Dear Friends and Neighbors,
This e-newsletter is a quick look at what’s happening in Olympia and how it might affect all our communities. In this issue, I’ll share an update on funding requests that directly impact our community. I hope you will find it useful!
Increasing Representation
My bill, House Bill 1541, isn’t the only example of efforts to increase representation in policy making and implementation. While this bill didn’t make it past a legislative deadline and is unlikely to pass this year, I remain committed to working on this issue during the interim and uplifting other efforts at the state and national level.
For instance, Senate Resolution 8634 honors the people of Iran who share a commitment to democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. With 20,000 Iranian Americans in Washington, the legislature has an obligation to ensure a seat at the table for all communities and utilize their contributions to business, medicine, agriculture, academia, and the culture of our communities. I am proud of my colleagues in the Senate for adopting this resolution in this spirit.
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. Each legislative session, we make requests for state, local, and transportation projects in Washington, to continue building happy, healthy, thriving communities across our state. Here are some of the items I’m advocating for in our state budget:
Early Learning: Access to early learning centers is difficult to access in overburdened communities, especially those that are reliant on public transportation. By supporting the El Centro de la Raza Early Learning Center in Northgate’s transit-orientated affordable housing area, we can continue to invest in youth and close the achievement gap low—income families and communities of color.
Behavioral Healthcare: Building on-demand treatment and recovery support systems for every county in Washington is vital to helping those who face substance use disorders. I am asking the legislature to direct funding to bring together those with lived experience, treatment providers, behavioral health experts, local leaders, and law enforcement, to deliver a response to substance use disorder that offers true pathways to recovery while balancing the need for public safety. Specifically, this will extend seven behavioral health diversion programs.
Traffic Congestion To & From UW: We need safe pedestrian and bike lanes for people traveling to and from the University of Washington on NE 45th, along with improved transit passage. We’re all familiar with the NE 45th Street corridor’s problems. This budget request would direct WSDOT to conduct a feasibility study of a lid over I-5, between NE 45th and 50th Streets to address this congestion and better understand displacement in the area from a lack of affordable housing.
Bill Updates
House Bill 1345 – Family visits and other privileges help facilitate the rehabilitation process. Unfortunately, those who are involved with the justice system lack equitable access to those services. This bill would increase access to family visitation services. The Senate Committee on Human Services heard and passed this bill and was promptly voted out of the Senate with bipartisan support. It now comes back to the House for concurrence on changes made by the Senate before going to the Governor’s desk.
Senate Bill 5440 – There are over 850 people in jail waiting for over 300 days for a timely competency evaluation and restoration. This is unconscionable. We need to take a critical look at these systems to increase efficiency and determine if there is a way to reduce the amount of people ordered into the system.
Right now, we have an opportunity to come together to fix this problem. Jail-based restoration is not ideal, but when people are sitting in jail, it is crucial that they get restoration rather than remaining there. With bills like SB 5440 and the proposed budget, I’m encouraged that new resources are coming online. A concerted effort by the legislature will help provide alternative locations like the UW teaching hospital, the forensic hospital at Western State, locations in Clark County and other areas for individuals who are waiting for services.
House Bill 1541 and House Bill 1618 – I’m sad to report that the Nothing About Us Without Us Act and eliminating the statute of limitations for childhood sexual abuse, two important bills, are not moving forward this year. However, I’m proud that we were able to get these all the way over to Senate Ways and Means. Rest assured that we are already gearing up for next year and will be ready to push harder with even stronger coalitions. We would never have gotten as far as we did without your hard work. From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank every survivor who spoke out and every community member that worked on these bills. Thank you for your unwavering commitment, know that I too am committed to getting these across the finish line.
Eid Mubarak
Ramadan is celebrated by almost one-quarter of the global population and is the third largest religion in the United States. Ramadan is an important time of self-reflection, perseverance, improvement, and generosity for many in our state. The resulting impact that Islamic culture has had socioeconomically is part of the reason our diverse communities continue to thrive.
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,
Rep. Darya Farivar
State Representative 46th Legislative District