Dear Friends and Neighbors,
This week we are headed into what is called “house of origin cutoff.” Last week was known as fiscal cutoff and the week prior was policy cutoff. “Cutoffs” are internal deadlines that the Legislature follows to focus its work and move the legislative process forward.
Once a bill is proposed it has six weeks to be heard and passed by its relevant policy committee. Any bills that require spending money or raising revenue must then go through a fiscal committee. Last week, only fiscal committees such as the Appropriations or Finance committees heard and passed bills. Any bills that did not get voted out of their relevant fiscal committee by the end of last week are “dead.” This means their time journey to becoming law this year has expired.
We are now pivoting to full-time floor action, where we will debate and pass legislation with the full House. A bill that is not passed by March 8th, the house of origin cutoff will be dead for this year. After March 8, all House bills will begin the committee process over again in the Senate. And Senate bills will begin the process in the House. It is only once a bill has gone through this entire process in the House and Senate that it can be sent to the Governor for his signature. This long, complicated, and rigorous process ensures bills are refined before becoming law. You can track the bills I am working on here.
Latino Democratic Caucus
For the first time ever, Washington has a Latino Caucus! Last week, I was proud to join my fellow Latino members in announcing the Latino Democratic Caucus (LDC). We elected Rep. Lillian Ortiz-Self (D-Mukilteo) as the Chair of the LDC and Rep. Bill Ramos (D-Issaquah) as the Vice Chair. The mission of the LDC is to ensure that the experiences, needs, and solutions of Latino people throughout our great state are represented, prioritized, and realized in the legislative process.
There are over one million Latinos in Washington representing over 13% of the state. As the number of Latinos in our state has grown, so has our representation. When Chair Ortiz-Self was first elected a decade ago, she was the only Latina member of the House. Now there are eight Latino democratic members of the House and three Senators! I am excited to help build a Washington where Latino communities no longer face discrimination and know they have the access, opportunity, and resources to truly thrive.
Ask Sharlett
Learn about what your fellow constituents are sending me letters about! In the latest ‘Ask Sharlett,’ I answer questions about the Nothing About Us, Without Us legislation and the state’s effort to electrify school buses!
Save the date: 29th District Town Halls
Join me and Rep. Melanie Morgan on Saturday, March 11th for a 29th District Town Hall.
What: 29th District Town Hall
When: Saturday, March 11th from 4:30 to 5:30 PM.
Where: Pacific Lutheran University, Anderson University Center 203, Regency Room
1010 122nd St. S Tacoma, WA 98447
Join me and Sen. Steve Conway on Saturday, March 18th for a 29th District Town Hall.
What: 29th District Town Hall
When: Saturday, March 18th from 10:00 AM to Noon.
Where: Tacoma Firefighters Hall #31
1109 S 50th St. Tacoma, WA 98408
Thank you for reading my newsletter. Hearing from you is the most important part of my job. Please do not hesitate to reach out with your thoughts and ideas.
Sincerely,
Sharlett Mena
State Representative
29th District