Happy Fantastic Friday!
Join Us March 20 for a Virtual Town Hall!
We’ve passed the halfway mark in session, and your 40th District legislators wanted to take some time to chat about our legislative priorities and answer your questions about the work being done and the issues you care about.
Please join Sen. Liz Lovelett, Rep. Alex Ramel and me on Saturday, March 20 from 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. There are several ways to tune in: the event will be livestreamed to my legislative Facebook page, to the House Democrats Facebook page, to the House Democrats Twitter feed, and to the House Democrats YouTube channel.
You can submit questions to us ahead of time, or live during the event by entering them in the comment section.
Please note, the livestream will not appear on most of the platforms until the event begins. You also do not need a Facebook or Twitter account to view the livestream and the video will be saved on YouTube.
We’re looking forward to listening to you, answering your questions, and sharing our priorities for the 2021 session.
An Update on My Bills
House Bill 1326, which addresses qualifications, training and accreditation for coroners and medical examiners, passed off the floor of the People’s House last Saturday, March 6, on a unanimous vote! The bill has been scheduled for a public hearing in the Senate Housing & Local Government Committee at 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, March 16.
House Bill 1372, which authorizes putting a statue of Billy Frank Jr. — who was a dedicated advocate for equality, justice, and environmental protections — in the National Statuary Hall collection in Washington D.C., passed the People’s House on a strong, bipartisan vote of 92-5! The bill passed on March 8, the day before we celebrated Billy Frank Jr. Day here in Washington state. Watch my remarks on the floor. The bill is scheduled for a public hearing in the Senate State Government & Elections Committee at 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday, March 17. Read more about this bill in this recent article from the Bellingham Herald.
House Bill 1117 integrates salmon recovery into the Growth Management Act (GMA), which guides land management and planning in our state. The bill also sets a standard for net ecological gain, or ‘leaving it better than you found it,’ rather than our state’s current standard of no net loss when it comes to community development. Through these policies, our communities will be better able to protect our environment and mitigate the impacts of climate change as we continue to grow. The bill has been scheduled for a public hearing in the Senate Housing & Local Government Committee at 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, March 16.
House Bill 1072 eliminates a provision in current law that denies equity and access to justice for undocumented immigrants by restricting them from accessing state-funded civil legal aid. The bill was voted out of the Senate Law & Justice Committee yesterday!
Prioritizing de-escalation and limiting use of force
After months of work by the families of victims of police violence, elected officials, law enforcement organizations and other community groups to answer the call for action in the wake of lives lost to unnecessary police violence, the House of Representatives passed House Bill 1310. This bill sets the clear expectation that de-escalation should be an officer’s first instinct and that deadly force should only be a truly necessary last resort.
As Rep. Johnson, the prime sponsor of the bill, said after passage, “Preserving and protecting human life must be law enforcement’s highest values. To build trust in communities, we must set expectations that honor those values and build systems of accountability and transparency.” Current law allows police to complete an arrest by any means necessary, a broad authorization that allows an unlimited amount of force. When determining use of force, officers would be required to consider circumstances, such as a person having a disability, experiencing a mental health crisis, pregnancy, or the presence of children. By setting that new standard, deadly force would be a last resort after de-escalation efforts failed. HB 1310 is one of a series of bills brought forward by members of the Policing Policy Leadership Team in the House Democratic Caucus, on which I serve. Already, the House has passed HB 1267 to establish an independent agency to investigate police uses of deadly force and HB 1054 to ban dangerous and unacceptable police tactics. In addition to my work for the caucus Policing Policy Leadership Team, I held my own public safety round tables to hear from leaders and interested parties in the 40th District. The round tables included Reps. Roger Goodman, Jesse Johnson, and Javier Valdez, as well as Sen. Liz Lovelett, governor’s office and congressional staff. Together we listened to guidance from 40th District elected leaders, sheriffs and police chiefs, public defenders and prosecutors. A second listening session was held with leaders of the Latinx community, which accounts for around 40% of the population in Skagit County. I also have a strong relationship with federally-recognized tribes and as sovereign nations it was important to meet with tribal police chiefs and prosecutors. The public may not be aware, but many of the tribal police force work in local and state police jobs part time and often transfer from tribal to local police jobs and vice versa. At the end of the day, the resounding message from these meetings was that we need to honor the call to action for police reform, and we need to recognize that each community has challenges and solutions. If we are going to invest in policing reform, then the state must obligate funds and fully invest in partnerships with local governments to find model best practices and next steps together. We are on the path toward providing safe communities for ALL, and we can only find success if we move forward together with local governments and our tribal nations. |
Upholding our promise to working families
The Working Families Tax Credit, or Recovery Rebate, is our promise to the people of Washington that when they work hard to achieve their dreams, their community will rise up to support them. I am so overjoyed by the collective hope and resilience of everyone who has advocated for this policy since 2008. This is our chance to reclaim the American Dream as a tool for racial justice, economic recovery, and community health. Our state is known for our upside-down tax structure, where those who make the least pay the most in taxes. Putting people first means recognizing our wrongs to make them right. This Recovery Rebate, which passed the House this week, is a lifeline for the immigrants, refugees, people of color, and low-income workers who have always kept our communities strong. It’s our turn to lift them up and give everyone a chance at a healthy, happy life. |
