Friends and neighbors,
I want to start off by sharing some exciting news: my first three bills passed the House with overwhelming bipartisan support! My Democratic and Republican colleagues and I acted on bills to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic in health care, higher education and transportation.
In a unanimous vote last week, the House passed my bill to help provide more respiratory care in Washington state. Respiratory therapy practitioners provide a variety of services, including ventilator management. The pandemic has shown that these specialists are vital to treating COVID-19, and they’re desperately needed in our communities. HB 1383 updates existing law to match recent guidance and scope of practice in the field, and allows respiratory care to be delivered through telemedicine, a critical service for rural areas.
I know how important this issue is because I have a family member with a chronic lung disease that puts her at higher risk of COVID-19 complications. I’m proud that the first bill I passed out of the House is one that helps families like mine. Next stop: the Senate!
Supporting students and boosting access to ride shares
The House also passed my bill to expand access to scholarships for community and technical college students. HB 1425 would let more students apply for what’s called the Career and Technical Scholarship, which you can learn more about here.
We heard powerful testimony in committee about the importance of this program in uplifting historically marginalized communities. The majority of these scholarship students are first-generation college students and from low- or middle-income families, and half are students of color. My bill would expand eligibility for the scholarship to help more students pursue high-demand trade, STEM and health care careers, especially as they may need to make a career change because of the pandemic.
And yesterday, my bill to modify the requirements for the state ride share program so more people can access this critical service passed the House. The ride share program, also known as carpool or vanpool, helps people commute together to cut down on congestion, save money and lower greenhouse gas emissions. But during the pandemic, so many vanpools and rideshares were shuttered because commuters could no longer meet the minimum passenger requirement.
HB 1514 will help more people find a safe and affordable way to get to work, medical appointments, the grocery store, the library and more.
The latest on COVID-19 vaccine eligibility
There have been some big announcements this week on the COVID-19 vaccine. Here’s the latest: Washington state educators and child care workers are now eligible for the vaccine, and Gov. Jay Inslee announced a projected timeline for when more Washingtonians will be able to get the vaccine, which you can take a look at here.
The vaccine is also still available to everyone 65 and older, people 50 and older who live in a multigenerational household, health care workers, first responders and people who live or work in long-term care facilities. Visit this link for help finding a vaccine provider, and for translation assistance or if you can’t get online, call the state COVID-19 information hotline at 1-800-525-0127.
Health care providers have been saying that while vaccine supply is low and appointments are filling up fast, more doses are on the way. Our state also just reached its goal of vaccinating 45,000 people a day! I know it’s tough right now, but we will get through this. Please continue to wear a mask, wash your hands and practice physical distancing.
Thanks for reading! Please don’t hesitate to reach out at 360-786-7898 or Jamila.Taylor@leg.wa.gov. You can also follow me on Facebook for the latest.
Jamila Taylor