Dear Friends and Neighbors,  

We’re over 25% of the way through this legislative session—and I’m so excited about the meaningful policy that my colleagues and I are working on. Friday, February 17th is policy cutoff, which is the first big deadline of this legislative session. By Friday, all bills that will be further considered will have already passed out of their policy committee and will advance to a fiscal committee (if applicable), and/or the House Floor.  

I’m delighted to share that HB 1424 was voted on in committee on February 14th.  Click here to watch my video about my bill to prevent animal abuse and predatory lending. Click here to provide comment on this bill.  

Earlier this year, I met with Chezik Tsunoda, a mother who tragically lost her three-year-old son, Yori, to drowning. Yori was bright and energetic. In 2018, while playing in the pool at a friend’s house, he quietly slipped below the surface. Tsunoda has used her grief to fuel advocacy for water safety and education.  

Drowning is the leading cause of death for children aged one to four and has devastating effects on families and communities. Drowning also disproportionately affects communities of color, with 45% of Hispanic children and 64% of African American children having limited or no ability to swim. African American children are five and a half times more likely to drown in a swimming pool than their Caucasian counterparts. Water safety is a pressing danger for all children in the state of Washington—and is also an equity issue.  

While drowning is the leading cause of death in young children, it is also a preventable tragedy. Yet so many children are losing their lives due to a lack of access to education and resources. HB 1750, or Yori’s Law, promotes water safety and drowning prevention education. Its passage is a critical step towards closing the equity gap and giving all children, regardless of race or socio-economic status, the tools they need to stay safe in and around water. Tsunoda wants other parents to understand how prevalent drowning is and how quickly it can happen—and wants her story to serve as a reminder than every moment is precious.

This year, we’re releasing a comprehensive package of housing bills to increase housing affordability, rent stabilization, homeownership, and to homeownership programs to right the wrongs of the past. Generations of explicitly systemic, racist, and discriminatory policies and practices have created barriers to credit and homeownership for black, indigenous, and people of color and other historically marginalized communities in Washington state.   

These historical policies and practices include redlining, racially restrictive covenants, mortgage subsidies and incentives, and displacement and gentrification. The UW/EWU racial covenants research project has currently identified more than 50,000 deeds with these racially restrictive covenants in the property records. We can and we must do better.   

I’m proud to support HB 1474, which establishes a homeownership account and program to provide down payment and closing cost assistance to the groups of people that have been impacted by these racist laws. The deliberate barriers preventing Black homeownership impact wealth generation and housing security, increasing rates of homelessness, rent burdening, unsafe housing conditions, and predatory rent practices. Because this discrimination was historically targeted, the solution must also be targeted. 

This year, I have been appointed by my colleagues to chair the House Finance Committee, and am proud to be leading a more inclusive, progressive, stable, and transparent tax structure that better serves our state. This year, we’re working on the Washington State Wealth Tax, introduced by Rep. Thai as part of a coordinated campaign with seven other states: California, Connecticut, Illinois, Hawaii, Maryland, Minnesota, and New York. 

HB 1473 creates a narrowly tailored property tax on extreme wealth derived from the ownership of stocks, bonds, and other financial assets, with the proceeds dedicated to education, housing, disability services, and tax credits for working families. The first $250 million of assessed value is exempted, meaning only the wealthiest people in Washington would pay the tax. 

By extending Washington’s established property tax to include stocks, bonds, and other financial assets, the Washington State Wealth Tax ensures that extremely wealthy Washingtonians – some of the richest people in the world – are taxed on their assets just like middle-class families are already taxed on theirs. 

Revenue from this tax is dedicated to four funds — the Education Legacy Trust Fund, which is a dedicated funding source for early learning, K-12, and higher education; the Housing Trust Fund, which pays for the construction of affordable housing; and two new funds created in the bill: a disabilities care trust account that will pay for services for Washingtonians with disabilities, and a taxpayer justice account that is intended to offer credits against taxes paid disproportionately by low-income and middle-income families. 

We’re also working HJR 4206, which, if passed, would trigger a vote I the next general election on the approval or rejection of an amendment to the Washington State Constitution. The amendment would increase the limit on personal property tax exemption from $15,000 to $40,000. This would help small businesses, because property tax in Washington doesn’t only apply to the physical land or building you own, but also personal property. Increasing the exemption will help cut property taxes for small businesses, empowering local economies and workforce within our community. 

If you haven’t already, reminder to mark your calendar for my Virtual Town Hall on Wednesday, March 15thth, at 6:30 PM. Stay tuned here and on my Facebook for details about how to register.  

If you’d like to get in touch but can’t participate in the Town Hall, please feel free to email me at april.berg@leg.wa.gov, or email my legislative assistant at Katharine.Gillen@leg.wa.govto find a time to stop by my office in Olympia.  

I hope to hear from you soon! 

Sincerely,