Dear Friends and Neighbors,
The Legislative Session is off to a busy start—it’s been wonderful getting to know this job, meeting so many of you face-to-face, and working hard on tackling some of the biggest challenges facing our community.
I’m also honored to have been chosen by my colleagues to serve as Vice Chair of the Regulated Substances and Gaming Committee. Within this committee, my colleagues and I will champion legislation addressing the evolving cannabis industry, workforce development in alcohol and cannabis, and implementation of the Problem Gambling Task Force recommendations.
Here’s What I’ve Been Working On:
Support for horseracing
Longacres Racetrack had been the oldest continually operating thoroughbred racetrack on the West Coast. In 1909, Washington State banned gambling, and Longacres was forced to permanently close its doors. In 1996, Emerald Downs, in Auburn, opened its doors, taking Longacres’ place. The horse racing industry in the state of Washington has changed significantly over the years, but remains an important workforce industry and cultural activity in the 47th LD. I’m proud to sponsor HB 1529 to provide supplementary funding to support horse racing in Washington.
Securing privacy for lottery players
I’ve sponsored HB 1221 to protect and secure the personal information of participants In the Washington State Lottery. As a practice, the State Lottery has tried to keep as much information private—but It’s integral that all personally identifying information of lottery participants is protected—especially to ensure the safety, privacy, and security of lottery winners.
Watch my first testimony during my time as a legislator here.
Rental stability and housing support
Excessive rent is forcing renters from their homes, and displacing families. Renters deserve stability and legal protection. That’s why I have signed on as a sponsor to HB 1388 and HB 1389, to 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.
Reducing homeownership barriers
We have a need for more housing of every kind, in every community. I’m proud to have signed on as a sponsor to HB 1474 to establish a homeownership account and program to provide down payment and closing cost assistance to groups of people (primarily Black, Indigenous, and people of color) that have been targeted by deliberate housing barriers in law.
Protecting and Preserving Reproductive Care
As other states ban or restrict access to abortion and gender-affirming care, we’re expanding access to reproductive freedom and ensuring Washington remains a safe haven — for both in and out of state access. My colleagues and I working on a package of bills to keep reproductive care available, accessible, and affordable for every resident in the state:
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.
A New Tax Credit for Washington Workers Starts in 2023!
The Working Families Tax Credit is a new program, beginning this February, that will provide payments of up to $1,200 to low-to-moderate income individuals and families. The amounts are based on income level and the number of qualifying children (if any).
This program will help us stimulate local economies, promote racial equity, and provide the financial stability Washington families need right now. To find more information in several available languages, and see if you qualify, visit WorkingFamililesCredit.wa.gov.
It’s an honor to represent the 47th Legislative District. I look forward to hearing your continued advocacy, feedback, and engagement throughout the 2023 Legislative Session–please don’t hesitate to send me an email or give me a call at (360) 786-7858.
Thank you for reading!
Sincerely,
Rep. Chris Stearns
State Representative Chris Stearns
47th Legislative District