Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Happy Thanksgiving! I am grateful to you for the honor of representing the 36th legislative district in Olympia. Thank you for being on this journey with me. 🦃🥧🍂
Fighting Climate Change: Plan for the 2022 Session
Wildfires, droughts, unprecedented rain in the Northeast, freezing temps in the South, and deadly heat here at home — we all know that the impacts of climate change are upon us now.
As a member of the House Environment & Energy Committee, I recently published an op-ed in The Urbanist with Chair Joe Fitzgibbon looking back at our accomplishments from last session — like passing the Climate Commitment Act, adopting Clean Fuel Standards, eliminating single-use plastic waste, and establishing an Environmental Justice Council to consider the impacts of major agency action on overburdened communities — and planning ahead what’s next in 2022 and beyond.
Decarbonizing our buildings, reducing methane emissions, and including climate change in the Growth Management Act are just some of the essential actions we still need to take to preserve our planet for the generations of nieces, nephews, sons, daughters, humans, and other species who are counting on us. Please read our op-ed and join the fight.
Committee Assembly Week
Last week, every House and Senate committee came together to discuss the work we’ve done during the interim and our plans for next session which begins on January 10, 2022.
As Vice Chair of the House Labor & Workplace Standards Committee, and a member of the Environment & Energy, Transportation, and Joint Economic Development & International Relations Committees, I’m eager to keep fighting for our priorities and keeping you up to date on the latest developments every step of the way.
If you want to catch up on what happened this past week, videos of every committee meeting are available on the Legislature’s website. Just select the committee you’re interested in and click the See All Meeting Videos option.
State & Local Funding Resources
Washington state offers many funding programs to help our local small businesses and community organizations to flourish and grow — but it can sometimes be hard to know where to look.
That’s why I’ve added a brand-new section to my website to help connect great state & local funding opportunities with the small businesses and organizations that need them most. I invite you to visit housedemocrats.wa.gov/berry/resources to see what’s available and please reach out to my office if I can be of assistance.
This week we added information for state support for households impacted by recent floods, landslides, mudslides, and other disasters due to severe weather.
Households may also qualify for other cash, food, childcare programs; long-term care and Medicare Savings Programs; or other services here: washingtonconnection.org.
My office will continue to update these resources regularly, so make sure to check back often.
It is an honor to represent you in Olympia. Please don’t hesitate to reach out anytime at liz.berry@leg.wa.gov. For more frequent updates, I invite you to follow my legislative Facebook page.
Best wishes,
State Representative Liz Berry
36th Legislative District