Pass anti-hazing legislation to help save students’ lives
College should be a time of growth and exploration; a time for older teens to move into adulthood. But for too many students and their families, this time ends in sadness and stolen dreams because of hazing within fraternities and sororities, and universities that do too little to change the culture that enables it. House Bill 1002 would do what college presidents and their boards, and Greek organizations, seemingly won’t do: instill in “big brothers” and “big sisters” the seriousness of their actions. Currently, hazing is treated as a simple assault, which usually carries only a few weeks in jail and a fine of a few hundred dollars. That’s because, in Washington, hazing is viewed by the legal system as a mere prank. Under HB 1002, called the Sam Martinez Stop Hazing Law, the penalties for hazing would increase from a misdemeanor to a gross misdemeanor. Perpetrators could be sentenced to up to one year in jail and fined up to $5,000, instead of 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine. Continue reading at Seattle Times. (Jolayne Houtz and Hector Martinez)

Senator Shewmake: We can deliver on affordable housing
We all know someone who is struggling to keep up with rent increases or to buy a home, wondering if they will ever be able to compete in our real estate market. The housing crisis hurts our families, our young people, our seniors and our workers. It limits our economy, too — without enough housing, businesses locate elsewhere because they know they can’t hire workers if workers can’t find a place to live. The good news is, the list of solutions is as long as the list of problems. We need to change our zoning to allow for more diverse types of housing, make it easier to build multi-family housing and smaller units. We’ve got to reduce fees and speed up the permit process, which can be burdensome and time intensive. We should make it easier to build smaller homes or pre-fab homes, promote ownership opportunities, improve our wetland mitigation banking so it’s faster while still protecting the environment and finally, play a larger role in directly building more affordable housing for folks who struggle to afford market-rate housing. Continue reading at Cascadia Daily News.

Test for para-educators needs reform, educators say
A national test given to people who want to be para-educators in public schools often slows the process and presents roadblocks for bilingual applicants, some educators say. Substitute House Bill 1015, sponsored by Rep. Sharon Tomiko Santos, D-Seattle, attempts to solve these problems. “As many of you are aware, school districts are not only dealing with a significant shortage of teacher applicants but also struggling to fill their para-pro positions,” said Rural Education Center Director Jim Kowalkowski. “While this bill will not completely solve that issue, we will provide greater flexibility than those developed by a national testing company.” Currently, the test for para-educators is provided only in English, and that’s a problem for bilingual applicants. Continue reading at Port Townsend Leader.