How to participate in your democracy and an update on COVID vaccines

January 14, 2021

Dear neighbors,

I’d like to tell you about two related issues in this legislative update.

First, new ways to participate during the 2021 session without driving to Olympia. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, this is our first remote session.

And second, new information about the rollout of vaccines, which are essential to beating this virus, reopening our schools, and restoring our economy.

Thank you for taking the time to read this!

A guide to the first virtual session of the Legislature 

The COVID-19 pandemic makes it too dangerous to have a regular session, when up to 10,000 people are at our capitol on any given day. 

It would be particularly bad due to how people come from every corner of the state, visit the capitol dome, then return home.  To safeguard everyone’s health, we’re having a remote session, with only a few lawmakers and staff running essential functions in the House and Senate. 

In this remote session, the people of Washington will have more access to their Legislature than ever before. Any meetings that were public during a normal session will still be accessible remotely. 

We have expanded the ways you can access information, connect with lawmakers, and submit remote testimony for committee hearings. 

Every committee meeting, work session, debate, and vote on the floor of each chamber will be televised and archived by tvw.org. 

As a lawmaker from rural Washington, I’ve always fought for easier access to our democracy. People from the 24th District can’t just hop in their car and drive to Olympia for a 15-minute meeting.  

This year, no one will have to travel to Olympia to participate in their democracy. 

Click here for a short video by Speaker Laurie Jinkins and Senator Andy Billig, a Q&A slideshow, and more information on the many ways we encourage you to participate in the legislative process without leaving your house. 

Infographic offering various ways Washingtonians can be involved with their legislature during the 2021 remote session. please refer to options on the Legislature’s Americans with Disabilities Act Information https://leg.wa.gov/legislature/pages/adainfo.aspx page.

The latest on the COVID-19 vaccines

flu shot, health care

Many of you have questions about the vaccines.  

Things are changing rapidly when it comes to the vaccination schedule, and I’ll keep you updated as that ramps up.

Gov. Jay Inslee unveiled an updated COVID-19 vaccine plan earlier this week that aims to vaccinate 45,000 Washingtonians a day. Here’s the latest on what to expect:

  • Vaccines are being distributed in phases. You can use the Phase Finder online tool to find out if you’re currently eligible for the vaccine , or to sign up to get an alert when you are.
  • We’re in Phase 1B-Tier 1. That means anyone 65 and older, and 50 and older living in a multigenerational household, can get the vaccine. The vaccine is also still available to those who are eligible in Phase 1A, including high-risk health care workers, high-risk first responders and long-term care facility residents. This timeline lays out the phases and estimated start dates.
  • The state Department of Health is setting up mass-vaccination sites. Starting next week, there will be four new sites: Spokane Arena in Spokane, the Benton County Fairgrounds in Kennewick, Town Toyota Center in Wenatchee and the Clark County Fairgrounds in Ridgefield.
  • The state DOH and Microsoft launched a COVID-19 vaccine data dashboard.

I share your frustration about the slow pace of vaccinations, and the poor leadership coming from the federal government under the previous administration. They promised 100 million vaccinations by the end of 2020, then 20 million, overpromising and underdelivering every step of the way. It’s maddening, because almost 400,000 Americans are dead because of this incompetence. The experience of other countries shows those deaths were preventable.

So while Washington state took this far more seriously than other states, and did better against the virus, I understand and sympathize with those who are upset.

I do expect things to get better, with more supplies and better support from the federal government under the new administration, which just proposed a $1.9 trillion package with a massive influx of funding for vaccinations, public health, and help to rebuild our economy. 

Keep in touch

Hearing from you is important to me.

Please feel free to contact me with your stories, comments, questions, or ideas.

I hope to hear from you soon!