Honoring our Past During Black History Month
Black leaders have led the way to create a more just future that meets the needs of all Washingtonians, especially our Black neighbors. This Black History Month, the Washington State Legislative Black Caucus honors the contributions of Black legislators of the past and looks to a more just and equitable future for Washingtonians.
Move Ahead Washington
Last week, Democrats introduced the Move Ahead Washington transportation package. This 16 year, almost $17 billion dollar package creates a sustainable, achievable future for our transportation sector.
Move Ahead Washington delivers historic investments to preserve our roads, reduce carbon emissions, and provide safe, accessible, and affordable options to get around.
House Democrats hosted over 90 listening sessions to hear the top transportation priorities from communities across the state. This proposal addresses the concerns we heard and reflects our focus on meeting the needs of every community in WA.
Here in the 47th District, the package will fund several priority projects including King County Metro’s RapidRide I Line in Auburn, completion of the 224th Avenue Corridor, the Meet Me on Meeker intermodal improvements.
Today’s challenges in transportation
Inadequate funding for aging infrastructure means local maintenance projects have stalled. As a result, people are spending more to fix the wear and tear on their cars caused by deteriorating roads. Meanwhile, commuters sit in traffic because they don’t have other options to reach their destinations.
Tomorrow’s generations are counting on us to take meaningful action to address climate change. Today, communities of color, low-income, and rural communities bear the brunt of traffic, pollution, and displacement caused by previous transportation policies. Communities of color have also been historically excluded from the family-wage jobs associated with transportation construction.
What our package does differently to serve Washingtonians
Preserving existing infrastructure
Move Ahead Washington invests an unprecedented $3 billion to fix our existing infrastructure. By honoring our responsibility to complete projects we’ve started, we’re also creating good, family-wage construction jobs to make repairs across the state.
Taking bold action to reduce carbon emissions
Our package takes decisive action against climate change by putting $5.4 billion toward electrification and the expansion of affordable, accessible options to get from point A to point B. Our community deserves diverse choices so we can use what works for us—whether walking, rolling, driving, or riding—while reducing our carbon footprint.
Addressing harm caused by past transportation decisions
Move Ahead Washington re-prioritizes disinvested neighborhoods and renews our moral obligation to do better for BIPOC, rural, and low-income communities. We’re funding projects that expand reliable transit service, create bike and pedestrian routes, and increase opportunities for good jobs in the transportation sector. Our package also directs 35% of funds from the Climate Commitment Act into projects serving disinvested neighborhoods and communities often left out of the policymaking process.
Funding our investments
This proposal does not include a gas tax. This is a people-oriented proposal that doesn’t pass costs onto working families. Especially after the economic hardships of the pandemic, it was important that we fund these investments without an immediate gas tax. Instead, we are meeting our state’s needs with a one-time transfer from the state’s general fund, federal dollars from the Infrastructure and Jobs Act, and investments from the Climate Commitment Act.
Doulas for All
Last week on the House floor I voted for HB 1881 to help make birth doulas accessible for more people. A birth doula is a non-medical birth coach who is trained to provide support to birthing persons during labor, birth, and the postpartum period.
Having an advocate present strengthens birth outcomes and decreases the need for medical intervention, including a significant reduction in risk of cesarean births. These benefits should be available for everyone, not only the people who can pay out of pocket. 52% of births in Washington state are covered by Medicaid. Establishing a doula certification would allow Medicaid to cover birth doula services and would ensure that the benefits of a doula are available for all.
Childbirth is challenging under the best of circumstances. Having someone there to help you navigate your options, to support you through childbirth, and to help you adjust to life with a new baby, is life-changing. I’m proud to support this legislation and hope that the Senate moves quickly to pass the bill.
Protecting Civic Engagement from Intimidation
All Washingtonians deserve safe participation in civic engagement without intimidation and fear. Simply put, guns do not belong at school board meetings, ballot counting locations, or local council meetings. These are bedrock locations for our democracy and bringing a gun or weapon serves no purpose except for intimidation. Last year the Legislature banned firearms at the Capitol Campus and political protests. This year we have seen a major increase in threatening and harassing behavior at school boards, election facilities, and local government council meetings.
HB 1630 prohibits the open carry of firearms or other weapons at a local government building used to host meetings of the local government’s governing body or at any location of a public meeting or hearing of the local government during its meeting or hearing. Furthermore, the bill prohibits the carrying or possession of firearms and other weapons in areas that are used for official meetings of school district boards of directors or at any election-related offices and facilities. Violations are a gross misdemeanor offense.
As this bill has made its way through the committee process, legislators have heard from a wide range of stakeholders and have made accommodations based on their feedback. One major concern that we heard is that since the locations of these meetings can change and are often held in multi-use buildings, someone might bring a weapon inadvertently. In response to those concerns, we have added “knowingly” into the bill. In order for the crime to occur the weapon must be knowingly carried into one of the newly restricted areas. This will prevent a law-abiding citizen from accidentally being charged with a crime.
Guns in public spaces result in an atmosphere of intimidation, which restricts people’s ability to exercise their fundamental right to address the government. In local government and election settings, the possession of firearms can increase aggressive behavior, exacerbate tensions, and be at odds with the principles of democracy and public safety. The location of government meetings should be a place where people feel comfortable and safe when participating. As local governments are precluded from acting, the state must act. It is imperative to protect free speech and the public from violence by ensuring that guns are not allowed in settings for civic engagement.
To learn more about the HB 1630 click here.