Dear friends and neighbors,
Today is the start of week eight of this year’s 105-day Legislative Session, and today marks an important milestone this session. From today through the next legislative calendar cut-off on March 8, we will consider a number of bills on the House floor. Many of the bills that I’m sponsoring and I’ve talked about in previous issues of my newsletter will be heard and voted on, so for the latest news, I encourage you to keep your eyes peeled on the House Democratic Caucus’ main website, as well as my legislative Facebook page for the latest updates.
In this week’s newsletter, I’ll be telling you all about HB 1792, my bill related to water rights adjudication. I’ll also share a brief update on HB 1452, my bill to establish a state emergency medical reserve corps.
Understanding the Water Rights Adjudication Process
Essentially, water rights adjudication is a legal process to determine who has access to water within a designated watershed. A few years ago, the Washington State Department of Ecology was directed by the Legislature to assess watersheds in the state that would benefit most from a water rights adjudication process. The resulting report showed two locations—the Nooksack watershed within the borders of the 42nd Legislative District, as well as an area around Lake Roosevelt in eastern Washington.
The water rights adjudication process can be confusing and daunting. That’s why I put forward HB 1792 to help provide transparency to this process by prescribing timelines in the event of a water rights adjudication in the Nooksack Watershed, also known as Water Resource Inventory Area 1 (WRIA 1). Adjudication is one tool in the state’s water management toolbox. What adjudication does is bring all water users in a watershed into court to determine full and fair water management by confirming the legal rights to use water. The process determines everyone’s water rights in the given area and provides certainty to water users for future use.
If passed, HB 1792 will provide more clarity on timelines (e.g., regarding filing claims and responding to court summons) to all who go through the adjudication process. This bill is intended to provide more transparency and peace of mind for all involved if the state moves forward with adjudication in the Nooksack Watershed.
Audio Update
I recently had the opportunity to sit down with KMRE radio to talk about HB 1452, my bill that will establish a state medical reserve corps. Click here to listen to this interview. Since I spoke about it, this bill now heads to the House floor!
Watch the Process Live on TVW + Check Out My Facebook Page
Things will be busy this week on the House floor and if you want to tune into the action live, I encourage you to watch TVW. What’s great about TVW is even if you miss something you’re interested in, you can also come back later to watch it online.
Additionally, I encourage you to like and follow my legislative Facebook page for the latest updates this Legislative Session.
Best wishes,
