Bill Updates

The 2021 Legislative Session ends this Sunday, April 25. As the session comes to a close, I want to give you a final update on my bills.

As I reported last week, House Bill 1372, my bill to honor Billy Frank Jr. by placing a statue of him in the National Statuary Hall Collection in Washington, D.C., has been signed into law by Governor Inslee. Another of my bill’s that he has signed is House Bill 1072, which eliminates a provision in current law that restricts undocumented immigrants from accessing state-funded civil legal aid, denying them equity under the law and access to justice.

Two more of my bills have cleared the Legislature and are awaiting his signature:

• House Bill 1326, which addresses qualifications, training and accreditation for coroners and medical examiners.
• House Bill 1356, which no longer allows the derogatory use of Native Americans as mascots in public schools.

Investing in Working Families

In these final weeks of session, the House/Legislature approved two significant pieces of legislation that start us down the path toward progressive tax reform and will invest in Washington’s working families, helping them build economic stability.

This week, the House passed Senate Bill 5096, to enact a capital gains excise tax to fund early learning, child care, and K-12 education. The bill implements a 7% tax on extraordinary profits from the sale of stocks, bonds, and other long-term capital assets, with the first $250,000 in profits exempted annually. Designed to avoid taxing working families, it includes several additional exemptions, such as all real estate, retirement accounts, and qualified family-owned small businesses.

This new excise tax is a progressive tool that asks the wealthiest Washingtonians – only around 8,000 of the total 3.2 million taxpayers in our state – to share more equitably in the responsibility of funding the programs and services our communities need. It will bolster economic recovery in the wake of COVID-19 and the economic well-being of working families by funding expanded access to affordable, high-quality child care and our paramount duty to provide an education to Washington’s kids.

Last Thursday, the House concurred with Senate amendments and sent the Working Families Tax Exemption (WFTE) to the governor’s desk to be signed into law. This legislation, sponsored by my colleague Rep. My-Linh Thai, sets up a sales tax rebate of between $500 and $950 for which over 400,000 taxpayers in our state will be eligible. This will put more money directly into the pockets of these working families, and is a critical tool to help build economic stability for low-income families who pay a disproportionate amount of their income to taxes.

Together, these two policies are a significant first step toward balancing our regressive tax code and supporting the economic well-being of working families in every corner of our state.

Responding to the State v. Blake Decision

San Juan County

The links below are for first-dose clinics that are currently available for registration. All of these clinics are only available for those 18 years old or older (Moderna vaccine).

• APRIL 26th: SAN JUAN ISLAND
• APRIL 27th: ORCAS ISLAND
• APRIL 28th: LOPEZ ISLAND

Other providers may also be delivering vaccine, visit the San Juan County vaccine page for details on how to learn more.

Skagit County For COVID-19 vaccine information, visit the Skagit County COVID-19 vaccination page or call 360-416-1500. Having trouble getting a vaccine appointment? You can line up for an unclaimed dose at 2pm on clinic days at the Skagit County Fairgrounds Clinic; typically Tuesdays through Saturdays. When they have unclaimed doses, these will be given first-come-first-serve. The next clinic is tomorrow, Saturday, April 24.

Immigrant Relief Fund grant applications start next week

The Washington COVID-19 Immigrant Relief Fund was created during the coronavirus pandemic to support people who are ineligible for unemployment benefits or federal stimulus money.

Funding was included in the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and approved by the Washington Legislature in the early action bill.

Applications for this one-time grant of $1,000 per person will begin on April 21 and run up until May 21, 2021. They will be accepted on a first-come-first serve basis, and the funds will be distributed in June.

To be eligible, individuals must demonstrate that they:

• Are a Washington state resident.
• Are at least 18 years of age.
• Have been significantly affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
• Are ineligible for the federal stimulus payment or for unemployment insurance benefits due to their immigration status.
• Have an income at or below 250% of the federal poverty level.

If you or someone you know meets these criteria, to apply please go to www.immigrantreliefwa.org or call the hotline 844-724-373 available daily from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Information in Spanish, Korean, Vietnamese, Chinese, Swahili and Garifuna available here.

Solicitudes de ayuda del Fondo de Asistencia para Inmigrantes comienzan la próxima semana

El Fondo de Asistencia por COVID-19 para Inmigrantes de Washington fue creado durante la pandemia de coronavirus para apoyar a las personas que no son elegibles para recibir beneficios del seguro por desempleo o dinero del estímulo federal.

Los fondos se incluyeron en la Ley Federal de Ayuda, Alivio y Seguridad Económica del Coronavirus (CARES por sus siglas en inglés) y fueron aprobados por la Legislatura de Washington en el proyecto de ley de acción temprana.

Las solicitudes para esta ayuda única de $ 1,000 por persona comenzarán el 21 de abril y se extenderán hasta el 21 de mayo de 2021. Se aceptarán por orden de llegada y los fondos se distribuirán en junio.

Para ser elegibles, las personas deben demostrar que:

• Son residentes del estado de Washington.
• Tienen al menos 18 años de edad.
• Se han visto afectados significativamente por la pandemia del coronavirus.
• No son elegibles para el pago de estímulo federal o para beneficios del seguro por desempleo debido a su estado migratorio.
• Tienen ingresos iguales o inferiores al 250% del nivel federal de pobreza.

Si usted o alguien que conoce cumple con estos requisitos, para solicitar la ayuda visite www.immigrantreliefwa.org o llame a la línea directa 844-724-373 disponible todos los días de 6 a.m. a 9 p.m.

Información en español, coreano, vietnamita, chino, suajili y garífuna disponible aquí.

This session, I championed House Bill 1117, a bill to integrate 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 Washington’s current standard of no net loss in community development. The bill would have helped our communities be better able to protect our environment and mitigate the impacts of climate change as we continue to grow. While the policy eventually died in the Senate this session, I will continue to advocate for progress on salmon recovery.

I am happy to report that the capital budget includes a proviso to provide the Department of Fish and Wildlife with $36 million to improve hatchery operations and conditions, and $8.4 million for hatchery improvements with a focus on increasing prey abundance for our Southern Resident orcas.

The work on bringing the salmon home to our waters continues!

I’ve also worked extensively this session on legislation to put a price on carbon to enable new financing tools that will stimulate the economy and create jobs, transition to a clean energy economy, and fund investments that benefit families, businesses, and communities across Washington. Learn more about Washington STRONG in this profile from Columbia University’s Climate School blog, GlacierHub.

While Washington STRONG is not moving forward, some of the language from the bill has been incorporated into House amendments to Senate Bill 5126, the Climate Commitment Act. I’m grateful to my colleague and friend Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon, Chair of the Environment & Energy Committee, for being so open to working with me to create a Climate bill that is a hybrid of the Climate Commitment Act and the Washington STRONG bill, a policy that will truly benefit our environment. I also worked with many tribal nations around the state to advocate for these changes to make the bill stronger.

We can all agree that combatting climate change is an urgent priority and that a price on carbon will help our state achieve our greenhouse gas emission reduction targets. We also know we need a dedicated revenue to fund critical projects for transportation, infrastructure, climate resiliency, forest health, salmon recovery and the protection of our natural resources. I’m confident that the bill worked on in then House, with the inclusion of the Washington STRONG revenue section is the best policy for today. I also acknowledge that we will need to continue this work into the future, and am committed to that ongoing work and conversations.

Read the House version of the bill. As of this writing, the Climate Commitment Act is still being considered in the House and will potentially be brought up for a vote between now and the end of session this Sunday, April 25.

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. Although this is the final week of session, I will continue to send out regular Fantastic Friday letters throughout the interim.

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