Session Wins

Office of Independent Investigation

Photo Credit: Pyramid Communications

The investigation into the death of Manuel Ellis at the hands of the Tacoma Police Department made clear that even if they are from a different agency, police cannot be responsible for investigating police. This past summer, I worked closely with the Governor’s Task Force on Independent Investigations of Police Use of Force, and introduced legislation based on their recommendations.

HB 1267, the resulting legislation, will create an Office of Independent Investigations within the Governor’s office that will consist of regional teams that can respond to a deadly use of force within one hour to secure the scene and process evidence. This team will have no other law enforcement role. Staff at the new agency will be trained in the history of racism in policing, tribal sovereignty, implicit and explicit bias, intercultural competency, a racial equity lens, anti-racism, and undoing institutional racism. The agency will also have a focus on communicating with the family of the person killed and the community.

By creating a completely independent office, we can begin to rebuild trust between the communities most impacted by police violence and our law enforcement. We must have accountability when an officer unnecessarily kills a member of the community. The new Office of Independent Investigations will help that process by ensuring that investigations into deadly incidents are thorough, impartial, and respectful of the community.

Relief for Kent and Auburn Taxpayers

The Legislature ended the Streamlined Sales Tax Account in 2017, speculating that changes resulting from the Marketplace Fairness Act would compensate for the lost revenue. Unfortunately, in cities with large warehousing and manufacturing centers, this was not the case. In 2018, the City of Kent still received over $4.5 million from the account.

This year the Legislature passed my bill HB 1521, to create the Warehousing and Manufacturing Job Centers Account to provide mitigation funds for communities who received substantial mitigation funds from the recently closed Streamlined Sales Tax Mitigation Account. Our communities should not have to foot the bill for services that benefit the entire state. This new account will ensure that Kent and Auburn taxpayers get the relief they deserve and that our warehousing and manufacturing centers can continue to power Washington’s economy.

Vaccinations

COVID cases are once again on the rise across the state, especially in South King County. This past Thursday, April 15th, vaccine eligibility opened up to all Washingtonians over the age of 16. While vaccines are being administered as quickly as possible, it is important that we continue to wear our masks and socially distance to mitigate the current rise in cases.

The past three ‘waves’ of COVID have been devastating, and we must do what we can to avoid a fourth wave. COVID variants are responsible for almost one third of cases in Washington, and common COVID variants are anywhere from 40%-80% more transmissible. The finish line is in sight and now is not the time to give up!

If you still need to be vaccinated, there are a variety of locations in South King County offering vaccine appointments. Vaccination sites are working very hard to provide appointments for those who are eligible, but it may take a bit of time and research to find available appointments. Below are some resources for scheduling a vaccine appointment in South King County:

Auburn and Kent vaccination sites: Use this link for vaccinations specifically for South King County residents. These are mass vaccination sites set up by the County. If there are no available slots, check back at a later date for available appointments.

Washington State vaccine locator: Use this link to find COVID-19 vaccine appointments in Washington State. Just enter your zip code and a variety of vaccine locations will pop up in your area.

Rite Aid: Use this link and indicate the city you are in, and a variety of Rite Aid locations in the area will appear for which you can schedule an appointment.

Walmart: Use this link to search for vaccine appointments at Walmart locations. If no appointments are currently available, continue to check the website periodically.

HealthPoint patients: Use this link if you are a HealthPoint patient to schedule a vaccination.

Kaiser Permanente: Use this link to search for vaccinations through Kaiser Permanente.

Constituent Services Throughout the Interim

Although the Legislative Session will soon be coming to an end, our office will continue to offer year-round assistance if you are having trouble with a state government agency, including the Employment Security Department. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to my Legislative Assistant, Derek Loville. He can be reached via email at Derek.Loville@leg.wa.gov or by phone at (253) 330-5504. The more information that you have when you reach out (a short summary of the issue, your residential address, claim ID number in the case of an unemployment claim), the quicker we will be able to assist.