Dear Friends and Neighbors,
With the beginning of March, the legislature is now convening on the House floor to vote on bills until March 8th, before resuming committee hearings on Senate legislation. In this issue, I’ll provide an update on bills that have passed from the House, discuss funding requests that will directly help our community, and invite you to an upcoming town hall. I hope you will find it useful!
Legislative Update
The last few weeks have seen the passage of numerous legislative deadlines. February 17th was the last day for the House to consider legislation without a fiscal impact, followed by February 24th, which was the last day to pass all bills from fiscal committees. Below are some bills that I am proud to share have passed the House:
House Bill 1326 would support the construction of affordable and supportive housing by giving municipalities the option to waive utility connection charges. This bill passed the House with bipartisan support and is now up for consideration in the Senate!
House Bill 1406 helps vulnerable youth access shelter services and provides additional assistance to service providers to expand family reconciliation services. This bill passed the House Appropriations Committee on February 21st with a unanimous vote.
House Bill 1481 would allow tribal law enforcement officers to participate in the LEOFF2 retirement plan. This will help our tribal partners in recruiting and retaining personnel and address the lack of comparable retirement benefits despite providing comparable services to the community. I am proud to share this bill passed the House unanimously and now awaits consideration in the Senate.
House Bill 1530 expands eligibility for employment in law enforcement and prosecuting attorney offices. Currently, both industries face a large workforce shortage that is straining law enforcement and the court system. By expanding eligibility to consider applications from citizens and legal permanent residents, we can expand the workforce pool of qualified candidates. This bill passed the House Committee on Community Safety, Justice, & Reentry unanimously.
House bill 1736 addresses the difficulty WSDOT is experiencing in understanding yearly travel trends and patterns. The lack of odometer data makes it difficult to inform state transportation planning efforts and address mobility, safety, funding mechanisms and environmental protection goals. By asking DOL to request odometer information during vehicle registrations and renewal, we can better use state funding to meet the needs of all communities!
Funding For Our Community
In Washington, the legislature funds key programs and services that individuals and families rely on through the Operating Budget, Capital Budget, and Transportation budget. Below are some requests I have worked on with our community partners and state agencies to get services to those who need it the most:
Department of Commerce: I am requesting $200 million to support continued funding for homeless services at current levels. This funding prevents across the board cuts statewide in services and stabilizes the homeless service provider workforce with permanent wage increases and other benefits to recruit and retain workers.
In addition, I am working with the Department of Commerce in requesting $330,000 to develop and implement a program aimed at reducing workplace sexual harassment in the agricultural sector, with the following goals:
1) Continued peer-to-peer trainings for farmworkers in Yakima County and expansion into Grant & Benton Counties.
2) Support an established network of peer trainers as farmworker leaders whose primary purpose is to prevent workplace sexual harassment and assault through leadership, education, and other tools.
3) Sharing best practices from this peer-to-peer model at a statewide conference for farmworkers, industry representatives and advocates.
Finally, I am working with the Health Care Authority and NorthStar Advocates to continue The Bridge program which convenes inpatient treatment discharge planners, community housing providers, and youth with lived homelessness experience. The primary focus is to reduce the number of young people who become homeless upon discharge or within a year of discharge from an inpatient treatment facility. Other funding I am strongly for this year includes supporting the Tulalip Tribe and City of Marysville with improvements to I-5 interchanges and corridors, as well as the Port of Everett in modernizing the seaport.
As proposed budgets are finalized, I look forward to helping the legislature reaffirm its commitment to invest in families, businesses, infrastructure, and economic resiliency to ensure the shared prosperity of all in our community.
Save the Date!
On March 12th, from 2-4 PM, my district colleagues Senator Robinson, Representative Fosse and I will be hosting an in person townhall. I look forward to providing an update on our work in Olympia and answer your questions — submit yours in advance here.
The following weekend, on March 18th, I will be holding a Spanish speaking townhall at The Village from 12:30 – 1:30 PM.
I hope to see you at one or both upcoming townhalls!
Page Program
We need pages! The page program gives young Washington residents the chance to learn and participate in the legislative process by attending page school, assisting legislative offices, delivering messages, and working on the House and Senate floors.
This unique opportunity is open to Washington residents who are at least 14 years old but have not reached their 17th birthday. This year only, the House is allowing 17- and 18-year-olds to participate during two specific weeks since the program was suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic.
For more information, please visit the page program’s website by clicking here.
Share Your Thoughts With Me
I’m so excited to welcome constituents back to Olympia! If you come down to Olympia, please schedule a time to meet by emailing our office. My staff and I are also happy to meet remotely if you are not quite comfortable in a public setting or simply don’t have time to make it to Olympia.
It’s an honor to represent the 38th Legislative District. I look forward to hearing your continued advocacy, feedback, and engagement throughout the 2023 Legislative Session.
In Service,
State Representative Julio Cortes
38th Legislative District