Get ready for the Legislative Session! We hope you’ll join our Legislative Preview on Sunday 1/7 at 3:00pm to hear FAN Policy Engagement Director Kristin Ang provide an overview of the bills on our agenda and meet in breakout rooms by interest area (i.e. economic justice, housing, immigration, etc.) Later in the week, on Wednesday 1/10 at 7pm or Thursday 1/11 at noon, you can attend Advocacy 101 to learn more from FAN Staff about how to advocate or refresh your skills. All sessions are online—you will receive the link when you register.

You can find FAN’s Legislative Agenda on our website; it is still being updated with bill numbers and sponsors as session begins. Our Issue Fact Sheets for each bill will continue to be updated as well as our Bill Tracker as legislation moves through committee hearings.

Before session even begins, we invite you to write your legislators to highlight the issues you care about this session. As the session moves forward, we’ll be focusing these alerts on specific bills, so this is a great time to share with them a general message about the change you hope to see. Here’s the link and template you can use.

It’s also a good time to make sure you know who your two representatives and senator are: you can confirm your legislative district and legislators at Washington State Legislature. Go to their websites, look at the legislation they’ve introduced, and find out what committees they are on.

Finally, we hope you’ll plan to join us for Interfaith Advocacy Day in Olympia on Thursday February 8! Our plans for plenary, workshops, caucus time, and meetings with your legislators are coming together. We are intending to have an online opportunity in late January to meet others in your legislative district before IFAD to strategize your day in Olympia—more information will be shared with those who register. Put together a carpool and plan to join us! Some overnight accommodations are available at Gwinwood Retreat Center in Lacey for those coming from further away.

Kristin’s Policy Updates

The 2024 legislative session, a 60-day “short session,” is scheduled to commence January 8 and conclude March 7. As a supplemental budget year, it will focus on updating the operating, transportation, and capital budgets for the period from 2023 to 2025. The Democratic party maintains a majority in both the House with 58 seats to 40 and the Senate with 29 seats to 20.

Our session priorities encompass a wide spectrum, ranging from housing initiatives to ensuring accountability for oil companies and environmental protection. FAN’s legislative agenda includes support for a rent stabilization bill to limit yearly rent increases and a proposal to rebalance the Real Estate Excise Tax (REET) to create a sustained funding source to build affordable housing across Washington.

Our commitment to equity is evident in our advocacy for tax reform, addressing income inequality through measures such as the extreme wealth tax and expanding the Working Families Tax Credit (WFTC) to adults over 18. Additionally, we are championing a guaranteed basic income pilot program, striving for parity in healthcare and unemployment benefits for undocumented immigrants, and asking for funding to support newly arrived migrants.

On the environmental front, our focus extends to enhancing transparency in oil companies’ pricing strategies, holding them accountable for price gouging. We also aim to integrate environmental justice into the permitting process, ensuring active community participation in permit evaluations. Stay updated on these critical developments in Olympia by following FAN on social media and subscribing to our e-news and alerts. Together, let’s work towards a more just and sustainable future for Washington.

Eastern WA Legislative Conference January 27

FAN is pleased to co-sponsor the 2024 Eastern Washington Legislative Conference on Saturday, January 27, at Spokane Valley United Methodist Church, 8:30am to 3pm. It will be in-person/hybrid with a link for those who wish to participate on Zoom.

The gathering will feature plenary panels and workshops on the theme Renewing Our Hope for the Future. There will be panel presentations by young adults, environmental activists and faith leaders. Workshops will be offered on understanding hate crimes with the NAACP Spokane, voting rights with the League of Women Voters, refugees and immigrants with the Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network, indigenous issues with Upper Columbia United Tribes, environmental concerns in fire recovery with Spokane County Emergency Management and the West Plains Water Coalition, and housing issues with the Tenants Union, Spokane Low Income Housing Consortium and Resident Action Project.

Legislative briefings will be led by Kristin Ang for FAN, Jean Welch HIll of the Washington State Catholic Conference, and Sarah Robinson of Earth Ministry/Washington Interfaith Power and Light.

