FAN participated in a week of interfaith hospitality at Ramadan iftars with Pacifica Foundation in Snohomish and the Muslim Association of Puget Sound (MAPS) in Redmond, and a Passover seder with the Jewish Federation in Olympia.

We are in a rare convergence of holy days this week for our faith communities, as the Muslim holy month of Ramadan continues, Christians enter into Holy Week from Palm Sunday through Easter services, Passover begins at sundown on Wednesday for the Jewish community, and Sikhs celebrate Vaisakhi Day on April 14. We want to pause to thank you for your presence in Faith Action Network. The values that spring forth from your faith traditions and spiritual practices allow us to work together for justice. May the days ahead revive your hearts, renew or revive your commitments, and strengthen your communities for the work of justice.

Take Action

There are just 24 days left in the legislative session! The House and Senate must negotiate and reconcile their capital, operating, and transportation budgets for a final budget that can pass the full legislature before the end of session. Upcoming deadlines include April 4 for fiscal committees cutoff and April 12 for the floor cutoff. Sine die (end of session) is April 24. Our bill tracker is updated and shows the bills that have until Tuesday, April 4, to move through fiscal committees. In the meantime, we have actions you can take toward getting two of our bills funded in the final budget.

Working Families Tax Credit HB 1477

We are active in the Working Families Tax Credit (WFTC) coalition, and while one of our WFTC bills for expansion unfortunately did not make it this session, we are redoubling our efforts to make sure HB 1477 WFTC Fixes is passed and funded. It is scheduled for executive session in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means on Tuesday, April 4. Please contact committee members before then to vote yes on HB 1477.

Budget action is also needed. The Senate does not include WFTC fixes in their budget, but the House does. Please raise your voice for working people and write your senators at this easy link.

Fund Immigrant Health Coverage: Adopt the House Budget Proposal

Join this Organizational letter: FAN signed onto an organizational letter to urge full funding for immigrant health coverage programs, and we hope your faith community or organization can join us! The Health Equity for Immigrants Campaign (HEIC) is sending a letter to the Senate, calling on them to join the House in funding affordable immigrant health care access in the final operating budget. Please ask the leaders of your organization to join over 160 organizations and sign on their support. This is something your whole community can show support for during these holy days. The deadline to sign on is Monday, April 3, 5pm.

Washington is stronger when we protect the health and well-being of everyone in our state. More than 100,000 of Washington’s immigrants are uninsured, leading to worse health outcomes and mounting medical debt. Left with no viable option, many people are forced to choose between needed care and other necessities. The House’s budget proposal prioritizes equity by funding health coverage for immigrants and adopting a program structure that reflects community input. It provides essential funding to support and enhance the Cascade Care Exchange Program and provides foundational funding for a Medicaid-comparable program for immigrant communities. By contrast, the Senate’s budget proposal was deeply disappointing. It provides no Medicaid-like program and fails to include sufficient funding to provide meaningful health access to immigrant communities.

YOUR SUPPORT IN THE FINAL BUDGET THIS YEAR IS CRITICAL TO IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES. We urge the legislature to budget for HEIC at NO LESS THAN THE FUNDING LEVELS PROPOSED BY THE HOUSE.

WEEK 12 Legislative Session Recap

BUDGET

Last Monday, the House Democrats revealed their operating, capital, and transportation budgets.

The “Resilient Washington” House Operating Budget (HB 1140) is $69.5 billion for the 2023-2025 biennium; it makes investments in housing, education, and behavioral health. The biggest difference between the House and Senate operating budgets is that the House assumes: 1) funding from the capital gains tax which was declared constitutional by the State Supreme Court last week, and 2) passage of Gov. Inslee’s proposed statewide voter referendum for a $4-billion housing construction program bond. This referendum would allow the state to issue bonds outside Washington’s debt limit. The additional money would pay for approximately 5,300 housing units in the upcoming biennium and 19,000 more in the following six years. The House Operating budget prioritized equity with investments of:

  • $200 million for the Community Reinvestment Account.
  • $73 million for refugee support and education.
  • $99 million to provide health care for undocumented adults (children are already covered).
  • $25 million to fund Cascade Care for low-income Medicaid-ineligible individuals.

