Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Last week we passed the “House of Origin’ cutoff in Olympia and wrapped up full time floor action. Bills that did not pass the chamber in which they were introduced are dead. We now return to committees to consider bills the other chamber passed and start the process all over again.
This has been a historically productive time for the House. We passed a record 331 bills and resolutions, with 196 being voted out unanimously and 257 getting 80 or more votes. The vast majority of the legislation we pass in Olympia is bipartisan. It’s encouraging to see that we have much more in common than things that separate us.
More important than the quantity of bills passed, we were able to move major legislation that will make an immediate impact for our community. In the wake of Dobbs, we’ve taken a strong stand to protect reproductive rights and gender affirming care (HB 1155, HB 1469, HB 1340), passed historic bills to prevent and reduce gun violence (HB 1240, HB 1143), continued to enact protections for our environment (HB 1589, HB 1181, HB 1390, HB 1216, HB 1085, HB 1554), and passed a suite of bills to increase our housing supply and bring down the cost of housing (HB 1110, HB 1337, HB 1074, HB 1474, HB 1245, HB 1695).
Despite passing a bunch of great legislation, much of which is bipartisan, we still have many progressive priorities for which we must continue fighting. We must do more to protect the 40% of Washington residents who rent their homes. We must prevent our recent police reforms from being rolled back. And we must find ways to make our tax code less regressive. Some of this we can continue in the second half of the legislative session as we work on bills sent to the House from the Senate. Other priorities will need to be worked into the state’s budget to make sure it reflects or morals.
Town Hall
Now that the first half of session is over, we want to hear from you! Please join Sen. Rebecca Saldaña, Rep. Sharon Tomiko Santos and me for a 37th District Town Hall this Saturday at the Centilia Cultural Center at El Centro De La Raza. The event will get started with coffee and light refreshments at 10 AM and then we will take questions from 10:30 to 11:30 AM. We hope to see you there!
What: 37th District Town Hall
When: Saturday, March 18th from 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM.
Where: El Centro De La Raza, Centilia Cultural Center, 1660 S Roberto Maestas St. Seattle, WA 98144
Bills Alive!
Because the Washington State Constitution caps the Legislature to a 105 day session in odd numbered years and 60 days in even numbered years, this limits the amount of time we have to pass bills. Since many bills do not make it across the finish line each year, they often take a few sessions to make it through the entire process. I am happy to report that many of the bills I’m working on are continuing this session:
HB 1795: Making the Estate Tax More Progressive
While we need to rebalance our tax code with an income tax, we can work towards progressive taxation by updating our estate tax. Many Washingtonians are fortunate enough to have multimillion dollar estates after paying for funeral expenses and taking exemptions. Making the estate tax more progressive will help ensure all Washingtonians contribute similar percentages of their wealth towards sustaining the vibrancy of our state.
HB 1155: My Health, My Data
It is more important than ever that websites, apps, and other non-HIPPA covered entities are accountable for the privacy of our health care data. I’m glad to be able to leverage my professional experience to help Rep. Slatter, the prime sponsor of HB 1155, craft The My Health, My Data Act. This bill closes the gap on privacy protections by prohibiting the sale of Washingtonian’s health information and requiring companies to implement stricter privacy standards for consumer health data.
SB 5144: Battery Recycling
Batteries power many products throughout our society, and their use will only proliferate as we electrify our economy. We have to ensure that the materials in these batteries are reused to reduce the cost of creating more batteries and prevent the toxic chemicals in them from polluting our environment. Sen. Stanford ran a companion to my bill, HB 1533, and it is now coming over to the House. I’m excited to move our work through the House and to the Governor’s desk for signing!
HB 1170: Planning for Climate Resiliency
Washington seems to have added a new season to its calendar, smoke season. Climate fires continue to worsen, atmospheric rivers create abnormal flooding, and cold snaps blanket our region in ice. We have not done enough to prevent climate change, and now we’re suffering the consequences. HB 1170 requires the Washington Department of Ecology to update the Integrated Climate Change Response Strategy every four years in coordination with the University of Washington Climate Impacts Group. By continuously evaluating the latest science and adapting our plans for dealing with climate events, we can minimize the impacts on our communities. Washington is a state of scientists and innovators. We should utilize our talent to plan for the future.
HB 1640: Marriages by Federal Judges
Most judges in Washington can perform a wedding, but federal judges cannot. A constituent was affected by this and suggested a fix. I was not only happy to work on behalf of one of our community members, and it was especially fun to pass this bill on Valentine’s Day!
HB 1303: Property Tax Administration
As a member of the Finance Committee, the Department of Revenue asked me to sponsor legislation to improve the collection of taxes. This bill makes it easier to appeal property tax decisions and easier to collect property tax levies. This is a good government bill supported by county assessors across the state.
HB 1254: Periodic Adjustments at the Department of Revenue
This updates two inflationary indices that are now defunct with indices that are comparable and still active. This was another request from the Department of Revenue.
Ask Chipalo
In this week’s episode of Ask Chipalo I answer a question from Natalie and Peter about how Washington is protecting reproductive rights.
Thank you for reading my e-newsletter. Hearing from you helps me represent you better. I hope you will share your thoughts, ideas, and opinions with me.
Sincerely,
Chipalo Street
State Representative
37th District