Legislative Process Note

Monday, March 1st marked the 50th day of the 2021 legislative session. Though this session seems to be flying by, the Legislature still lots of work ahead of us. A multitude of bills continue to make their way through the legislative process. This process is designed to create a lengthy, and thorough, vetting system to ensure that all bills enacted benefit the people of Washington State.

Currently, the full House is considering bills on the floor. To get to this point bills have progressed out of a policy committee, and if there is a fiscal impact, a fiscal committee. Once passed these bills will go through a similar vetting process in the Senate, meaning there will be more opportunities for public testimony, committee hearings and proposed amendments. The House will consider bills that originated in the House until March 9, when it will begin the committee process all over again with bills the Senate has passed.

Once a bill has gone through the committee process and been approved by both chambers of the Legislature, it will be sent to Governor Inslee to be signed into law. You can learn more about the Washington State Legislative Process, or track the progress of bills, here. I look forward to continuing to promote the needs and values of my constituents in the 47th Legislative District.

Juneteenth

Last week, the House passed HB 1016 to make Juneteenth a legal state holiday with overwhelming bipartisan support. Juneteenth or Emancipation Day, celebrates the day, two and half years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, that news finally reached Galveston, Texas that all enslaved persons were now released from their bondage. Originally an unofficial holiday that many African Americans celebrated, it gained more recognition during the Civil Rights Movement; however, relatively few states officially celebrate it today.

Designating Juneteenth a state holiday is an important step toward healing and reconciliation. It is a recognition and a reminder that chattel slavery happened in this country. It is an acknowledgment of Black pain and Black trauma. It will be a chance for us as a state to consider the deep pain that our history has caused and to recommit ourselves to the struggle of creating a truly equitable state. I spoke on final passage and I am hopeful that this bill will be passed by the Senate. You can watch my speech below.

Police Tactics and the Use of K-9s

Earlier this week, the House passed a bill to ban dangerous and unacceptable police tactics like chokeholds, neck restraints and no-knock warrants. Law enforcement’s highest value must be protecting and preserving human life, but some police tactics don’t uphold that value. HB 1054, introduced by Rep. Jesse Johnson, went through a rigorous process to lift up all voices, including community leaders, families of victims of police violence, and law enforcement officers. The resulting bill aims to minimize aggressive tactics and change police culture.  

One portion of the bill that we have received a lot of feedback on is the portion to limit the use of police K-9s. While the bill has been scaled back and now only calls for  the creation of a first in the nation model policy for the use of K-9s, I wanted to share with you why I supported the original language that banned unleashed K-9s from being used in the apprehension of suspects.

While K-9s certainly play a valuable role; bomb sniffing, searching for missing persons, and drug detection, they are also used disproportionately against Black, Latino, and Native Americans. Over 95% of K-9 bites result in some type of visible injury. National hospital data shows that Black Americans represent 42% of those who are bitten by police K-9s despite representing only 13% of the population. Being attacked by a dog is a traumatic experience that can leave horrible and long-lasting physical injuries. Going forward we must ensure that K-9s are not being used disproportionately against people of color and that we use K-9s for apprehension of suspects only as a necessary last resort. Being arrested should not result in injuries that can maim and disfigure someone for life.

URGENT: Deadline for Addresses for Pandemic EBT Cards is Monday

A new round of Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) cards is scheduled to be distributed soon. P-EBT is a food benefit created by Congress during the COVID pandemic in order to help replace meals that eligible students would have received if school schedules weren’t disrupted. Each child who is eligible to receive a free or reduced price school meal (including children who attend schools that serve free meals to all students) will receive their own P-EBT card in the mail in the coming weeks.

However, in order to receive a P-EBT card, students must have an accurate mailing address on record with their student’s school by MONDAY, MARCH 8. If a family does not have a safe or reliable address, the school may use their own school address to have a child’s P-EBT card safely mailed to school, where families can pick up their cards. If you are eligible contact your school immediately to update your address if it has changed.