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Dear friends and neighbors,
I was having a conversation with a colleague the other day about how, during these short sessions, the concept of time becomes hard to pin down. He said, it’s only been four weeks, but it feels like weeks in dog years! I laughed, but it’s true. We are on day 26 of the 60-day session, yet it really does seem like at least double that time because we are packing so many things into each day.
The big news last week was that Governor Inslee signed the two measures to make reforms to the WA Cares Fund. House Bill 1732 delays the start of the program by 18 months and House Bill 1733 allows military spouses and disabled veterans to exempt themselves from the program. We made these changes because we listened to your concerns and because they were necessary; this delay will give us time to improve the program.
We also had big news this week: on Wednesday the House of Representatives passed, almost unanimously (95-1), my House Bill 1789 to establish a property tax exemption for adult family homes serving people with intellectual or developmental disabilities and owned by a nonprofit organization. Watch my Floor remarks on final passage here and watch my latest video update (click on the image below) where I talk in more depth abut this issue.
Big fish eat little fish
Sure, that’s just the harsh reality of life, but when big fish not only have the advantage of size but also get a helping hand from lamps, well, then the little guys really don’t stand a chance and salmon are particularly at risk.
Turns out most large fish generally hunt by sight, which is why they do most of their feeding during the day, when the sun provides natural light to help guide them. At night they take a break from eating because it’s hard to see. However, if there is an artificial source of light on the water, for example, coming from bridges, docks and other public structures, these big fish can easily find prey and hunt all night long.
Known as light pollution, these extra hours of visibility are impacting not only the little fish, like salmon, that get eaten and can’t swim out to sea, grow to adulthood and then come back to spawn; it also affects sport and commercial fishing and, ultimately, our own food supply.
Can we do something about this, though? I am working on getting some funding in the budget for a pilot program to reduce the impacts of artificial lighting on or near the water (on-water lighting) to the behavior of salmon and other aquatic life in Lake Sammamish.
These funds could be invested on:
- Supporting local efforts to develop an ordinance to reduce on-water lighting impacts on salmon for new and existing construction.
- Education and outreach on the impacts of on-water lighting.
- Development of methods to reduce the impacts of on-water lighting.
- A baseline survey of artificial light levels, including light location and intensity along the Lake Sammamish nearshore and artificial light hotspots.
- Grants for landowners to install new lighting on existing structures for the benefit of salmon.
Watch this edition of Ask Bill for more information on this issue and listen to this news wrap where I talk about my budget request.
A Washington State Patrol that reflects our communities
We need a more diverse Washington State Patrol, that is a fact. WSP’s workforce, in both commissioned and non-commissioned staff, needs to reflect the diversity of Washington. I am one of the sponsors of HB 2057, aimed at strengthening diversity, equity, and inclusion among the state patrol workforce sworn to protect and serve our communities and the state as a whole.
The bill was heard in the House Transportation Committee this past Monday. I am eager to see it become law this year to ensure all communities are accurately reflected among WSP’s ranks.
The Seattle Times recently reported on WSP’s struggle to diversify their ranks. Read about it here.
Workplace safety is plain old common sense
Musculoskeletal disorders, sometimes called ergonomic injuries, occur when the body uses muscles, tendons, and ligaments to perform tasks, often in awkward positions or in frequent, repetitive activities that can create pain and injury over time.
These injuries are not rare; in fact, about 40 percent of worker’s comp claims eligible for payment in our state are for a repetitive motion injury/work-related musculoskeletal disorder. And the thing is, many of these injuries can and should be prevented. Unfortunately, under current law, workers in Washington do not have protections related to repetitive motion injuries.
It doesn’t have to be this way. Last week, the House Labor and Workplace Standards Committee passed House Bill 1837, which would empower the Department of Labor and Industries to adopt and amend rules to protect workers on the job and establish a baseline of safety across the board.
I support this legislation because safety should be common sense and Washington workers deserve a safe workplace free of preventable injury.
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Bills supporting students, from mental health to internet access
This month is Whole Child Month, a time to recognize how important it is to support each and every student across our state, especially as the pandemic continues to take a toll on young people.
Here are some of the bills House Democrats introduced to do just that:
- HB 1905: Helps ensure young people aren’t released into homelessness from foster care, juvenile rehabilitation or in-patient behavioral health treatment. You can hear more about this legislation on Capitol Ideas, the state House Democratic Caucus’ podcast. Tune in here!
- HB 1890: Sponsored by my seatmate, Rep. Lisa Callan, this bill creates the framework for building a statewide plan to provide behavioral health services when and where children, youth and families need them.
- HB 1834: Also sponsored by Rep. Callan, this measure allows students to take excused absences from school to take care of their mental health in the same way they would for their physical health.
- HB 1723: Too many kids are struggling to access their online classes. The Digital Equity Act helps close the digital divide by boosting access to the internet for students and others.
- HB 1659: Creates $1,000 grants for low-income students and increases the funding most students would get from the Washington College Grant, our state’s largest financial aid program.
- HB 1835: Makes it easier for students to fill out the FAFSA, Free Application for Federal Student Aid, and the WAFSA, Washington Application for State Financial Aid.
Keep reading: For more on the variety of approaches we’re taking to address youth mental health (and the mental health system more broadly), check out this Seattle Times article.
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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,
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