Registration is $32 in person with lunch or $25/person for a group of five or more. Online registration is $20, or $15/person in a group of five+. There are scholarships. For information, call 509-535-4112 or register at The Fig Tree. REGISTER BY JAN. 15 for the link (online) and for the lunch (in person).

Take Action to Protect the Rights of Asylum Seekers

As we prepare to advance immigrant and refugee rights in Washington in the 2024 state legislative session, FAN is deeply concerned about proposed changes to federal immigration policy that are being considered at the national level by the Senate and White House as part of supplemental funding negotiations. With our coalition partners like Jewish Coalition for Immigrant Justice, WAISN, Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, and ELCA Advocacy, we ask you to learn more and send a letter to your members of Congress here.

Opportunities

Interfaith America is offering $1,000 capacity-building microgrants as well as larger grants for organizations working towards strengthening our democracy. Learn more here.

Lobby Days with our Coalition Partners

Monday, January 15, 11:15am-4:30pm, in-person. Washington Community Action Network MLK Lobby Day

Wednesday, January 24, 9:00am-5:00pm, in-person. Civil Survival Lobby Day

Tuesday, January 30, 9:00am-4:00pm, in-person. WLIHA Housing and Homelessness Advocacy Day

Wednesday, January 31, 9:00am-4:30pm, in-person. OneAmerica Lobby Day

Thursday, February 1, Time TBA, in-person. Anti-Hunger and Nutrition Coalition Hunger Advocacy Day. Join the Hunger Action Day Training online, Wednesday, January 10 from 9:00-10:00am. Please e-mail Tomo Duke@fanwa.org for the link.

Wednesday, February 7, (9:00am-6:00pm) in-person. WAISN Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Day

Thursday, February 8, 9:00am-3:00pm, in-person. Interfath Advocacy Day 2024

Thursday, February 15, 8:30am-3:30pm, in-person. Jewish Community Relations Council Lobby Day. Contact alizam@jewishinseattle.org for information.

Dr. MLK Jr Days of Action and Celebration

Sunday, January 14, 3:00pm, Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Celebration, in-person, Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Baptist Church, 4519 NE 10th Street, Renton. Hear from Attorney Craig Sims and celebrate the theme, Living the Dream.

January 9-15, The Seattle MLK Jr. Coalition Presents: MLK Jr’s Dream Unfinished, in-person and online. Join a variety of events and workshops including a conversation on Faith and Reparations on Monday, January 15.

Upcoming Events

Sunday, January 7, 3:00-4:15pm, FAN Legislative Preview 2024, online.

Wednesday, January 10, 7:00-8:00pm, Advocacy 101 Evening Session, online.

Thursday, January 11, Noon-1:00pm, Advocacy 101 Lunchtime Session, online.

Saturday, January 27, 8:30-3:00pm, 2024 Eastern Washington Legislative Conference: Renewing Hope for the Future, online and in-person, Spokane Valley United Methodist Church, 115 N. Raymond, Spokane.

Friday-Sunday, February 2-4, Embodying Curiosity and Openness to Change, in-person, Newport Presbyterian, 4010 120th Avenue SE, Bellevue. Learn at the 2024 Meekhof Lecture from Rev. Larissa Kwong Abazia, a leader in innovation and diversity in the Presbyterian Church about the Ecology of Community.

Saturday-Sunday, February 3-4, Refugee Shabbat, in-person, Congregation Beth Shalom, 6800 35th Avenue NE, Seattle. Join in supporting the global Jewish movement for refugee protection and welcome. As borders turn away asylum seekers and climate change worsens existing challenges, it’s crucial to reaffirm our commitment to refugees and take a moment to reflect and celebrate our progress.

Sunday, February 4, 1:00-2:30pm, Rosa Parks’ 111th Birthday Celebration, in-person, Veradale United Church of Christ, 611 N Progress Road, Spokane Valley. Bring your gifts and donations, share some dessert and hear about powerful stories about Rosa Parks’ life.