Dear friends and neighbors,
We’re now over halfway through this year’s short 60-day legislative session! With the initial set of legislative cutoffs behind us, we head to the House Floor for a flurry of action before the next set of deadlines. Although we’re still taking precautions to keep members, staff, and the public safe from COVID-19, I was so glad to finally be able to join my colleagues in-person in the Capitol again this week.
Not only that, but I’m proud to say that a number of my bills were passed by the House since my last newsletter, including:
House Bill 1890: lays the groundwork for a comprehensive, coordinated statewide plan to address our worsening behavioral health crisis for Washington’s youth and young families.
House Bill 1834: allows students to take excused absences to focus on their mental health in the same way they would for physical illnesses and injury.
House Bill 1759: expands access to digital resources & information to help parents, teachers, and friends keep our young people safe when they are in crisis.
House Bill 1779: protects healthcare workers, surgical staff, and patients from the dangers of toxic surgical smoke.
I also want to thank my friends and 5th LD colleagues Rep. Bill Ramos and Sen. Mark Mullet for working hard to ensure our communities are well represented in the recently released transportation package being considered by the legislature. Stay tuned for more details in Rep. Ramos’s ENews next week.
Upcoming Virtual Town Hall
State Rep. Bill Ramos, Sen. Mark Mullet, and I would like to invite you to join us for our upcoming virtual town hall on Feb. 24 from 7-8 p.m. We’ll be providing an update on the latest news from the Legislature, as well as answering your questions about the most important issues for our community. You’ll be able to watch on YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook. You can also submit your questions for us in advance by clicking here.
We hope to see you there!
Improving Student Support in the Classroom
When students have access to nurses and counselors in the classroom, we see better attendance, improved academic achievement, and higher graduation rates. But in far too many of our communities, school districts don’t have the funding they need to ensure our children get the care and support they need. I was proud to co-sponsor House Bill 1664, introduced by Rep. Alicia Rule, to fix this by improving the nurse/counselor-to-student ratio – giving our care professionals more time to coordinate care, manage cases, and work with students individually to improve the culture of health in schools.
Keeping Our Communities Safe
Last year, the Legislature passed a package of bills to improve trust between law enforcement and the community. Since these laws were enacted, we’ve heard concerns from both police and constituents about the effect these laws have had on keeping our communities safe. So far this session, the House has passed House Bills 1735, 1719, and 2037 to help clarify and improve these new laws to give certainty to both our police departments and communities.
HB 1735 clarifies the level of force police can use to help our family members, friends, and neighbors get the care they need.
HB 1719 amends the ban on .50 caliber firearms so that they may still be used to deploy less-than-lethal munitions, like bean bags and rubber bullets.
HB 2037 defines physical force and authorizes officers to use force with reasonable care to stop someone from fleeing a temporary investigative detention.
These bills will help us reach the right balance between protecting the safety of the public and our police officers, while preserving the right of Washington residents to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures. We will continue to work on improving these measures based on your feedback to continue building community trust and protecting Washington families.
Small Business Flex Fund
Many small businesses are still reeling from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and they deserve access to the support they need to help keep their doors open and their employees on the payroll. That’s why the Department of Commerce set up the Small Business Flex Fund to allow small businesses to borrow up to $150,000 to spend flexibly on payroll, building repairs and improvements, utilities, rent, supplies, marketing, and other expenses. For more information and to apply, click here.
It continues to be an honor to represent you in Olympia. Never hesitate to reach out to me or my staff if there’s anything we can do to assist you or your family.
With gratitude,
Rep. Lisa Callan