Save the Date: Upcoming Mini Town Halls
I’ll be travelling around the district and hosting a couple of mini town halls this month. Listening to you is important to me, and email and telephone calls can’t replace talking to someone in person. That’s why I’m hosting two mini town halls on Sunday, February 23. The first will be from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at All City Coffee (205 S. Vale St.) in Seattle. The second will be from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Refuel Café (401 Olympia Ave NE) in Renton.
If you’ve been to a regular town hall meeting, you know it’s hard for everybody to get to ask their questions. These mini town halls are about having real conversations with you. Each person wishing to participate signs up for a 15-minute time slot, and during that time has the chance to ask questions, comment on legislation, and tell me about their ideas to make Washington a better place to live and work.
How to sign up:
Please email my legislative aide, Syd Locke, at syd.locke@leg.wa.gov or call the office at 360-786-7862 and we’ll set a time that works for you.
If you have a specific issue or topic you want to talk about, please share that with my office in advance to help make our time more productive.
If you have things to say but can’t make it to the mini town halls, please feel free to email me at steve.bergquist@leg.wa.gov. I try to respond to every call, email and letter from a citizen in the 11th District.
It’s an honor and a privilege to serve as your representative, and I hope to see you this soon!
Housing & Homelessness Survey Results
Thank you to those who participated in the survey I sent out in my last e-newsletter! I asked you to share your opinion on affordable housing and homelessness, and your answers have helped me get a broader picture of our district’s views on the issue.
For more information, check out the 2020 Housing & Homelessness Survey results.
Controversial bills survey
Every session there are controversial bills and issues that generate a great deal of calls and emails from the public, and this year is no different. While I have already heard from some constituents on these issues, I want to get a broader picture of where our district stands. Please take the survey, which should take less than five minutes of your time. Thank you and I look forward to your responses! |
Increasing Youth Voter Participation
Voting is one of the privileges we have as citizens. While some people don’t vote out of apathy, many simply don’t know how or face barriers to voting. For instance, there is confusion for many young people about voter registration, especially when they will be old enough to vote in the general election, but not in the primary. To help tackle the confusion and reduce barriers for young voters, I’ve previously sponsored legislation to allow 16- and 17-year-olds to pre-register to vote. And this year, I’ve continued that work by introducing House Bill 2558, which will allow 17-year-olds to participate in primary elections if they will be 18 by the general election. The bill also allows 16- and 17-year-olds to be automatically registered to vote when they receive an Enhanced Drivers license from the Department of Licensing, and requires universities to open student engagement centers to provide ballots if requested by the student government. While my bill has yet to receive a hearing, the Senate companion bill was voted out of the Senate Committee on State Government, Tribal Relations & Elections last week. I’ll keep you updated as it continues to move through the legislative process. |
The House passed a Clean Fuels Standard!
Last Wednesday, the House passed legislation that would implement a clean fuels program in Washington state. Nearly half of our greenhouse gas emissions are from the transportation sector, and this bill helps cut those emissions by incentivizing cleaner fuels. The program is similar to ones in California, Oregon, and British Columbia that have seen huge success for air quality and the environment.
A Clean Fuels program would increase our demand for biofuels. We’re already making these cleaner fuels in Washington, but right now they’re being sold to neighboring states. This legislation makes sure that Washington would also benefit from the clean fuels we’re producing.
This legislation would also make a huge difference for air quality, especially in neighborhoods close to major roads and highways. California has already seen significant healthcare savings since implementing their clean fuels program, and for people living with respiratory conditions this could be, literally, a breath of fresh air.
Implementing a clean fuels standard would deliver the triple win of protecting our climate, cleaning our air, and growing clean energy jobs. The bill now moves to the Senate for consideration.
As always, feel free to reach out if you have comments, questions, or ideas.
Sincerely,
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Rep. Steve Bergquist