Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Join us for our annual town hall meeting, this Saturday, February 17 starting at 1 p.m. We’ll be answering questions at the Seattle First Baptist Church (click here for a Google Map of the location) and sharing updates on the status of our work in Olympia. We hope you will join and share your thoughts, ideas, or questions about the work we are doing in the Legislature.
Who: 43rd District Legislators Senator Pedersen, and Representatives Macri and Chopp
What: Town Hall
When: 1:00 PM, Saturday, February 17
Where: Seattle First Baptist Church, 1111 Harvard Ave, Seattle 98122
Why: To provide you with an update on the legislative session and answer your questions on issues under consideration in the state House and Senate.
LGBTQ Bar Raids
Like so many of us in the community, I felt the fear and terror that came with the raids of historical LGBTQ bars last month. These were violations of spaces that are supposed to be safe and open to all of us. Knowing that these raids happened in a time of heightened attacks on our community has made it even more frightening. I am so sorry to everyone who witnessed these events and experienced this trauma. As a member of the LGBTQ caucus, I met with the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB) where they took responsibility for the actions on January 26 and 27, acknowledged their historic bias against LGBTQ establishments, and told us that they had paused enforcement of the “lewd conduct regulations.” That is a start, but not the end. The legislature is considering legislation to overturn these regulations and I also support the LCB overturning their regulations on their own.
Please read the statement released by the LGBTQ Caucus by clicking here.
You can also read a statement from the Washington State LGBTQ Commission in their February 5 newsletter here.
What’s ahead
We’re more than halfway through this short legislative session. Today is the House of Origin Cut-Off, which marks an important deadline for most policy bills to pass from the House to the Senate or vice versa. Tomorrow House and Senate Committees will reconvene to consider policies sent to us from the other chamber. Next week, the House and Senate will consider their respective budget proposals for state operating, capital and transportation. I’m grateful for the many messages and visits from neighbors in the 43rd District I’ve already received this session. Things will move quickly in these final few weeks. I encourage you to continue to reach out, and I hope to see you Saturday at the Town Hall!
