Dear friends and neighbors,

I hope this newsletter finds you healthy and well, and I hope you find its contents useful and informative.

I’d like to start by expressing my deepest gratitude to the people of the 21st Legislative District for your endurance and your fighting spirit as we all continue battling this virus together.

As we gather safely with family and friends this week, I’d like to share some of the things I am thankful for with regards to the work we did in the 2021 session:

Assistance for families and child care providers

The legislature passed the Fair Start for Kids Act in the 2021 session to make child care more affordable and accessible, and support those who provide care to our kids. Key aspects of this new law became available last month for families and child care providers. Here’s a closer look: Expanded child care benefits for families  House Democrats increased income eligibility for child care subsidy benefits to 60% of the State Median Income. This means a family of four can now earn up to $5,139 a month (or nearly $62,000 a year) and still qualify for assistance. This change provides more families with benefits, and it’s expected that up to 2,100 more families will have access to child care subsidies in the next 12 months.  We decreased family co-payments. The copay rate was previously up to 20 percent of a family’s monthly income, but that rate is now no more than 7 percent. For a family of four whose monthly income is between $4,241 and $5,088, their copay will be capped at $115. And, those making less will likely pay $0. It’s expected that up to 3,900 families will have more access to affordable, high-quality child care. Financially struggling student parents participating in a vocational education program at a community, technical or tribal college that will lead to an associate degree or registered apprenticeship program no longer have to meet work requirements to get child care assistance. Assistance for child care providers  The legislature created a program for employees of licensed child care facilities to get health insurance for $0 a month. Child care workers can enroll with the state’s open enrollment period this November. For more information and help getting covered, visit Washington Healthplanfinder. There’s $400 million in sustainability grants now available for child care centers, family homes and family, friends and neighbors. These grants can help with increased costs, COVID-19 expenses, staffing supports and more. Check out this link for more information on how to apply. **Need help paying for child care? Call 1-844-626-8687 or go here.**

Support and resources for young people

Last week, during Committee Assembly Days, in the House Children, Youth & Families Committee, we held a work session on adolescent services.

We heard from young people about the biggest challenges youth are facing and what the legislature can do to help, as well as from local groups about their work supporting young people and recommendations for the upcoming session.

Everyone deserves the chance to live a stable, safe and fulfilling life. Last session, as you read above, we passed bills to make child care more affordable and accessible; we also created a community transition program for young people so they can return home under electronic monitoring and access services like behavioral health treatment; and protect kids from undue family separation. Stay tuned for more on our work during the 2022 Legislative Session to ensure young people have the support and resources they need.

Kids in classrooms again

Last week we held a House Education Committee Round Table discussion on the ways COVID-19 has impacted our schools and what we are doing to support students. I want to commend the teachers, counselors and administrators across the state who went above and beyond to provide online and remote instruction to our students throughout this crisis. Now that many kids are back in the classroom, the process and strategy have shifted to make our schools as safe as possible.

I believe we are making strides, but our work is far from over. As a school counselor and a citizen legislator, I’ve met with students, parents, teachers, and staff. While we are all working hard to reengage academically and socially, we’re also feeling the strain and exhaustion of navigating ever-changing learning and health environments.

This upcoming legislative session, I will prioritize our work to ensure our students and educators receive the supports they need for their health and safety; their evolving social, emotional, and academic needs; and their workload and resources.

Healthcare cost transparency update

The House Health Care & Wellness Committee listened to a presentation from the Health Care Authority on legislative efforts to lower the cost of health care and prescription drugs.

In 2020 and 2021, the legislature passed laws to create a Health Care Cost Transparency Board and to require certain reporting requirements for costs. Health care costs leave too many people in Washington struggling to maintain both their health and finances. The Health Care Cost Transparency Board is required to calculate the total health care spending in our state. The long-term goal is to use that information to create longer-term solutions to health care spending and ensure the money is going where it should.

With the board now operating, we’ll begin to learn more about costs in the coming years. From there, we can develop policy options that can help address costs and ensure that when you pay your health care bill, it’s going to the actual cost of your care. You can follow along by signing up to receive announcements and reading agenda materials on the Health Care Cost Transparency Board website.

Switching to ‘Green Hydrogen’

Wildfires, droughts, freezing temperatures in the South, and deadly heat here at home — the signs of climate change may be all around us, but it’s not too late to protect the lives and livelihoods of our families, friends, and neighbors if we act now.

The House Committee on Environment & Energy met to discuss some steps we can take to end our reliance on fossil fuels by switching to “green hydrogen.”

The concept behind green hydrogen is simple: electricity from renewable sources like wind turbines, solar panels, and hydroelectric power plants is used to produce hydrogen, which can then be used as a carbon neutral source of energy in transportation, industrial facilities, and even home heating.

These are the kinds of innovative, long-term solutions we need to consider with the looming dangers of climate change on our doorstep, particularly for communities of color that often bear the brunt of both legal and illegal pollution. The decisions we make today aren’t just for ourselves, but for the generations of future Washingtonians who are counting on us.

See you in 2022!

State election-year restrictions around legislative communications begin on December 1, which means I can’t send out any newsletters until the start of the 2022 session in January. However, I can continue posting on social media, so please follow my legislative Facebook page for news and updates.

Thank you for reading my newsletter.  If you need more information on any of the issues discussed here, or on any other legislative matter, please don’t hesitate  to email me or my Legislative Assistant, Israel Rios, with your questions, comments, or concerns.

Happy and safe holidays to you and yours!