Dear Friends and Neighbors,

We hope you can join your 21st Legislative District state legislators for a Telephone Town Hall this Thursday, March, 25 at 6:05pm for an update on the session, and to ask us questions on issues we’re currently considering in the Legislature.

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What does Phase 3 mean?

Yesterday, March 22nd, the entire state entered Phase 3 of the Roadmap to Recovery. This is possible thanks to 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. Below is the initial, high level guidance. For a full and current description, please refer to coronavirus.wa.gov.

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.

Expanded vaccine eligibility for Washingtonians

Critical workers in grocery stores, food banks, public transit, agriculture and more are now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine, along with people over the age of 16 who are pregnant or have a disability that puts them at high risk. You may have also heard that vaccine eligibility will be expanded on March 31 to include anyone with two or more comorbidities, those between the ages of 60 and 64, workers in restaurants, food service, manufacturing and construction, people experiencing homelessness and others. This means that by the end of this month, 5 million Washingtonians will be eligible for a shot.

The state Department of Health launched the latest version of the Vaccine Locator tool, a user-friendly web app that displays available COVID vaccination appointments from multiple provider scheduling sites in one place. Check out the Phase Finder tool to see if you’re eligible for the vaccine.

According to the Department of Health’s Data Dashboard, soon one in four Snohomish County residents will have received at least one dose. Click here or on the image below to check out the Data Dashboard, where you can look up information for every county on demographics, testing, vaccine doses given, hospitalizations, confirmed cases and more.

American Rescue Plan: What’s in it for Washington?

This month, Congress passed President Biden’s American Rescue Plan, a strong federal investment in communities to help us all get past the COVID-19 pandemic. Washington state’s share of the funds that the Legislature will have control over is about $4.253 billion. While we do not know exactly where that money will be directed yet, we should have a better idea by the time the House and Senate approve an operating budget next month.

That means help is on the way for struggling renters, 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.

Find when and how you will be sent your stimulus payment with the Get My Payment tool.

Condemning anti-Asian violence

We join our colleagues in the legislature, and people around our state and country, in condemning the alarming rise in anti-Asian hate and violence. These words from Rep. My-Linh Thai continue to resonate with us.

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