Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Thank you to everyone who came out and packed El Centro De La Raza for our 37th District Town Hall with me, Sen. Rebecca Saldaña, and Rep. Sharon Tomiko Santos. It was so good to hear directly from the community. Your thoughts, ideas, opinions, and questions are the most important feedback I can get going into the last month of the session. We heard from a diverse swath of the district and answered questions on everything from housing affordability to the assault weapons ban. I look forward to hosting more events to connect once the legislative session ends.
Town Hall Debrief
If you weren’t able to make it out on Saturday, have no fear, you can watch my recap of the town hall below. Always feel free to send me an email with your thoughts, questions, comments, or concerns here: https://app.leg.wa.gov/pbc/memberEmail/37/2
Battery Recycling
Part of averting our climate disaster is electrifying our economy. Part of doing so will cause batteries to further proliferate; however, they are not without their own environmental costs. Getting the materials to create batteries is carbon intensive, from the mining of the materials to the manufacturing process and supply chain necessary to get the battery where it needs to be. At the end of a battery’s life cycle, they can leech toxic chemicals.
That is why I am working with Sen. Derek Stanford, D-Bothell, on SB 5144/HB 1533, a bill to create a battery recycling program in Washington. The bill requires battery producers to participate in a stewardship organization that plans and provides for battery collection and environmentally responsible end-of-life management. The bill also directs the Department of Ecology to study the best ways to recycle electric vehicle batteries and large format batteries that are becoming more prevalent. We can protect our environment from toxic chemicals and ensure the valuable parts of a battery are not wasted if we start designing this recycling system now. This problem will only grow larger, so it is important that we get to work.
This legislation has passed the Senate and I shepherded it through the House Environment & Energy Committee. Once it passes through the House Appropriations Committee, I will advocate for its passage when the bill is debated on the House floor.
Washington Hospitality Grants
In the 2022 supplemental budget, the Legislature invested in our state’s recovery, including strategic investments in small businesses struggling in the wake of the pandemic. One such investment is the Washington Hospitality Grant, which offers financial relief for the hospitality industry through one-time grants for eligible restaurants, hotels, motels, and other small hospitality industry businesses in WA.
Those grants are now open, so apply today! Head to wahospitalitygrants.com to see if you’re eligible.
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