Protecting religious freedom & helping those in need:
Too many working people are one missed paycheck away from living in their car, or staying with relatives. Too many people are driven out of the housing market into homelessness. Homelessness has increased 37 percent since 2010. It’s time to do something that will help people get back on their feet.
There isn’t a magic bullet, but there is one good, temporary solution available for those facing homelessness: safe, regulated homeless encampments.
Encampments provide safe shelter and community to those in need, and in many cases, help with the process of finding affordable housing.
Many places of worship have stepped up to host tent cities. They’re giving homeless families a safe place to sleep and stay together in a time when many shelters and programs are stretched to the breaking point.
The problem is, cities and counties are increasingly passing laws that block religious organizations from exercising their right to provide food and shelter to those less fortunate.
That’s why I’ve been working on legislation to protect the right of churches, temples and mosques to be moral leaders on homelessness. House Bill 2086 would prohibit certain limitations on groups to: host an established rotating tent city, the length of the hosting terms and any safe parking efforts for homeless living in vehicles.
Our legislation fulfills a moral obligation, protects the rights of faith based organizations, and provides much needed consistency among jurisdictions in regards to homeless encampments.
HB 2086 passed the House and is awaiting a vote in the Senate Committee on Human Services and Mental Health & Housing.
- Read what the Seattle Times has to say about it.
- Check out the opinion piece State Sen. Mark Miloscia and I co-authored.
Getting off the toxic treadmill
Toxic, cancer-causing chemicals are found in the furniture in our homes and in common children’s products such as crib mattresses. As these items break down from every day wear and tear, the chemicals are turned in to household dust. Industry officials claim that these products enhance fire safety, but a recent investigative report found this claim untrue. In fact, these chemicals can actually make household fires more lethal by increasing the toxicity in the smoke inhaled by firefighters, first responders and victims.
Children are at a higher risk of ingesting the chemicals because, let’s face it, they put everything in their mouths. Children’s developing bodies and brains are also more vulnerable to the harmful effects of toxins. By removing toxic chemicals from the products we have in our homes, we are giving parents a break from having to choose how to keep kids safe and healthy.
House Bill 1174, bans TRIS, a class of flame retardants that is known to cause cancer, alter hormones and hinder brain development in children. This bill moves us off of the “toxic treadmill” for good by also prohibiting replacing one toxic flame-retardant with another equally toxic chemical.
The bill, sponsored by my colleague, Rep. Kevin Van De Wege, passed out of the House with near unanimous support – 95 yeas to only 3 nays.
Similar measures have been before the Legislature for numerous years, but have never made it to the Governor’s desk for his signature. I am hopeful that this year the Republican-controlled Senate will finally agree that it is our shared responsibility to protect the health of our hard-working firefighters and our future generations.
48th Legislative District, city of the month – Medina
Medina is one of the point cities that makes up the 48th legislative district. This past weekend I spent quite a bit of time there – helping with the post office grand opening. Medina was incorporated in 1955 and has a population of 2,970 people. To read about the history of Medina click here.
Can you identify this mystery historic building in Medina?