Giving our kids a fair start in life
Accessible, affordable, high-quality child care is the key to restarting our economy, getting parents back to work, and giving our kids a fair start in life. This week, we passed HB 1213, the Fair Start for Kids Act, off the floor of the People’s House, because our economy and our children’s success begins with child care! We urgently need strong support for child care and early learning programs so families and businesses can thrive. And we must ensure livable wages for our child care providers, who are overwhelmingly women of color going without sufficient pay. Children are our most precious resource. Investing in them is an investment in the future of Washington! |
Housing is a human right
This week, the House passed House Bill 1236 to protect month-to-month tenants from no-cause evictions by requiring landlords to cite a reason for eviction. Without this legislation, Washington state law allows landlords to evict a month-to-month renter with a 20-day notice without even telling the tenant why. Stopping evictions means preventing homelessness. The majority of families of color in Washington rely on rental housing to keep a roof over their head. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic exposed that the status quo is leaving too many vulnerable. We cannot go back to a system where renters can easily be forced into homelessness for no fault of their own. A stable home is essential for all Washingtonians now more than ever. For all of us to stay healthy and safe. |
COVID-19 Updates
Roadmap to Recovery: Moving to Phase 3
Yesterday, Governor Inslee announced multiple updates to the Healthy Washington – Roadmap to Recovery phased reopening plan. These changes were made after considerable input from stakeholders and leaders across the state.
Beginning Monday, March 22 all counties across the state will advance from Phase 2 to Phase 3 of the reopening plan, and an evaluation of counties will take place every three weeks beginning Monday, April 12. Also announced was new spectator event guidance, which also goes into effect on March 22, with the exception of youth and high school sports which can operate under the guidance beginning Thursday, March 18.
Additionally, Governor Inslee announced that starting Wednesday, March 17, everyone in 1B tier 2 of the state’s COVID-19 vaccine prioritization plan will be eligible for their vaccine. This includes workers in agriculture, food processing, grocery stores, public transit, firefighters and law enforcement, among others. Tier 2 also includes people over the age of 16 who are pregnant or have a disability that puts them at high-risk. Please note that child care workers are included in 1B tier 1 and are currently eligible for the vaccine.
Find out more about yesterday’s announcement.
The American Rescue Plan Passes Congress
The American Rescue Plan, a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package that will bolster our public health response, mount a national vaccination program, and provide direct relief to workers, families, and communities across the country passed Congress this week.
Accelerated, Equitable Vaccine Distribution
The American Rescue Plan provides more than $20 billion to establish a national vaccination program to improve and accelerate vaccine administration and distribution.
Direct Economic Impact Payments
The American Rescue Plan provides a direct payment of $1,400 for individuals making up to $75,000 per year and $2,800 for married couples making up to $150,000 per year, including checks for mixed-status households.
Extension of Federal Unemployment Benefits
The relief package maintains a $300 per week increase in federal unemployment benefits through September 6, 2021 to help unemployed Washingtonians pay bills and put food on the table. The plan also makes the first $10,200 of federal unemployment benefits non-taxable for people with household incomes of less than $150,000.
Emergency Child Care Assistance
The American Rescue Plan provides $39 billion in grant funding to help child care providers safely keep doors open and ensure working families can afford child care. The plan also includes $1 billion for Head Start to give low-income families quality child care and development opportunities in a safe and healthy environment.
Resources to Safely Reopen Schools, Bridge Digital Divide
The American Rescue Plan invests nearly $130 billion in grant funding to help K-12 schools nationwide safely reopen. The plan also includes $7.6 billion to bridge the digital divide in communities nationwide.
The legislation now goes to President Biden for his signature. You can read a summary of the bill here.
Billy Frank Jr. Day and a New Fisheries Role
This Tuesday was Billy Frank Jr. Day, and we celebrate and honor his legacy and his fight for all Washingtonians and the Salmon. I believe Billy would have been so proud of my recent appointment to the North Pacific and Bering Sea Fisheries Advisory Body, housed in the US Dept. of State, Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs. My experience at the Legislature working on environmental protections, fisheries regulation, salmon recovery, and more, such as my work this session on HB 1117 to incorporate salmon recovery and a net ecological gain standard into the Growth Management Act, will benefit me in my tenure in this position, and I look forward to working with my colleagues on the Advisory Body! |
Constituent Coffee
Thank you to everyone who participated in yesterday’s Constituent Coffee! These events are an opportunity for you to hear from me about what’s going on in the Legislature and to ask questions or make comments on current legislation. I’ll be hosting these events each week throughout session, so pre-register today for next week’s event on March 18 at 1:30 p.m. and check back in for more details on future events.
Please also note that due to the ever evolving nature of legislative session, we may need to cancel or reschedule this meeting. If you have any questions, please contact my Legislative Assistant, Kaylee, at kaylee.galloway@leg.wa.gov.
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