FAN Policy Engagement Director Kristin Ang testified, thanking the House for funding HB 1260, which would end the requirement that extremely low-income disabled people pay back Aged, Blind, & Disabled (ABD) cash assistance when they qualify for SSI federal assistance, for which they are required to apply. She informed the committee that DSHS had increased the fiscal note to $51 million from $39.5 million, and asked the committee to increase funding to cover the current full cost. She also thanked the committee for providing funding in the budget for a Medicaid-like program for immigrant communities (HEIC) and urged the House’s approach to be in the final budget. The House budget allocates $95 million, while the Senate allocates $0 to a Medicaid-comparable program for undocumented Washingtonians. She also encouraged the House to match the Senate’s budget of $8 million for immigrant legal defense fund.

The $8.3 billion House Capital Budget (HB 1147) set a new state record for construction. It includes $4.62 billion in new state bonds, $3.16 billion in other funding (federal, local, and dedicated state funds), and $525 million in Climate Commitment Act Revenue, plus $160 million reserved for the supplemental budget in 2024. Major expenditures include $704 million for affordable housing and home upgrades, including $400 million for the Housing Trust Fund. The budget also sets aside $893 million for behavioral health, including $613 million for construction of a new 350-bed forensic hospital at Western State, and $211 million for competitive grants to community behavioral health providers. Other significant investments include $198 million for electric heat pumps for low-income households and small businesses, and $821 million in natural resource investments including drinking water, forest management, toxic cleanup, recreation and conservation, and state parks.

The House Transportation Budget (HB 1125) includes $5 million to conduct an analysis of highway, road, and freight rail transportation needs, options, and impacts from shifting the movement of freight and goods that currently move by barge through the Lower Snake River dams.

BILLS

Following Monday’s tragic school shooting in Nashville, the Senate Committee on Law & Justice passed both HB 1240 Ban on the Sale of Assault Weapons and HB 1143 Requiring a Permit to Purchase Firearms, which includes requirements for safety training, a 10-day waiting period, and an enhanced background check. On Thursday, SB 5078 Firearm Industry Responsibility & Gun Violence Victims’ Access to Justice Act had a hearing in the House Appropriations Committee and was scheduled for executive session today (Friday). This bill would require the firearms industry to establish, implement, and enforce reasonable controls, ensuring that firearms manufacturers and sellers would face liability if they fail to establish, implement, and enforce reasonable controls in the manufacture, sale, distribution, and marketing of firearms, to keep them out of the hands of dangerous individuals.

The Senate Committee on Environment, Energy, & Technology also passed HB 1329 Extreme Heat Utility Shutoff Moratorium, which would save lives and preserve dignity by guaranteeing continued access to clean water and electricity during times of extreme heat.

On Wednesday, there was great news for anti-hunger advocates! HB 1784 Hunger Relief passed unanimously out of the Senate and the bill is headed to the governor’s desk. This bill will provide funding to food banks, support senior meals, and invest in a fruit and vegetables incentive, to replace federal pandemic food benefits that have ended.

SB 5236 Safe Healthcare Staffing, which would establish minimum staffing standards to improve worker safety and patient care, also had a hearing in the House Appropriations Committee and is scheduled for executive session today (Friday).

The Senate Committee on Ways & Means had a busy week, starting with passing the Senate Operating Budget (SB 5187) on Monday and holding hearings the rest of week, including hearing HB 1238 Free School Meals on Tuesday. The committee also held public hearings on: HB 1469 Shield Law, which would protect healthcare providers and patients who access reproductive health care services and gender-affirming treatment in Washington state from out-of-state legal action; HB 1177 MMIWP Investigations, which would create a missing and murdered indigenous women and people (MMIWP) cold case investigations unit; and HB 1579 Independent Prosecutor, which would create a state office to ensure fair and transparent prosecutions of police misconduct.

Today (Friday), both the Senate Ways & Means and House Appropriations Committees are busy holding public hearings and executive sessions on bills.

Let your legislators know what you think their budget priorities should be. Here is a list of all legislators, including links to contact them. If you are not sure who your legislators are, here is a search map/form to help you find out.

Opportunities

Faith Action Network is now accepting applications for our Eastern Washington Regional Organizer, a part-time position. This organizer will work closely with the FAN team and coalition partners to help build relationships, train, and organize with FAN’s network of faith communities and individuals in eastern Washington.

