Week 7 | Update from Olympia

Dear friends and neighbors,  

We’re over 25% done with this Legislative Session, and policy committee cutoff was on Friday, which is the first big deadline of this legislative session. As of Friday, all bills that will be further considered have already passed out of their policy committee and will advance to a fiscal committee (if applicable), and/or the House Floor. I am happy to share that twelve of my bills have passed out of committee, with two in appropriations. Two hearings last week, one is expected this week, and one in Executive Session.  

The most important part of my job as a legislator making myself and the legislative process accessible to you. The mini town hall we had on February 4th was a lot of fun and allowed us all to sit and chat comfortably. Common Grounds Coffee & Cupcakes were very gracious to host our us, and allowed an enriching, warm, and welcoming setting for everyone to meet. It was a very productive and friendly three (plus) hours, meeting with constituents one-on-one. We even had surprise guests, as several city council members from the 11th joined us and our constituents over cupcakes and coffee! We look forward to seeing you at our next town hall in March! Stay tuned for more information!   

Please never hesitate to reach out with any questions, comments, ideas, or stories. Thank you very much to everyone who came to our Mini Town Hall—it was so great meeting with so many of you and chatting about your legislative priorities. 

Black history is American history, and we are creating it, celebrating it, and shaping it every day of the year.⁠⁠ In 2023, the eleven members of the bicameral Legislative Black Caucus make the largest cohort in state history. Black history is now.⁠⁠ 

⁠⁠This year, the mission of the LBC is to ensure the experiences, needs and solutions of Black people throughout Washington state are represented, prioritized, and made real in our pursuit of justice, equity, and opportunity for all. 

As Chair of the Legislative Black Caucus, I introduced HB 1189 to give those incarcerated with exceptionally long sentences hope. Many people in Washington’s Department of Corrections have decades long sentences. This bill will expand the opportunity for them to show rehabilitation and growth and potentially receive a pardon or sentence commutation. As humans we change and grow. Those who are incarcerated deserve a chance to show that.

Over the past few years, the legislature has put the policy framework in place to build a cleaner, healthier future for all.  We are committed to turning this vision into a reality and working on solutions for resiliency, sustainability, and adaptability in the face of climate change. HB 1185 reduces the environmental impacts associated with lighting products by phasing out the sale of lights containing mercury. Although mercury is effective at enabling white light, it is also highly toxic, especially to the brains of fetuses and children. While extended exposure to mercury can be fatal, even small of exposure can negatively impact our health. Improper disposal of bulbs containing mercury can also cause mercury to seep into our groundwater and soil.  

My bill develops and implements a plan to phase out mercury in lightbulbs and make other changes to the logistical and implementation requirements for light stewardship programs, and implements an extended producer responsibility bill, where the manufacture pays a fee at the point of sale for every lightbulb to pay for special recycling logistics associated with both mercury light bulbs and other bulbs. This shifts the environmental responsibility to the manufacturers, and develops a plan for healthier, more sustainable lighting for our future. This bill has passed out of committee and will now be considered on the House Floor.  

Watch my testimony on this bill here.  

Community solar allows everyone to benefit from solar energy, even if they can’t put panels on a rooftop. Community solar has unique economic and environmental benefits, without the requirement of owning a home, dealing with installation, or upfront costs. I’ve also sponsored HB 1509 for better, more fair access to community solar projects. This bill requires that electric utilities compensate subscribers of community solar projects for electricity generated by the project with a retail-rate bill credit that must be rolled forward until the credit is used. It also increases the allowable size of projects, directs the Utilities and Transportation Commission to adopt rules to implement a new community solar program, allows electric utilities to recover development and implementation costs of the community solar program in electric utility rates, and adds new requirements and removes certain limitations as to where community solar projects may be located. Community solar leads to energy independence, produces less pollution, supports local economies, and is the first, best step to slowing climate change: fossil-fueled CO2 emissions are causing our planet to warm at an accelerating rate, and the time to act is now. You can provide comment on this bill and follow along here.  

Watch my testimony on this bill here. 

Thank you so much for taking the time to read. It is an honor to serve as your representative. Please don’t hesitate to reach out at David.Hackney@leg.wa.gov, or contact my legislative assistant at Leona.Wankowski@leg.wa.gov to set up a time to stop by my office.  

Sincerely,