Dear Friends and Neighbors,
I want to start off by sharing some resources that may be helpful to you and your family.
In the 37th District — one of the most diverse in Washington — nearly 15% of households, or close to 9,800 families, rely on SNAP benefits to help make ends meet.
These are our neighbors: working parents, elders, and young people striving for opportunity in one of the state’s most expensive housing markets. When federal support disappears, it widens the gap in our community which is already facing inequities.
I’m committed to policies that center equity and make sure every neighbor can thrive — not just survive.
If you or someone you know relies on SNAP benefits, keep an eye on DSHS’s webpage where they will share regular updates.
According to the website, many people have received their SNAP benefits for November and “everyone who gets SNAP benefits should check the status of their cards by calling the number on the back of their card. If funds are available, people can use them.”
You can find a list of accessible food services from the Dept. of Agriculture here.
And, in case you missed it, Governor Bob Ferguson moved $2.2 million to food banks throughout Washington to support them during the shutdown. The situation is fluid, but help is available. Please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Survey says…
In my last newsletter I asked for your feedback and priorities for the 2026 legislative session. Nearly 50 people responded. Here’s what you said:
The top three issues Washington is doing well on
I asked you to pick the top three issues you thought the state was doing well on. The environment, transportation, and crime and tourism (tied) bubbled to the top.
The legislature has worked hard during the last session to continue to invest in our transportation system by passing a thoughtful transportation budget. We’re supuporting tourism by preparing for major events like the FIFA World Cup with bills like HB 1515 which allows flexibility for outdoor alcohol sales, and making investments to prepare our transportation services for the influx of people. We’re addressing public safety by investing in community safety with bills like HB 2015 which supports the Community Reinvestment Program while also supporting law enforcement efforts.
To protect our state’s beautiful environment, the legislature passed bills to improve our recycling infrastructure (SB 5284). Ensuring clean air and water in our environment is key to maintaining healthy communities. That’s why I plan to continue to pursue legislation like HB 1550, which will create an electric vehicle battery recycling program, similar to the program I helped create in 2023 for regular batteries. Not only will this help protect our environment from old or improperly maintained EV batteries, but it will ensure that the valuable resources in those batteries are not wasted.
The top three issues state lawmakers should focus on
I also asked for your thoughts on where we could do better. Healthcare and housing (tied), homelessness and cost of living (tied), and education all bubbled to the top.
I know it’s getting harder and harder for so many families in Washington to make ends meet. That’s why we continue to pursue legislation to fix our upside-down tax code and create ways for the wealthiest among us to pay their fair share in taxes. We continue to look for progressive revenue streams and make smart investments with a budget that prioritizes the health, safety, and food security for your families, and make investments in childcare, public education, as well as higher education.
Housing costs continue to be a struggle for far too many of our neighbors, that’s why we passed rent stabilization (HB 1217), and other renter protections, during the last legislative session to help stabilize communities and ensure families can stay housed. We’ve also passed dozens of bills to increase our state’s housing supply. We will continue to work with our colleagues and partners to make sure that Washington is an affordable place where all residents can thrive.
Is Washington headed in the right direction?
Finally, I asked you whether you felt Washington was headed in the right direction. About 60% of respondents said yes while the other 40% said no.
Some of you described a “sincere effort to pursue policies that improve people’s lives,” and another respondent felt like Washington is “a community that values human lives, the environment, culture, art, diversity, and education. This is a beautiful state that offers so much to its citizens.”
However, other respondents said we are at “a tipping point of affordability,” and that “public transportation is slow and dangerous and … the cost of living (gasoline, insurance, Seattle property taxes – for instance) is way too high.” Another respondent mentioned the tax code and said, “Until we fix this and make the richest residents pay their fair share, we will continue to fall short on the critical investments we need to make for our future.”
Some respondents were in the middle, like one who said they “believe our legislature and our governor have the right priorities. We just need more funding–as in a more equitable tax structure.”
Thank you all for your responses and feedback. It is critical to my work to know where you stand on a multitude of issues as we address our community’s greatest challenges through policy. I will be sure to keep the range of your thoughts and opinions in mind as we prepare for the upcoming legislative session.
Join me in my office this session
Lastly, I want to encourage our young people to join me in Olympia this session as a legislative page.
Pages receive a stipend and spend a week in my office learning about the legislative process while distributing materials throughout the capitol campus, assisting offices, delivering messages, working on the chamber floor, and carrying the flags at the opening of each day’s legislative session. Pages also spend time each day in Page School learning about all aspects of state government.
It’s an honor to host pages in my office throughout the session and get to know our future lawmakers so I hope someone you know will consider applying. Applications are open now!
Keep an eye out for another update ahead of the legislative session. And once again thank you for your feedback.
In solidarity,
Rep. Chiaplo Street
