Dear Friends and Neighbors,
The 2021 legislative session is off and running, and just like many aspects of our lives lately, we’re doing things a little differently. This year, we’re conducting or session remotely in order to follow public health requirements for social distancing and gathering limits. We take great pride in having one of the most open and accessible state legislatures in the country, and this year’s remote session presents new opportunities for people in our district to be involved—your voice is just as important and impactful as ever.
Remote Session 101: How you can be involved during the 2021 session.
This session I’m proud to serve as chair of the new Housing, Human Services & Veterans Committee. Our state was already experiencing a homelessness crisis before the pandemic, and the suffering has only become more severe. Thanks to the eviction moratorium, people facing job losses and reduced income won’t immediately become homeless because of the pandemic, but we must plan for the eventual end of the moratorium. It’s critical that we do everything we can to keep landlords whole, make a strong investment in rent assistance, avoid foreclosures, and strengthen renter protections to avoid an eviction tsunami.
As always, it’s important for me to keep you updated, so I’ll continue sending periodic e-newsletters and will also share video updates like the one below. In this first one you’ll get my thoughts on our remote legislative session and two of my bills: HB 1312 to make sure solitary confinement is only used when absolutely necessary and HB 1223 to help ensure justice by requiring recordings of police interrogations.
Thanks for taking the time to read this update,
Holding Police Accountable to our Community
The Legislature has consistently worked on improving laws to regulate police use of deadly force, particularly in recent times. After Washingtonians passed Initiative 940, lawmakers came back to the table in 2019 to strengthen and clarify the language of I-940.
Last year, House Democrats followed up with the creation of the Policing Policy Leadership Team to examine current laws and develop a plan to rebuild Washingtonians’ trust in law enforcement.
Reps. John Lovick and Bill Ramos joined Sen. Manka Dhingra to introduce three bills that resulted from that effort. I support these measures because they will hold law enforcement officers to a high standard of honesty, create a duty to intervene and report when fellow officers break department regulations, and ensure that investigations carried out after I-940 met the standards laid out in the law. These measures will increase the accountability that law enforcement has to the public that they serve.
Update on COVID-19 vaccination efforts
There have been bumps in the road as vaccines have become available, but with the right federal support and learning from mistakes, we can work toward better outcomes in 2021. I hope and expect that vaccine production and distribution will be vastly improved with the new administration.
As a lawmaker, I am always open to discussions and laws that will make this process smoother.
What is the plan for distributing and administering COVID-19 vaccines in Washington?
- Vaccines are being administered in phases. As of 1/18/21, we are currently in Phase 1B-Tier 1.
- This visual timeline shows phase 1a and phase 1b and the estimated dates for each.
When and where can I get vaccinated?
- Visit the Phase Finder website and fill out a questionnaire to determine what Phase you qualify for. You can choose to be notified when your Phase is activated. The notification will also include information about where you can receive the vaccine locally.
- Contact your healthcare provider to find out when and where you can receive the vaccine.
- Find more information from the Snohomish Health District here.
Follow my legislative Facebook page!
https://www.facebook.com/RepresentativeStromPeterson