We’re cooking with gas now. Less than two weeks to go until Committee Cutoff (2/15/21)—the deadline for bills to pass through their first committee. It’s the first major hurdle that a bill must overcome on the way to becoming a law. It means we don’t have any time to waste. After updates and actions on Our Big Five, check out highlights from the Racial Equity Team, a group of lobbyists of color tracking the legislation that affects our communities across the state.
Per usual, you can always check out our previous newsletters where we’ve covered our priorities in detail, how a bill becomes a law, and best practices for making your legislator do what you want.
News: Our organizing is moving the needle. Racial justice has become a top priority for the Democratic caucus this session, and hearing from community on how ranked-choice voting will make our democracy more equitable has helped this bill pick up momentum. Though it looked like it might stall in committee, and despite Rep. Javier Valdez’s (D-46th LD) concern about allowing localities to move their elections to even years (something proven to help voters of color in particular), this bill has been scheduled for a hearing on Mon., 2/8 at 1:30pm.
News: A draft bill was produced by Sen. Rebecca Saldaña (D-37th LD) and immigrant rights leaders. It has since been sent to the code reviser, an official office of the state government that helps harmonize laws and advise legislators in bill preparations. Sen. Karen Keiser (D-33rd LD), Chair of Labor, Commerce & Tribal Affairs Committee, has tentatively held 2/15 as a work session date—meaning the window is increasingly narrow to get the framework of this bill correct and through the committee by cutoff. At the same time, the House passed $65M for the Washington Immigrant Relief Fund, going a long way toward closing the equity gap for undocumented Washingtonians.
News: The scheduled vote on the HEAL Act in the Senate Environment, Energy and Technology Committee has been moved to Tues, 2/9. So our window to contact Senators has been extended. Let’s get to work, y’all!
News: Earlier this morning, the House Finance Committee passed the Working Families Tax Credit (HB 1297). This week was a busy one for the committee which also held a hearing on a wealth tax (HB 1406). Over a thousand people signed on in support or to testify, setting a record and facing virtually no opposition. For a House Finance Committee hearing two weeks before cutoff, that turnout is huge and helps legislators feel as if they have the wind at their backs. If this past week was any indication, it seems the House will continue pairing progressive revenue bills with spending solutions that put people first. Last week, it was the wealth tax and WFTC. Next week, we could see Rep. Kirsten Harris-Talley (D-37th LD) drop a bill to protect families facing foreclosures as other legislators introduce reforms to our estate tax to make it more progressive.
The Racial Equity Team is a decade-old cohort of lobbyists of color that gather every week to discuss bills that affect communities of color across our state and how they’re moving through the legislature. We’ll be sharing their insights and actions with you weekly.
Trans-affirming care (SB 5213) had a great hearing this week and seems to be off to an optimistic start.
The Bad
Millionaire Sen. Mark Mullet (D-5th LD) is trying to kill a bill that would prohibit the use of credit scores to access personal insurance (SB 5010)—a practice that disproportionately affects people of color, forcing us (sometimes, further) into economic instability after the death of a loved one. SB 5010 would make insurance accessible and affordable for people of color and is sponsored by nearly every Senator of Color.ACTION:Tell Sen. Mullet to stop running out the clock and schedule a hearing on the bill as is, ASAP.
Rep. Valdez’s Hate Crimes Bill (HB 1071) is setting up to become just another tool for prosecutorial abuse against the very communities it’s intended to protect. The bill was supposed to address the rise of hate crimes against communities of color, Muslims, and queer folks. But out of the 20 policy recommendations, only the prosecutorial ones have made it into the bill.ACTION: Sign-on to tell legislators vote against HB 1071 and to not arm prosecutors with more tools for incarceration!
Death penalty repeal bill (SB 5047) is now considered dead because House leadership doesn’t want to court controversy within its the caucus.
A bill aimed at reducing the use of solitary confinement in prisons (HB 2080) is also unlikely to pass, with a hearing anticipated to be scheduled just days before cutoff. Because the bill carries a fiscal note that would increase capacity and programing within facilities in order to mitigate the need to put people in solitary, it’s far less likely to make it.
👥 Next week: Who Matters and Why
The legislature is a maze of committees and chambers. Things move so quickly that if you take your eyes off something, it can change or disappear. At times, it seems more like Hogwarts than the people’s branch of government. But there is a discreet order to things, a hierarchy of power that sets the systems in motion. Part of our goal with this newsletter is to demystify the process. Next week, we’ll help you understand who’s pulling the curtains.
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