Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Two issues that I have heard from you the most about are how we can protect our reproductive freedom and what are we doing to make housing more affordable in this state. In this newsletter, I will break down the legislation that we are considering to tackle those problems in a comprehensive way. I will also detail a small bill I am running to ensure that dangerous derelict vessels are taken care of in a timely fashion, but that vessel owners have adequate due process.
Protecting & Preserving Reproductive Care
Washington state residents have a right to reproductive and gender-affirming care. Even though House Democrats and the voters have protected that right here, Republicans in other states are trying to punish anyone who pursues or provides support for an abortion – even those who live in our state.
Washington Legislative Republicans have followed other states seeking to overturn abortion by introducing approximately 40 bills in the last six years to limit your rights, which is why we are standing up for your right to reproductive care.
Washington House Democrats are keeping reproductive care available, accessible, and affordable for every resident in the state with a package of bills that will stand up against extremists and states looking to take away your rights.
House Bill 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.
House Bill 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.
House Bill 1469 (Shield Law) protects patients and providers of reproductive and gender-affirming care in Washington from retribution by other states.
House Bill 1286 protects 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.
House Bill 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.
House Bill 1115 prohibits co-pays and deductible requirements for anyone seeking an abortion.
Rental Stability and Housing Support
We’ve heard from you that more affordable housing, stabilized rental rates, and more government-subsidized housing for low-income families would have the greatest impact on the state this year. That’s why I have long advocated for a multifaceted approach that increases the housing supply, strengthens tenant protections, and increases our investment in workforce housing options.
HB 1343 provides local governments with options to grant relief and preserve affordable housing in their communities. This creates affordable, healthy, high-quality rental housing opportunities for very low-income households when there are insufficient options available.
HB 1388 and HB 1389 stop excessive rent hikes, give renters stability, and empower the Attorney General to go after unscrupulous landlords who use rent increases as a mechanism to deny tenants of their legal rights. We all need a home to meet our most basic needs. Excessive rent is forcing renters from their homes, and displacing families. Renters deserve stability and legal protection.
Derelict Vessels Appeals
While derelict might be an avant-garde fashion in the world of Zoolander, here in Kitsap County a derelict vessel can be a major problem.
With thousands of miles of coastline, Washington has a unique and robust maritime industry. However, when vessels are abandoned they can become a major risk to public safety as well as the health of our maritime waters. That is why Washington has a Derelict Vessel Removal Program that allows the Department of Natural Resources or any other public agency that owns lands to take custody of and dispose of abandoned or derelict vessels. They can then bill the owner of the vessel for removal.
Currently, the owner of a seized vessel can appeal either the seizure of their vessel or the amount of reimbursement owed to the Pollution Control Hearings Board (PCHB). Because the PCHB members are political appointees and generally have more responsibilities than just their board duties, it can be difficult to schedule a timely appeal. Fortunately, the Environmental and Land Use Hearings Office that administers the PCHB employs administrative law judges that would also be able to perform these hearings. My bill, HB 1081, simply allows the PCHB to assign cases to these administrative law judges, speeding up an appeal for a vessel owner that feels they have been wronged and ensuring that the state recovers the cost of removing truly dangerous, derelict vessels from our waterways.
Thank you for reading my legislative newsletter. I will continue updating you periodically throughout the legislative session.
Sincerely,
Rep. Tarra Simmons