Testifying remotely is new this session, but it is easy to do from the comfort of your home! Co-Director Paul testified this week for Native American curriculum in schools (SB 5161). See our How to Advocate in a Virtual Session section below for tips on submitting your testimony and keeping up with the session.

Week Two

During a week of so much change on the national level, the WA State legislature continued full-speed. Many bills FAN supports were heard this week, with testimony from FAN staff. Here’s a snapshot:

  • Paul testified on SB 5161, mandating a deadline of 9/01/23 for school districts to have a Native American curriculum in place that connects to the nearest federally-recognized tribe. There is an effort to amend the bill to either take out ‘federally recognized’ or add in ‘historic treaty tribes’ to ensure that the Duwamish and other tribes who have an established presence but are not federally-recognized have their histories taught in their local school districts.
  • HB 1151 was heard in the House Committee on Housing & Human Services – this bill expands emergency food assistance and loosens food-related program regulations to better serve those households suffering from COVID-19.
  • SB 5160 was heard in the Senate Housing & Local Government Committee – this bill will provide better protections for at-risk renters against being evicted during COVID.
  • Many college students and supporters testified on SB 5194 – making programs at our community and technical colleges more accessible and better able to serve students.
  • HB 1090 Prohibiting Private Detention was heard in the House Public Safety Committee.
  • HB 1277 increasing the document recording fee, which will raise $100M per fiscal year for affordable housing, was heard in the House Housing & Human Services Committee.
  • HB 1054 Prohibiting Police Tactics was heard in the House Public Safety Committee.

Some bills made it out of committee:

  • HB 1016 establishing Juneteenth as a paid holiday passed out of the House State Government Committee.
  • HB 1078 Restoring Voting Rights for those exiting prison passed and is in the House Rules Committee.
  • SB 5051 strengthening decertification standards of law enforcement passed in the Senate Law & Justice Committee.

Other bill updates:

  • The Housing Justice Coalition steering committee made the difficult decision to focus on the interim and next session after not securing a bill sponsor. This bill would prohibit a landlord from discriminating against someone with a felony record who has served their time.
  • Paul was part of the human services lobbyist meeting with the Senate majority leader where revenue, TANF reforms, and the Working Families Tax Credit were discussed.

Looking Ahead to Week Three

Four bills FAN supports will be heard on Tuesday:

  • HB 1202 – Allows civil liability suits against law enforcement and eliminates qualified immunity – in the House Civil Rights & Judiciary Committee at 10 AM.
  • HB 1236 – Protects tenants from eviction – in the House Housing, Human Services & Veterans Committee at 8 AM.
  • HB 1267 – Establishes an independent investigation office for law enforcement use of deadly force cases – in the House Public Safety Committee at 8 AM.
  • SB 5214 – Makes needed reforms in our state Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program – in the Senate Human Services, Reentry & Rehabilitation Committee at 1:30 PM.

And one on Friday:

  • HB 1310 – Establishing in statute that police use of deadly force shall only be used as a last resort – in the House Public Safety Committee at 10 AM.

Take Action!

This week we offer three opportunities to take action on issues on FAN’s legislative agenda. Click each link to email your legislators – an email prompt is provided, but please add your own words on why these bills are important to you.

How to Advocate in a Virtual Legislative Session?

Since it is early in the virtual session, everyone is learning new things, including legislators! We will continue to share tips about how to raise your voice during this session. Today’s tips:

How to advocate for a bill in a particular committee: 

  • If you know which bill you are interested in, or you’ve found one you’d like to advocate for from FAN’s Legislative Agenda, plug in that bill number to apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/. That bill page will show you everything you need to know about the bill, including the full text of the bill so you can understand it better.
  • Under Bill History, go to the last entry to see which committee the bill is in and what day and time it is up for a vote.
  • Find out if your Senator or Representatives are on that committee.
  • If so, you may advocate for the bill in the following ways:
    • Email your representative. Their emails are always by the formula first.last@leg.wa.gov.
    • Call the legislative hotline to record a statement to your legislators: 1-800-562-6000.
    • Go to the Participating in Committee Hearings page and choose from Testifying Remotely During a Hearing, Submit Written Testimony, or Comment on a Bill. For each of these options, you will need to plug in whether it is a House (HB) or Senate (SB) bill, select the committee the bill is in, and select the date and time of the meeting. From there, you should see the bill number pop up to select. You will also see an option to record your position (pro or con) on a bill.
    • Fill out the appropriate form to provide your testimony. If you are signing up to testify via video, a link will be emailed to you to join the meeting. The legislature does not guarantee that all who are registered will be able to testify within the given time.
  • Be sure to watch the committee hearing on TVW to hear the discussion. Click on Schedule on the top right corner and search for the day and committee your bill is scheduled to be heard.

The Legislative Information Center (LIC) has updated some of its tips for testifying here: leg.wa.gov/legislature/Pages/Testify.aspx

Getting Ready for Interfaith Advocacy Days!

Time to register and make sure to save your spot for our upcoming advocacy days! All registrations are live now and can be found at our events webpage: fanwa.org/interfaith-advocacy-day.

The Eastern WA Legislative Conference “Beyond Words: Doing Justice” will be virtual on Saturday, January 30. including keynote by Rev. Walter Kendricks, a response panel, workshops, and legislative updates.

Registration for IFAD on February 11 is open! This is our annual interfaith day in Olympia, and this year because we will gather online we have the opportunity to welcome more people than ever from all across the state! No long bus rides, no worry about snow on the pass! Let’s make sure each of 49 legislative districts in our state is represented.

We need you to sign up this week so we can do our best to secure virtual appointments with your legislators. You can expect the same elements you’ve come to appreciate during the course of the IFAD day, 9am-1pm: information sessions, greetings from elected officials, workshops on bills on our agenda, and legislative district caucuses. Legislator appointments will take place in the afternoon of 2/11 or the following day 2/12, as available.

Volunteer opportunity: Consider being a legislative district coordinator to facilitate your district’s caucus. We’ll provide resources! Email fan@fanwa.org to volunteer.

In Central WA, we will gather on February 20 for Advocacy Day, “Moving Past Crisis and Into Action”.  – a morning of legislative overview, a panel discussion on policies affecting immigrants, and breakout action groups on Poverty, Climate, Voting Rights, Healthcare, and Immigration. We will emphasize collective actions we can take to move the policies forward, both locally and at the state level. English to Spanish interpretation will be offered.

Events & Opportunities

We’ve learned of a new fund “to create a just and generous world” available to projects working on climate, housing, hunger, re-entry and youth. Go to Expensify.org/apply to learn more!