Dear friends and neighbors,

Can you believe we’ve wrapped up week 3 already? And the option to hear testimony remotely from people at their homes is working out great. I think we’ll be keeping that feature forever now. If you’re interested in providing virtual testimony over the internet on one of my bills or on any bill currently being considered in Olympia, click here to learn how to do it.

Update on My Bills

I have a few updates on my bills. First, remember I told you I was going to introduce a measure to recruit and retain teachers as part of the overall strategy to strengthen our workforce? That legislation is in the system and, if you want to check it out, it is House Bill 1565.

The other legislation I discussed in my previous newsletter is my Dual and Tribal Language bill, House Bill 1228, which was heard in the Education Committee earlier this week and is scheduled for executive action, that’s when committee members vote to pass a bill to the next step in the process, on February 2.

For more on these two bills, please watch my first Video Update of the 2023 Session by clicking here or on the image below:

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Two of my bills were referred to the Human Services, Youth & Early Learning Committee and were both heard on January 24.

House Bill 1278 – This bill expands the eligibility for the guardianship subsidies to include any guardian who is a licensed foster parent, instead of only licensed foster parents who are relatives. When children are taken out of the environment they know, what develops is trauma that runs deep and disrupts their emotional well-being. Allowing them to stay with someone they know and trust, even if it’s not a family member, creates an opportunity for stability, ensures connectivity with community and culture, and provides overall support for the child or youth.

House Bill 1295 – When children are placed into dependency, parents get legal counsel, but when parents enter a Voluntary Placement Agreement (VPA), they do not get legal counsel. I believe this needs to change. I sponsored this legislation to ensure that parents entering a VPA are provided legal consultation so they can make informed decisions about the future of their children.

These two bills are scheduled for executive action on February 3.

I’ll continue updating you on these and my other bills as we go through the session, but you can also read them and follow their progress here.

Protecting Reproductive Rights

A rally in support of reproductive rights was held on the Capitol Steps this past Tuesday, just two days after the 50^th anniversary of Roe v. Wade.

Advocates and supporters from across the state came to Olympia to voice their concerns and make sure that Washington doesn’t follow what other states are doing: banning or restricting access to abortion and gender-affirming care.

Rest assured, we are not only protecting, but also expanding access to reproductive freedom by keeping reproductive care available, accessible, and affordable for every resident in the state with a comprehensive package of bills:

• HB 1155 (My Health, My Data Act) blocks websites and apps from collecting and sharing health data. It also prohibits the sale of Washingtonian’s health data, the use of “geofences” to send unsolicited messages to persons at health facilities and requires companies that collect personal health data to create, maintain, and publish a privacy policy for consumer health data.

• HB 1340 ensures that Washington’s providers cannot be disciplined in our state because they provide reproductive or gender affirming care in accordance with Washington state law, regardless of where their patients reside.

• HB 1469 (Shield Law) protects patients and providers of reproductive and gender-affirming care in Washington from retribution by other states.

• HB 1286protects employers who provide support for reproductive care by allowing them to recover damages here in Washington if targeted by hostile lawsuits or judgments from other states.

• HB 1263 (Keep Our Care Act) prohibits hospitals from merging if the consolidation diminishes patients’ access to services — including reproductive, end-of-life and gender-affirming care — by creating a system of public oversight that ensures people’s needs are prioritized over corporate growth.

• HB 1115 prohibits co-pays and deductible requirements for anyone seeking an abortion.

• HJR 4201: a joint resolution amending the Constitution to address reproductive freedom.

A new TAX CREDIT starts in 2023!

The Working Families Tax Credit is a new program that will provide payments of up to $1,200 to low-to-moderate income individuals and families. The amounts are based on income level and the number of qualifying children (if any).

This program will help us stimulate local economies, promote racial equity, and provide the financial stability Washington families need right now. To find more information in several available languages, visit the Working Families Credit website. 

Feeding Hungry Children

We have been improving Washington’s school breakfast and lunch program over the last decade by passing Breakfast After the Bell in 2018 (HB 1508), requiring more schools to participate in the USDA Community Eligibility Program (CEP) in 2020 (HB 2660), and providing funding to more schools required to participate in CEP in 2022 (HB 1878).

But we’re not stopping there. I am proud to say I am one of the sponsors of the Washington Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act (HB 1238/SB 5339), requiring all schools to provide free breakfast and lunch to all K-12 students, and defining school meals as part of basic education.

By providing a meal to any student who requests one, we will put an end to the stigma of “free lunch” that exists in public schools. Greater access to meals will eliminate the shame some students feel for utilizing the existing free-and-reduced price lunch program. All 1.1 million Washington students will have the same access to school meals, something that significantly reduced childhood hunger during the pandemic.

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 contact my office.

Sincerely,