What has our state government done for people that counters some to the destructive things that President Trump has done to medical research in colleges, reducing staff and funding for the research arm of Environmental Protection Agency, and stopping the funding in 20 states that needed funding for FEMA Disaster Mitigation for hurricanes and floods?
The Washington state legislators faced a similar aggressive Republican Party agenda in the legislature this past session. Our Speaker of the House and her majority kept these bills from getting any traction during the session.
This Republican agenda would have privatized our K-12 education system, would have required our local law enforcement officers to work with ICE, would have restricted access to reproductive health care, and would have ended vote-by-mail.
The Republicans in the House and Senate also proposed legislation that would have rolled back LGBTQ+ protections, would have ended vote-by-mail, would have frozen the minimum wage, and would have gutted necessary state agencies like the Superintendent of Public Instruction or the Office of Financial Management.
“In the state legislature, it matters who sets the agenda,” said Laurie Jenkins. “None of these bills moved forward, and they won’t as long as I am Speaker of the House.”
Stopping legislation wasn’t enough. Passing legislation takes coordination and leadership. Here’s what can be done with a majority vote in both the House and Senate that keeps our neighbors safe from ICE, and gives students the right to learn in an environment free from discrimination.
Take a look at what government has done for you.
- With HB 1052 we clarified the definition of a hate crime to strengthen accountability and ensure justice for victims.
- HB 1232 strengthens oversight at the Northwest ICE Processing Center and is our latest step in attempting to regulate the conditions in these facilities. As a federally-run facility our options are limited, but we are trying to ensure that the people detained there are treated humanely.
- We’re promoting a safe and supportive public education system by ensuring parents have access to translated materials, that school district employees have anti-retaliation protections when they follow the law, and that parents’ and students’ rights are clear and easy to understand. Students deserve to learn in an environment free from discrimination, and parents should have the support they need to be active in their child’s academic success (HB 1296).
- We passed the Keep Washington Working Act with bipartisan support in 2019, which limits how much our local law enforcement officers can work with ICE or enforce federal immigration law. This year we expanded those protections to ensure that bail bond agents aren’t working with federal immigration authorities (SB 5714 – sponsored by my seatmate Sen. Yasmin Trudeau).
- HB 1875 allows people to use paid sick leave to participate in certain immigration proceedings, protecting people’s jobs and paycheck as they navigate our complex immigration system.
- People should be able to access the healthcare they need, when they need it. This year we ensured you can access a 12-month supply for all contraceptive drugs, not just refills (SB 5498). We also ensured you can access a 12-month prescription of hormone replacement therapy, or six months for testosterone-based HRT, which is classified as a controlled substance so subject to stricter laws (HB 1971). As the federal government attempts to make these medications harder to access, we’re protecting your health care here in Washington
- We’re recognizing Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha as holidays in Washington These are two of the most significant holidays in Islam, and this recognition officially sends a powerful message that Muslim Washingtonians are valued and respected. These are legislative holidays for now, not paid state holidays, but I’m excited that we will get to formally celebrate them for the first time next year (SB 5106.