Dear Friends and Neighbors,
We’re now in the third week of the 15-week legislative session, and the pace is picking up. I’m a high-energy person and I find this invigorating, but I am seeing, as a first-year legislator, how the legislative process winnows out most bills that are introduced in a given year. Every bill that is submitted for consideration in the House of Representatives is referred to at least one policy committee. Because bills must have a public hearing before moving along in the process, many bills go by the wayside at this point, some for a lack of merit and some for a lack of time. Many, but not all, of those that do receive a hearing will within a week or two be “exec’d,” which is Olympia shorthand for executive action, a vote by the committee to determine which bills then go to the House Rules Committee. I feel very fortunate to have been named to the Rules Committee; lawmakers in their first term are not often given that responsibility. It’s one I take very seriously, because it is the Rules Committee that is the final gatekeeper before a bill can make it to the point of being debated and voted on by the entire 98-member House. The relatively few bills that receive a floor vote then move to the Senate and the entire process begins again at square one. If they make it through the Senate without being amended they’ll finally hit the governor’s desk where he can sign them as written, sign them but veto certain portions, or veto the entire bill. But of course, if the Senate changes even one word in the bill they received from the House, it goes back to the House for another vote. If you’re taking the time to read this newsletter, you probably learned all this in civics class sometime in the past. I include it here as a lead-in to reporting that the bills I have introduced seem to be surviving the legislative obstacle course for now. |
Restoring the right to vote
As promised, some of my first bills as a legislator are intended to improve the state’s criminal legal system. What we call the corrections system too often does not correct, and one result is an alarmingly high recidivism rate. I don’t expect my bills to work miracles, but if they become law, I do expect them to create more just and safe communities by extending hope and opportunities to the neighbors we welcome home. |
Most important, these common-sense laws will bring down the recidivism numbers and increase the ranks of productive members of society who were incarcerated at one point in their past.
I wrote about my first bill, HB 1078, in my previous newsletter. Since then, that bill was the subject of a public hearing and was exec’d with a do-pass recommendation. The bill simply restores the right to vote automatically to every person who is no longer under complete confinement by the Department of Corrections. As I mentioned in my previous newsletter, an increase in civil rights has a strong correlation to lower recidivism rates. That lower recidivism number benefits society in more ways than you can imagine, and I hope this bipartisan, common-sense bill will become law this year.
Office of Behavioral Health Advocacy
My HB 1086, which will create the state Office of Behavioral Health Advocacy, had its hearing last week and is set to be exec’d this week. The way we deal with people experiencing what we call behavioral health disorders says a lot about a society. Our record hasn’t always been admirable, but the wheel is turning in the right direction. Giving people in crisis a committed voice inside state government is evidence of that.
Early action on COVID-19 response
Last week, House and Senate Democrats announced a matching pair of $2.2 billion early action COVID-19 relief bills: HB 1368 and its Senate companion bill, SB 5344. These bills, among the first to move through the legislative process this year, will immediately allocate federal dollars to COVID-19 response where they’re needed most, including relief for renters and landlords, small businesses, schools, and childcare providers. We’ll also quickly invest hundreds of millions of dollars to fight COVID-19 head-on.
Specifically, the bills include . . .
- $714 million in direct assistance for K-12 schools
- $618 million for vaccine administration, contact tracing, and testing
- $325 million in rental assistance for direct rent and utility payments
- $240 million in small business grants
- $50 million in grants and incentives for childcare providers
- $31 million for additional food assistance
- $65 million for immigrant relief assistance
I want to emphasize that this major investment involves federal money, and will be in addition to whatever resources are featured in the biennial state budget that we are working on now. The early action COVID-19 relief legislation combines funds provided by the Consolidated Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, the earlier CARES Act, and Medicaid. It’s our top priority to get relief out to people here in Washington who have been hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic. This legislation is being fast tracked through both chambers this week, and the House could vote on HB 1368 as early as Friday. For more on COVID-19, read on.
Update from the Health Department
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A few days ago members of the House Democratic Caucus had a long conversation with our state’s new Secretary of Health, Dr. Umair Shah. The best news in our current crisis is that vaccines are getting to the people in Washington most in need as quickly as they come in. Data collection is slower than we wish, but we are confident that the partners we have around the state are getting about 15,000 vaccinations done per day. We need to get much faster than that in the next month, and there are good plans to keep ramping up. |
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If you’re unsure about when you will qualify for the vaccine, or just how to get your vaccination once you do, you can use the Department of Health’s Phase Finder Tool. After answering a simple set of questions, the tool will let you know if you are eligible for a vaccine and will provide you with a digital hall pass that will attest to your eligibility. If you are not yet eligible for a vaccine, you can sign up to be texted or emailed when you are. We’ve been asked to suggest that people not call healthcare providers to inquire about COVID-19 vaccinations. Hospitals and clinics are overwhelmed by the volume of these calls right now. For more information on the vaccine go to https://www.doh.wa.gov/Emergencies/COVID19/Vaccine.
In the meantime, I hope you’ll take the steps that will help you be safe. Wear a mask, observe social distance guidelines, and avoid crowds whenever possible. Protect yourself and your loved ones from this disease as if your lives depended on it, because they might.
Please . . .
. . . Don’t be shy about contacting me if you need help with an issue that involves any aspect of state government. I’m privileged to work for you, and I need to hear your voices to help me do my job.
Sincerely,
Rep. Tarra Simmons