Friends and Neighbors,
The 2022 legislative session has officially begun! There’s much I hope to accomplish to protect the well-being and livelihoods of all who call Washington home. In this newsletter, you’ll find tips to stay engaged during this fast-paced 60 day session, some of my legislative priorities, and a few updates on the issues our community cares about most.
I also want to take a moment to encourage you and your family to continue masking, social distancing, and getting vaccinated or boosted if you are eligible. The Omicron variant of COVID-19 has pushed our communities to the highest levels of cases and hospitalizations yet, but you can protect yourself and your loved ones by taking those simple steps. To find a vaccination clinic nearest you, visit vaccinelocator.doh.wa.gov.
Stay Engaged
My top With much of session taking place remotely again this year due to COVID-19 there have never been more opportunities to get involved in the legislative process without having to leave home! Here are some of the best ways you can stay engaged
- Watching floor session and committee meetings at TVW.org. You can also check out TVW’s Legislative Review to quickly get up to speed on everything happening each day.
- Finding bills and committee information, agendas and documents by clicking here.
- Making your voice heard by testifying remotely or submitting your written testimony online by clicking here.
- Reaching out to me directly at alex.ramel@leg.wa.gov or by calling toll-free 1-800-562-6000.
Legislative Priorities
My top priority this session is to continue the great work we started last year to tackle one of the root causes of our climate crisis: burning fossil fuels in our homes and buildings. Our homes and buildings now generate nearly a quarter of our state’s climate pollution; and with the devastation of climate change at our doorstep, we simply can’t wait to get serious about addressing one of the last frontiers in our shared fight.
My colleagues and I have introduced four bills (House Bills 1766, 1767, 1770, 1774) to significantly reduce fossil fuel pollution from our homes and buildings while creating a path to a clean energy future that ensures everyone has access to efficient, affordable, reliable energy.
I’m also working to fix Washington’s upside-down tax code, and you can help! The Legislature’s Tax Structure Work Group has put together a survey to hear from you on how to make our state’s taxes fairer and more transparent. Take a few minutes to fill out the version of the survey that works best for you → taxworkgroup.org/survey. Responses are due Jan. 31.
Community Conversations
Doing everything we can to prevent the spread of COVID hasn’t stopped us from connecting with constituents and hearing about local concerns and priorities. This week we met with Orcas High School students to urge support for a bipartisan change to the vapor tax to decrease the use of e-cigarettes, House Bill 1676. The students shared concern of the negative impact on the education and health of their peers, and I have signed on to cosponsor this legislation.
I also had the privilege to hear from the Midwives’ Association of Washington State who stressed the importance of allowing midwives, with proper training, to prescribe postpartum medications such as antibiotics and contraception with a bill currently in the Senate, Senate Bill 5765. This modest fix will assist people who choose to have a home birth to more easily access basic medicine; that makes sense to me.
If you have priorities you think I should know about, please reach out. I’d love to hear from you too.
In service,
Rep. Alex Ramel
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