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As of today, all six of my bills have had their public hearings in Senate committees! 

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 had a public hearing in the Senate Housing & Local Government Committee on Tuesday.

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 had a public hearing in the Senate Housing & Local Government Committee on Tuesday.

House Bill 1372 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. The bill had a public hearing in the Senate State Government & Elections Committee. Watch my testimony from the hearing on Wednesday, March 17, or as it’s more commonly known, St. Patrick’s Day!

There was such compelling testimony during the hearing, that I wanted to be sure to share, so click their name to watch the testimony from each of the following: Lieutenant Governor Denny Heck; Martha Kongsgaard, a past Chair of the Puget Sound Partnership on which she served with Billy Frank Jr.; Chair Ron Allen, of the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe; Chair Leonard Forsman, of the Suquamish Tribe; and Councilman Willie Frank III, of the Nisqually Tribe and Billy Frank Jr.’s son.

I’m also excited to say that the bill is scheduled to be voted on in committee this morning! I’ll keep you updated as it continues to move through the legislative process. Read more about this bill in this recent opinion piece in The Nisqually Valley News authored by Lorraine Loomis, the Chair of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission.

What does Phase 3 mean?  

On Monday, March 22nd the entire state enters Phase 3 of the Roadmap to Recovery. This is possible because of the work of healthcare professionals to get people vaccinated and the work of everyone to decrease rates of transmission. If we continue to follow the guidance, mask up, and keep social gatherings small and distant, then we can all recover more quickly.  

Phase 3 will be one more step on the Roadmap to Recovery and I want to share the initial, high level guidance. For a full and current description, please refer to coronavirus.wa.gov. 

• First, the state will return to evaluating phases by county instead of by region.  
• Sports spectators will be allowed to gather for events with limited capacity and following specific safety guidelines. 
• Industries and indoor activities that were allowed in Phase 2 can increase capacity. This includes businesses like restaurants, gyms and fitness centers, and movie theaters, among others. 

Again, please refer to coronavirus.wa.gov for the most up to date details. If cases in a county increase at a certain rate then that county may be moved to a previous phase and if statewide ICU capacity reaches greater than 90% then all counties will move to a previous phase in order to maintain enough beds for patients needing critical care.  

I know we all want to return to doing the things we miss. We can get there faster if we follow the evidence backed guidance to make sure we keep the virus under control while reopening safely. 

Expanded vaccine eligibility for Washingtonians 

In March, Congress passed President Biden’s American Rescue Plan, a strong federal investment in communities to help us all get past the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to strong leadership at the federal level, Washington state residents will receive support in the form of economic impact payments, while state, county, city, and tribal governments will receive increased funding and access to vaccines and testing, boosts to school districts and higher education institutions, rental assistance and child care funding, and support for small business grants.  

988—a new lifeline for crisis response and suicide prevention 

For most people in our community, the only number they know for emergencies is 911. When police or the fire department is needed, that’s the best number to call. But when the emergency is related to substance use, a mental health crisis, or a person at immediate risk of suicide, having a law enforcement officer arrive at their door may not be the appropriate emergency response.  

Officers are not social workers, nor do they want to be. Without a comprehensive crisis response system, people in crisis can find themselves in standoffs with law enforcement when they should be in the care of a counselor. People with severe mental illness are far more likely to end up in jail or prison and are more likely to be involved in fatal police encounters.  

An improved crisis response system would reduce reliance on emergency room services and the use of law enforcement response to crises. Last year, the bipartisan National Suicide Hotline Designation Act designated 988 as the new national suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline number, paving the way for states to develop improved crisis response systems. The federal law requires the line be operational by July 16, 2022. 

Earlier this week, I was proud to vote for House Bill 1477 which would implement the 988 system here in Washington state. The vision of this bill and the 988 line is to create robust call centers to support people in crisis and ensure they receive the care they need, when they need it. These enhanced 988 services will coordinate with 911, EMT and law enforcement, and behavioral health systems to create a seamless system of care for those in crisis. 

On Tuesday, I met with members of the Washington Education Association’s Native American/Alaskan Native/First Nations Education Council. Members of the caucus group included WEA-Retired member Buddy Bear from Port Angeles, Stephanie Ervin from Spokane, and Shawn Brehm from Wellpinit. We discussed my bills, House Bill 1356 and House Bill 1372, as well as issues regarding how to not only increase communication, but the speed of communication between law enforcement agencies in regards to MMIWG (Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls). The conversation ended with a discussion on how to best encourage our youth, and especially our youth of color to see themselves as the next legislators of color and how to teach them what it takes to run for office themselves!