Comprehensive Sexual Health Education

This week, the House passed legislation to require Washington schools to teach medically accurate and age appropriate comprehensive sexual health education. Senate Bill 5395 will ensure our state’s students are safe and informed, and will provide them with the tools they need to be healthy adults, engage in consensual relationships, and identify and prevent sexual abuse. For young K-3^rd grade students, this means teaching social and emotional learning. “Bad touch” and “be a good friend” are foundational building blocks for later education.

I support comprehensive sexual health education in our public schools, and voted yes on this legislation earlier this week. Not only will students be taught medically and scientifically accurate sexual health education, their lessons will be age appropriate and appropriate for all students regardless of gender, race, disability status, or sexual orientation.

I have been incredibly disappointed in the amount of misinformation and fear-mongering we have seen regarding this bill. Let me dispel some of the myths you may have heard. First, the bill doesn’t take away local control. School districts can select the curriculum that works best for their community, or can even design their own curriculum in partnership with the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI). Second, the bill maintains the right of parents, who play a critical role in student success, to request to view the curriculum and opt their children out of any part of the instruction. Lastly, as a mother of a young daughter, I understand your concerns about teaching sex, pornography, or other graphic content in elementary school. That’s not what this bill does.

As a survivor of sexual abuse myself, I believe comprehensive education is key to preparing our younger generations for tomorrow. I spoke of my experience during floor debate on the bill, and reminded us all that by preparing our state’s students with knowledge, we can ensure they are equipped to be safe, healthy, and mature.

“My role tonight in the People’s House as your Representative, as a Mom, and a victim is to protect that one child from hiding in the woods from their sexual abuser by teaching them bad touch and to say no. We should pass this law to ensure a generation of children today and to come have the tools to protect themselves, their bodies, and their future.”

– from my comments on the floor of the People’s House

Click the image to watch Rep. Lekanoff’s floor speech in support of comprehensive sexual health education.

Week 8 of the 2020 Session

It’s getting close to the end of session – only one Monday left!

Both the House and Senate have been spending most of our time on the floor debating and passing bills, including two of mine! Both House Bill 2551, which allows students to wear tribal regalia at graduation ceremonies, and House Bill 2785, which would add two additional public members, one of which must be a tribal representative, to the Criminal Justice Training Commission, have been voted out of the Senate with strong, bipartisan support. That means both bills are now on their way to the governor’s desk to be signed.

Also in the Senate this week, I joined Sen. John McCoy and tribal leaders for the passage of a resolution on the 201st anniversary of the Indian Civilization Fund Act, recognizing and remembering the surviving children of Indian Boarding Schools, and their descendants, honoring their resiliency in the face these atrocities and acknowledging the cross-generational trauma.

Learn more in my recent video update.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) resources and funding

Last weekend, Governor Inslee signed an emergency proclamation directing state agencies to use state resources to respond to and recover from the COVID-19 outbreak and to utilize the National and State Guards as necessary. On Tuesday afternoon, the House of Representatives quickly and unanimously approved the appropriation of $100 million to get state agencies, local governments and federally recognized tribes the necessary funding to assist with the coronavirus response. The bill also gives the Department of Social and Health Services funding to increase nursing staff to help address this growing need. At a Legislative briefing earlier this week, Washington Department of Health Secretary John Wiesman reported that DOH is spending $60,000 per day responding to the outbreak, and total spending has surpassed $3.5 million since the beginning of the year. As this situation continues to rapidly unfold, please protect yourself and your family by following these DOH recommendations: Wash your hands often for at least 20 seconds Cough and sneeze into a tissue and discard it immediately. Avoid touching eyes, nose, or mouth. Stay home when you’re sick. If you have symptoms like cough, fever, or difficulty breathing, call your healthcare provider before you go to a clinic or emergency room. Clean and disinfect objects and surfaces. Do not attend large gatherings (sporting events, conferences, community events) if you are sick, don’t feel well, or someone in your home is sick. Show compassion and support for individuals and communities most closely impacted. You can also check out and share this DOH fact sheet, which is available in eleven languages.

Constituent Corner: Protecting the Skagit River and Ecosystem

I’ve heard from many of you about concerns relating to mining operations in British Columbia impacting Washington salmon habitat, and I share those concerns.

