the State Supreme Court’s McCleary decision on K-12 education funding and its budget implications, this will keep me very busy. If you want more details on the McCleary decision, please click here.

Keeping in touch

Please feel free to contact me with comments or questions. Of course many of you already do, as evidenced by the more than 120 emails I responded to yesterday. Each year, the volume of email increases and makes it more difficult to get them answered. My legislative assistant, Meagan Arndt, and I work on all of the 22nd District emails; we do not have staff that prepare answers or draft answers for us. Of course, we do use legislative staff to help us gather information for our responses.

But when you get a response to your email, you can bet it came personally from my office. Please keep in mind that the continually increasing number of emails means it takes longer for me to get back to you. And I try to give preference to personally written emails before the mass generated ones various interest groups ask you to send to your legislators. You can find my legislative contact information below.

It is a privilege to serve you as your elected state representative, and it is an honor to work closely with my 22nd District Senator Karen Fraser and Representative Chris Reykdal. To be one of 147 people out of 7 million Washingtonians is humbling and brings a lot of responsibility. As the state’s population grows—it was 5.9 million in 2000—its challenges and problems, and their complexity, also grow. I will be discussing some of these major problems and challenges as we move through the session.