Dear friends and neighbors,
You don’t need to look at the calendar to know that Fall is in full swing here in Washington. As the rain continues to fall around us, we know that the holiday season is just around the corner and 2021 is quickly coming to an end. But as we look to close out this year, preparations for the next legislative session are ramping up.
In this E-newsletter, you’ll find information about some of my highest priorities as your legislator and the work I’ve done during the interim to hit the ground running in the new year.
Supporting Our Students
As more of our families, friends, and neighbors get vaccinated against COVID-19, we’re beginning to see signs that our communities are finally heading toward a more familiar tomorrow. This is especially true for Washington students who were able return to the classroom this Fall. Teachers and administrators went above and beyond to provide online and remote instruction to our students throughout this crisis, but no virtual environment could ever replace the experience of being safely back in the classroom surrounded by peers and close friends.
I am excited to see our children back in our school buildings again, but our work is far from over. I’ve spent the last few months meeting with students, families, and school district staff in our district and across the state; and while they are all working hard to reengage academically and socially, many are feeling the strain and exhaustion of navigating their ever-changing learning and health environments. Ensuring our students and educators receive the support they need right now for their health and safety; their evolving social, emotional, and academic needs; and their workload, resources, and budget impacts is essential to getting through this school year and the next.
Behavioral health and academic supports, work force availability, and funding to help address these increased needs are my top priorities for the upcoming legislative session because they are top priorities for our students. Every student deserves to be equipped with the tools they need to thrive, no matter who they are or where they live. Our work won’t be over until that’s true for every student that calls this state home.
Children & Youth Behavioral Health Work Group
| I have been hard at work throughout this interim as co-chair of the Children & Youth Behavioral Health Work Group. Our work group has brought together a diverse group of statewide stakeholders, state and county agencies, hospitals, healthcare providers, schools, and other behavioral health advocacy groups, as well as parents and youth with lived experience, to address our worsening youth behavioral health crisis.
We recently completed a comprehensive list of policy recommendations to provide immediate relief for children, youth, and families in crisis; retain and build our behavioral health workforce; and develop longer-term strategies to meet the behavioral health needs of young people aged 0-25 and their families, including prenatal services and recovery support services. |
These recommendations include:
- Stabilizing and growing behavior health workforce through Medicaid funding and primary care behavioral health integration strategies;
- Expanding the Parent Support Warm Line to better support expectant and new parents;
- Securing stable housing and care coordination for youth exiting inpatient settings;
- Providing grants to put more behavioral health clinicians in schools;
- And much more.
You can view our full report of recommendations by clicking here.
We have lots of work to do in the upcoming legislative session and beyond to meet the behavioral health challenges facing Washington’s youth and their families; but because of the efforts of all those who took the time to meet with our work group over the last several months, I believe we have a strong roadmap to tackle this crisis head on.
Long-Term Care Update and Upcoming Webinar
Many of you have reached out to my staff and me over the last few months with your thoughts, questions, and concerns about WA Cares Fund, the state’s new long-term care program. As you may know, the Long-Term Services and Supports Trust Commission has been meeting regularly to discuss the rollout of the program, as well as possible solutions and recommendations based on the input it has received from those of you in the community. While the Commission was slated to publish their list of recommendations last week, its report was delayed in part due to a new lawsuit challenging the program.
I know that many of you have questions about WA Cares Fund, what’s happening with the rollout, and how this lawsuit may affect the program going forward. I’ll be hosting a virtual Long-Term Care Insurance Webinar alongside my fellow LD 5 Rep. Bill Ramos with special guests from AARP and WA Cares Fund to share the latest updates and to help answer your questions about the program. More information, including how to register and submit questions in advance, will be coming very soon.
Insurance Commissioner Credit Score Ruling Update
As many of you already know, Washington state’s Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC) issued an emergency rule earlier this year to temporarily prevent credit scores from being used to determine insurance premiums. In recent weeks, however, a Thurston County Superior Court judge threw out this emergency rule, determining that the insurance commissioner must go through the normal rule-making procedure in order to make such a change to insurance premium calculations.
Over the last several months, many of you have reached out to our office to share your support or concerns. Thank you. It’s been very helpful to hear directly from you about how this action would impact your premiums and pocketbooks, and it is important the OIC also hear from you.
The OIC has scheduled a public hearing for Tuesday, Nov. 23, at 9:30 a.m. on Zoom to discuss another proposed rule on this issue. This is your opportunity to provide direct input as new rules are considered by the OIC. If you’re interested in attending this virtual hearing, you can find more information and register by clicking here. If you would like to submit a public comment on this proposed rule, you have until Monday, Nov. 22, to share your thoughts on the OIC’s website by clicking here.