Washington is spending a lot time and money to protect and restore salmon habitat, and mining operations in the Upper Skagit watershed could cause significant damage to our progress. The Skagit River is the only river in the lower 48 that produces all five species of salmon, including chinook, steelhead, and bull trout, which is why we must protect our precious habitat and resources. In fact, over 50 percent of chinook salmon rely on the Skagit River to spawn and chinook are the prime food source for our endangered southern resident orcas. The proposed mining activities in British Columbia pose a significant risk to the health of these species, as waste from mining activities can be toxic to juvenile salmon.

In order to address this issue, Sen. John McCoy and I each introduced joint memorials to call on our counterparts in British Columbia’s Legislative Assembly to institute new regulations on mining projects. Sen. McCoy’s memorial passed the Senate earlier this session and is currently under consideration in the House.

Even as session winds down, I’ll continue to advocate for the house to pass SJM 8014, as it’s imperative that we call on the British Columbia government to work with the City of Seattle, Tribes, and the Skagit Environmental Endowment Commission to prevent mining in the “donut hole” of the Upper Skagit watershed, in order to ensure the area’s environmental and recreational resources are permanently protected.

Notable Meetings

This week, I met with:

Commerce Director Lisa Brown and Anacortes Mayor Laurie Gere

• We discussed our concerns around the retirement of the Elwha ferry, and potential next steps and working with the Department of Commerce to address the potential shortfall in revenue and loss of the more than 1,000 jobs supported by the route. Anacortes Mayor Laurie Gere shared that the route generates around $1.6 million a year in tax revenue for Anacortes alone. Learn more about the potential impacts of ending the Anacortes-to-Sidney ferry service on GoSkagit.com.

Island View Elementary School students

• Sen. Lovelett, Rep. Ramel, and I met with students from the district while they were here at the Capitol for a tour. The next generation shared their insights and direction that they felt the Washington State Legislature should be addressing together. This included the awareness of the Snake River Dam and the impacts to the southern resident orca and salmon and asking our favorite items we’re working on this session. They reminded me that our work in the State Legislature is vital to their future, and the future of the next generation. I can’t wait to see which one of them will sit in my seat in the People’s House.

Ridwell

• I met with Founder and CEO Ryan Metzger, who shared with me their exciting work to help people sustainably reuse and recycle plastic bags, film, clothing, batteries, and more! Quite timely to discuss my support for Senate Bill 5323, which would reduce pollution from single-use plastic bags.

Northwest Agriculture Business Center Thank you to the NABC for hosting a legislative reception that brought Olympia a little taste of home! I was thrilled to see and enjoy samples from Twinbrook Creamery, Sauk Farm, Skiyou Ranch, Bow Hill Blueberries, Bread Farm, Golden Glen Creamery, Lummi Island Wild, Boldly Grown Farm, Bellewood Acres, Whidbey Pies, Lopez Island Creamery, and others. Agriculture is vital to our economy in the 40th District, and having them come to Olympia and meet with legislators is vital to developing policies that keep our economy working for us all.

Did you know…?

Sun and warmer weather is just around the corner, so it might be a good time to start thinking about enjoying some fresh air in our beautiful public lands! The Discover Pass was created in 2011 to offset steep reductions in support for parks and other recreation lands and facilities operated by Washington State Parks, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Today, when you buy the Discover Pass, you are helping to keep the state’s wonderful outdoor recreation sites open and accessible to the public.

However, not everyone can afford the $30 fee to purchase a one-year pass. There are some exemptions and free or reduced passes offered by Washington State Parks for seniors, disabled veterans, foster parents, and people with disabilities, but barriers still exist for many low-income families. To provide better access to state parks, Discover Pass agencies began the Check Out Washington pilot program last year with the State Library. The program makes Discover Passes, backpacks, field guides, and binoculars available for checkout from certain libraries around the state.

Since the program began, more libraries from around the state have expressed interest in participating in the program. This session, I voted for a bill sponsored by Sen. Billig, Senate Bill 6670, which may make that a reality. The bill, which will increase availability of the Library Discover Passes at any library in the state that submits a request, was passed unanimously out of both the House and Senate. The bill is now on the governor’s desk, awaiting his signature!

Like and Follow me on Facebook!

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Thank you all for taking to the time to read this week’s Fantastic Friday, and for taking an interest in our progress at the House of Representatives. I will be sending out a Fantastic Friday letter each week throughout the legislative session.

Please feel free to reach out to me using the information below, with any questions, inquiries, or concerns you may have.

I am here for you!

All best wishes,

Rep. Debra Lekanoff