Dear friends and neighbors,

Today we’re starting the fifth week of this 15-week legislative session. Time sure flies when you’re busy!

Please mark your calendars for our 21^st LD Virtual Town Hall on Feb 17. Visit the Facebook event page for details (you don’t need to have a Facebook account to watch it), or  you can also watch the live-stream on our HDC YouTube channel.

We want to take as many questions as possible during the course of that hour, so we’re also encouraging you to submit your questions in advance by clicking here or on the image below.

I will send you a reminder invite as we get closer to the event, for now, please save the date.

Unemployment Insurance relief for businesses and workers

My office receives emails and calls on many different issues daily but this year, of course, the coronavirus and its consequences have taken center stage. We have heard from many business-owners who are facing unprecedented hikes (up to 500 percent in some cases!) in their Unemployment Insurance premium tax bills, and from struggling workers whose unemployment benefits are just not enough to support their families.

The urgency of this matter could not be overstated. We had to do something, and we had to do it right away. So the first week of session, the chairs of the labor committees in both chambers introduced bipartisan identical bills (SB 5061 / HB 1098) to bring relief for both businesses and workers.

The Senate passed its bill on a 42-7 vote and we passed it off the House Floor last Friday on an 89-8 vote. The governor signed it earlier today, you can watch the very short bill signing ceremony here. Business-owners will breathe more easily seeing the reductions in their UI tax bills due in April, and the state’s hardest-hit lowest-wage workers will see a 5 percent raise in their unemployment benefits. This means people who make between $21,000 and $27,800 annually will receive a larger share of their weekly wages in benefits. For the details and information on how the bill will better prepare our state for the next health emergency, as well as rebuild Washington’s Unemployment Insurance trust fund, please go here.

Step One toward Washington’s Community and Economic Recovery

Last Monday, the House passed a $2.2 billion package in federal funds to help Washington families and businesses that have been most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The legislation is on the Senate Floor calendar and they will likely pass it on Wednesday. This is the first step toward Washington’s community and economic recovery.

This package will ease the financial hardship of struggling renters and landlords, small restaurants and other neighborhood businesses, school districts, uninsured and underinsured individuals, and Black and Brown communities, which have been disproportionately hurt during the pandemic.

This is just the first step in making sure we support those most impacted by the pandemic so that we can recover, together. We’re in session until the 25^th of April, so you’ll be seeing more bills that make investments in public health, equitably address needs across the state in struggling communities, and help families and small businesses.

Celebrating diversity

February is Black History month, and this is a great opportunity to acknowledge the many contributions the Black community has made and continues to make every single day to the betterment of our state and our nation.

Now let me share a couple of facts you may not know about your Legislature:

The very first Legislative Session held in our state was in 1889, many of the members were farmers, including William Owen Bush, a Thurston County Republican who introduced the bill that established Washington State University. He was the first African-American to ever serve in the state House of Representatives. And, today, I am proud to serve alongside nine Black legislators (eight in the House and one in the Senate), who together comprise the largest Black Members Caucus in Washington’s history.

I also want to congratulate all the families in our district who celebrate the Lunar New Year, which will be the Year of the Ox. May it smile upon us and bring joy, prosperity and above all, health.

I feel very fortunate to live in a nation where we have the freedom to celebrate our many cultures’ different heritages and learn from each other. Because, make no mistake, it is the diversity of our people what makes us truly strong.

Restricting Private Detention Facilities

My bill to restrict private for-profit detention centers in our state is in the Rules Committee, so I hope it will be taken to the Floor soon.

The purpose of private detention facilities and prisons is to maximize stakeholder profits, not to ensure the safety and welfare of the people inside. We have heard numerous accounts of abuse and unsanitary conditions that then led to hunger strikes. One facility where this has happened is the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma. It’s been widely reported by the media, and the UW Center for Human Rights issued this report on the conditions at the Northwest Detention Center. Everyone deserves adequate health care, nutrition and safety. Those confined in prisons and immigrant detention facilities deserve to be provided with these essential necessities, and their families deserve the peace of mind of knowing that their loved ones are safe. As Washingtonians, it is our duty to uphold and value the safety and well-being of all people, including those held in detention.

Video Update

Watch my latest video update on two of my bills: HB 1227, aimed at keeping families together, and HB 1194, concerning visitations.

Keep in touch

Thanks for taking the time to read this newsletter. Please don’t hesitate to contact my office any time with your questions or comments. And visit my Official Facebook page for frequent updates.

Sincerely,