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Lunell Haught, President

Ann Murphy, Lobby Team Chair

February 23, 2020 Vol. 52, Issue 7

Empowering Voters. Defending Democracy.

Support the League by donating to our Advocacy or Education funds here.

Welcome to League Action!

If you are a returning participant, thank you for your actions, and more opportunities are below. If you are new to this Legislative Newsletter, here are some helpful tips to get started.

Next Deadline – February 28

The pace seems to be picking up! Legislators have until Friday, February 28, to pass bills out of the policy committees. Bills will have until March 2 to pass out of House fiscal committees, Senate Ways & Means and Transportation committees.

Both chambers will release their budgets on Monday morning. Press conferences will follow at noon and then budget hearings begin at 3:30 pm. Once budgets are released, you can review them here, under Documents and Lists. Click on legislative proposals and then you will see the operating, transportation and capital budget proposals.

Please check our Action Alerts – they will ask you to urge your Legislator to bring specific bills to the floor for a vote. Also, check your favorite issue below to see if a bill you are supporting is still alive and needs particular attention to move it along. Additionally, some web pages may have Action Alerts in addition to what appears in the newsletter.

This Week's Action Alerts!

If you do nothing else this week, these are the most important actions you can take. Responding to these alerts is a great way for you to have a big impact with a very small investment of time.

If you think that you may have missed an earlier Action Alert – the alerts for this session can be found here.

A Once-in-a-decade Opportunity

Since the House of Representatives passed SHB 2575 on February 19, we must now alert our Senators to the importance of passing this bill that increases transparency and accountability and maximizes public input to the Washington State Redistricting Commission.

Tell them you believe in increasing access to democracy, transparency in government processes, and maximizing people’s ability to give input. Tell them you believe in making things better before something goes wrong. Tell them you want the process to work for everyone.

Help make sure SHB 2575 passes the Washington Senate. Email your Senator today with this pre-filled out letter. Don’t forget to add your own story of why access to democracy is important to you.

Support SB 5395, Requiring Comprehensive Sexual Health Education In All Schools

SB 5395 has to be voted out of the House Education Committee by Friday, February 28. It is critical to provide this medically accurate and age-appropriate sexual health education for all students. Urge your Representatives to help pass this bill.

Help Reduce Pollution From Plastic Bags

Single-use thin plastic grocery carryout bags clog recycling equipment and pollute our waterways with trash and smaller bits as they break down. ESSB 5323 will prohibit such bags across the state. Grocery companies, recyclers, and trade organizations support this bill because it makes the regulations uniform across the state. The details in this bill have been thoroughly negotiated, so email your Representatives to help pass it.

Status and Actions Needed for Legislative Priorities

Are you interested in following a specific issue that the League is? Please click on your area(s) of interest to see the status of bills that a specific Issue Chair is working on and what action is needed this week. The issue web pages include the Lobby Team contact information, League positions, and history of bills the League is tracking for this Legislative session. Please realize that you do not need to follow all of these – only select your area of interest and know that there will be others selecting other areas.

DEMOCRACY

Elections: *NEW UPDATES* Success for bills encouraging youth voting and citizen engagement and providing state support for election funding and outreach to underrepresented voters.

Census & Redistricting: *NEW UPDATES* Create a transparent, accessible, and representative process.

Campaign Finance & Government Ethics: *NEW UPDATES* Senate passes bill to fight foreign campaign interference, bills to close the revolving door need your support now.

Election Security: *NEW UPDATES* Ensure secure, accurate, transparent elections.

FIGHTING CLIMATE CHANGE & ITS EFFECTS

Climate Change: *NEW UPDATES* Reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enact measures to promote climate resiliency.

Energy: *NEW UPDATES* Advocate for clean and renewable sources, and safe transport and storage.

NATURAL RESOURCES: Protect and restore:

Forests & Rivers: *NEW UPDATES* Protect our forests from wildfires and preserve as important carbon sinks. Protect our free-flowing rivers from dams, disturbance, and depletion.

Water: *NEW UPDATES* and *ACTION ALERT* Protect the quality and quantity of our water supply.

ENSURING SOCIAL JUSTICE

Criminal Justice: *NEW UPDATES* Eradicate racial bias and uphold principles of fairness.

Economic Justice: *NEW UPDATES* Create equitable outcomes and opportunities for all; prevent and reduce poverty.

Education: *NEW UPDATES* Fully fund K-12 and student support services.

Gun Safety: *NEW UPDATES* Enact sensible gun safety measures.

Housing & Homelessness: *NEW UPDATES* Ensure affordable housing for all.

Healthcare, Behavioral Health, & Reproductive Rights: *NEW UPDATES* Ensure affordable and accessible healthcare for all.

ESTABLISHING FAIR REVENUE

Revenue: *NEW UPDATES* Balanced, fair, adequate, flexible tax structure.

Transportation: *NEW UPDATES* Achieve balanced, appropriately funded, environmentally sound multi-modal transportation system.

Click here for a list of Lobby Team members and contact info.

Other Sources of Information

TVW, Washington's public affairs network, provides gavel-to-gavel coverage of Washington State Legislature sessions and coverage of the Washington State Supreme Court and public affairs events.

The Washington State Legislature website has links to helpful legislative information of all kinds.

You are encouraged to invite others to take action by sharing the Legislative Newsletter subscription link, Action Alerts, and Calendar Events. You can also help support the League's work by donating to the Advocacy or Education fund here.

If you are curious about all that a bill goes through, click here.

Calendar and Events

February 28 – Last day to read in committee reports (pass bills out of committee and read them into the record on the floor) from opposite house, except House fiscal committees and Senate Ways & Means and Transportation committees.

March 2 – Last day to read in opposite house committee reports (pass bills out of committee and read them into the record on the floor) from House fiscal committees and Senate Ways & Means and Transportation committees.

March 10 – Presidential Primary. See here for what is different about this election.

March 12 – Last day allowed for regular session.

Washington State Legislature – Agendas, schedules, and calendars for 2020 session.