Dear Friends and Neighbors,
As of week 8 of legislative session, I have drafted and submitted nine bills and introduced numerous budget requests that benefit our communities. In this issue, I discuss emergency preparedness in our communities, building resiliency through food security, provide an exciting update on the Working Families Tax Credit, and invite you to my upcoming townhall.
Please consider clicking here or on the image below to view my video on staying engaged this session. You can also follow me for updates on my official Facebook page. I hope you will find these resources useful!
Creating Resilient Communities
With the devastating impacts of climate change & environmental degradation threatening the lives & livelihoods of all who call this state home, it’s never been more important to create resilient systems that support our communities and help us avert crisis.
As someone involved in emergency preparedness, this a large priority for me. Here are two bills I’ve introduced to improve resiliency in Washington:
I’ve also cosponsored HB 1012, the Extreme Weather Protection Act, to help communities better respond to extreme weather events. Washington’s fire seasons continue to worsen, atmospheric rivers create abnormal flooding, and cold snaps blanket our region in ice. Taking care of residents during periods of extreme weather is a public safety issue, but with this bill, cities will be better positioned to respond with increased resources and resiliency planning from the WA Military Department.
Resiliency comes from communities and families who have the resources they need to withstand and recover from a disaster. Ultimately, I believe these bills help our state plan for and respond to disasters more effectively. To learn more, click here or on the image below:
Improving Food Security
Food security is huge issue in our state with 1 in 6 kids living in households experiencing food insecurity. An important part of creating resiliency in our communities is making sure communities have access to more secure and healthy options for food. I am proud to share that we are working on ways to help families be more food secure, so they don’t have to worry about how they are going to afford the next meal. Here are a few of bills that are help address this problem:
The Washington Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act (HB 1238) makes school lunch free for kids, meaning kids stay fed and learning and their parents get to worry about one less meal. This will end the stigma of “free lunch” that exists in public schools, leading to greater access to meals and eliminate the shame some students feel for utilizing the existing free-and-reduced price lunch program.
HB 1784 will provide $28 million to Washington’s General Fund in 2023 for food assistance programs. Why is this necessary now? Starting in March, our state faces a hunger cliff because emergency SNAP allotments will be ending. These emergency allotments were granted during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, but many people—seniors and disabled people on fixed incomes, as well as low-income families—rely on this extra money to get by. With food prices 13 percent higher now than they were this time a year ago, it is critical that we pass this bill for early action for increased support before the start of the next biennium.
House Bill 1559 directly addresses the basic needs of college students by creating a Benefit Navigator Grant Program, connecting students to assistance programs. You may have seen in the Seattle Times that half of all college students are failing to meet their basic needs when it comes to housing, food, and economic security. No one should have to go without housing or food to get a college degree. We must do better.
House Bill 1552 creates a study to explore urban agriculture to create more resilient local food sources. By tackling some of the data questions necessary to make sure working families can put food on the table, whether through community gardens, or various urban agricultural opportunities, we can begin to think differently about how the state can make this happen.
Building off this work, I am exploring ways to improve access and affordability for individuals, families, and communities to grow their own food. Many people don’t have access to land for a garden and are also experiencing food insecurity. To learn more about the legislatures efforts to increase food resiliency, click here or on the image below:
The Working Families Tax Credit Goes Live
This fantastic program is finally up and running! The Working Families Tax Credit is a new program that will provide payments of up to $1,200 to low-to-moderate income individuals and families. The amounts are based on income level and the number of qualifying children. Help us spread the word and make sure everyone who qualifies can receive this tax credit.
This program will help us stimulate local economies, promote racial equity, and provide the financial stability Washington families need right now. To find more information in several available languages, visit WorkingFamiliesCredit.wa.gov.
You’re Invited to My First Townhall!
Join me for a live town hall on Saturday, March 18th from 1:30 – 2:30pm at the Snohomish Library. This will be an opportunity to answer your questions on issues important to you and hear my legislative priorities this year. I look forward to seeing you there!
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 for us to meet by emailing our office, so you can share your priorities with me. 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.
In service,
State Representative Brandy Donaghy
44th Legislative District