Events

Saturday, April 8, 1:00pm, Northwest Detention Center, 1623 E J Street, Tacoma. Valley and Mountain joins La Resistencia for their solidarity days to protest outside the detention center. .

Tuesday, April 11, 11:00am-2:00pm, in-person, North Steps, Capitol Building, Olympia. Day of Action at the Capitol, sponsored by the American Federation of Teachers and Communities for Our Colleges. Coworkers, students, and community members from across the state are converging on Olympia to call on the state legislature to prioritize student success by fully funding our community and technical colleges.

Saturday, April 15, 1:00-5:00pm, in-person, University Unitarian Church, 6556 35th Avenue NE, Seattle. Seattle Convergence: PRAXIS. A workshop for religious/spiritual leaders led by Ayoka Turner and Chris Crass to generate lessons, culture, and power for collective liberation.

Saturday, April 15, 10:00am-2:00pm, in person, Khalsa Gurmat Center, 2835 S 344th Street, Federal Way. Vaisakhi Festival. Celebrations will include a traditional form of religious procession known as Nagar Kirtan, which can involve hymn singing, martial arts display, and distribution of food representing the concept of langar. Guests may stop by at any time during the celebrations.

Sunday, April 16, 4:30-7:00pm, in-person, University Unitarian Church, 6556 35th Avenue NE, Seattle. Seattle Convergence: Anti-Racist Parenting for Collective Liberation. This participatory workshop for parents, grandparents and caregivers will focus on sharing stories and insights with an understanding that there are many ways that we do this/can do this in our families, and that sharing and being in community together can help us feel more connected, grounded and capable.

Saturday, April 22, 1:00-4:00pm, in-person, University Congregational UCC, 4515 16th Ave NE Seattle. Seattle Convergence: Heart and Soul Nourishment for Anti-Racism and Collective Liberation. This gathering featuring Rev. Osagyefo Sekou and Chris Crass is open to all and is designed to encourage and uplift us. It will include music, sharing, learning, and connecting.

April 22, 4:30-5:30pm, in-person, Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, 127 E 12th Ave, Spokane. A Vigil for the Healing of Earth’s Waters. Faith Leaders and Leaders of Conscience of Eastern Washington and North Idaho invites us to listen to those affected, as well as connect with those actively healing our rivers and lakes.

Tuesday-Thursday, April 25-27, online. Ecumenical Advocacy Days 2023. Join FAN staff in attending this online conference and meet our members of Congress.

Thursday, April 27, 6:00-8:00pm, online. Center for Ecumenical and Interreligious Engagement Spring Workshop Series – Leading by Centering the Margins, The Narrative of the Lie: White Christian Nationalism and Rage. Join this conversation with Rev. Dr. Troy Lynn Carr and Rev. Dr. Richard W. Rouse, moderated by FAN Board Member Rev. Dr. Edward Donalson III.

Earth Day/Week Events

Friday, April 21, 7:00pm, in-person, Prospect Congregational United Church of Christ, 1919 E Prospect Street, Seattle. Earth Week Film Screening: Current Revolution. These 3 short films show the possibility of a just transition to a clean energy economy where the well-being of workers and frontline community members is valued.

Saturday, April 22, 9:00am-4:00pm, in-person, Student Center, Seattle University. 2023 Catholic Earth Day Summit. Hosted by the Intercommunity Peace and Justice Center, the day will include a mass, keynote speakers, and discernment groups to build reciprocity with the earth and take action together for climate justice.

Saturday, April 22, 1:00-4:00pm, in-person, location TBD. Seed Exchange and Cultural Foods Celebration, hosted by Global Social Business Partners. Bring seeds to exchange, enjoy various dishes, and learn to address food insecurity. E-mail iseedneighbors@gmail.com or visit their website to learn more.

Saturday, April 22, 8:30am-5:30pm, in-person, Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, 127 E 12th Avenue, Spokane. Hope for Creation Conference. Faith Leaders and Leaders of Conscience of Eastern Washington and North Idaho invites us to listen to those affected, as well as connect with those actively healing our rivers and lakes. The conference will conclude with a vigil for the healing of earth’s waters from 4:30-5:30pm.