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Washington State House Democrat News

 

 

Rep. Dave Paul      Committees  2023

 Transportation (Vice Chair)
Innovation, Community & Economic Development, and Veterans
Postsecondary Education & Workforce
Ferry Caucus (Co-Chair)                                                        

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Rep Clyde Shavers     

​Committees:
Education (Vice Chair)
Capital Budget
Innovation, Community & Economic Development, & Veterans

 

Senator Ron Muzall     Committees  2023

  • Agriculture, Water, Natural Resources & Parks,

  • Health & Long-Term Care,

  • Ways & Means,

  • Rules

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Here are several ways that you can stay engaged with what is happening in Olympia and participate in our democracy.

Watch—TVW.org broadcasts all of the debates and votes that happen in the House or Senate, along with committee meetings and other events in the public interest.

Research—Visit app.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/ to look up legislation by lawmaker or topic.

Learn—The whole legislative process, from start to finish, is explained at leg.wa.gov/legislature/Pages/Overview.aspx.

Testify—Visit leg.wa.gov/legislature/Pages/Testify.aspx for an overview of the process. Written testimony is also an option, and you can also email me your story.

 Northwest Progresssive Institute website has a bill tracker page and information on how a bill is made and how to track bills.

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Bills from 2022 legislative session listed on this page were of  special interest to individual members of Camano Island Democrats.  Bills from 2023 legislative session will be listed here after the session starts.

Camano Island Democrats have not voted to endorse any specific bills.

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SB 5546: Washington is set to be the 19th state to address the insulin price crisis, as a bill that lowers some insulin copayments from $100 to $35 moves out of the Legislature and is on the governor’s desk.

Should Senate Bill 5546 be signed into law, it would cap insulin copayments at $35 for a 30-day supply of the medication for all Washingtonians on state-funded insurance plans, such as public servants and those on certain Medicaid plans. The cap does not apply to private insurance.

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HB 1172 - this passed House last year. Its been re-introduced and has hearings in the Senate committee. Basically it reaffirms Tribal treaty rights that were overturned by an initiative in 1984. 

This is Debra Lekanoff's bill. We should get a lot of folks submitting comment in support. 

 

SB 5036 - this is the NAACP clemency reform bill. Time to urge Senators to have this bill brought to the floor and voted on. 

 

HB 1838 - Gov Inslee proposed habitat legislation, named for longtime champion for salmon, Lorraine Loomis, Swinomish Tribe and Chair of Northwest Indian Fisheries commission. This bill requires properly functioning riparian management zones around rivers and streams, and future land use planning. 

 

SB 5042 - GMA Loophole fix - Sets an effective date for actions relating to urban growth areas; agricultural, forest, or mineral resource lands; limited areas of more intensive rural development; new fully contained communities; or master planned resorts.

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Fiscal Responsibility & Revenue Reform***

  • Pass a Wealth Tax   (priority of the WSDCC survey)

  • Make the Estate Tax more progressive (1465)

Climate Change

  • Protect Salmon habitat – 1117/5727 Protect riparian regions in GMA.  1838 – Projects must increase, not decrease habitat.

  • Modify the GMA to include climate change (E2SHB 1099), public transit components, and close sprawl loophole (5042)

  • Reduce GHG emissions by expanding building standards (1774/5722), and financing electrification of buildings (1767/5666)

  • Renew Recycling Act (SB 5697) modernizes recycling system so packaging will truly be reusable, compostable or recyclable

Police Accountability:

  • Remove barriers for victims/families to sue and hold officers and departments accountable for misconduct, eliminating qualified immunity as a defense. (HB 1202 ACLU)

  • Restrict the use of solitary confinement (1756/5639 ACLU)

Electoral Reform 

  • Repeal statewide “advisory votes” for bills that increase or recover revenue. (***priority of the WSDCC survey)

  • Overhaul how ballot titles are developed to eliminate abusive practices like ballot title shopping

  • Phasing out odd-year elections (HB1727). Fewer and fewer people are voting in odd year elections meaning that a minority of registered voters elect local candidates.

Social Justice & Racial Equity

  • Advance human rights by repealing the state’s unenforceable death penalty statute

  • Implement the recommendations of the AGO’s Hate Crimes advisory Working Group

 

Education

  • K-12 Vocational Education*** (priority of the WSDCC Survey)

  • Ensure deaf and hard of hearing children have a fluent first language by kindergarten with LEAD-K

  • Take care of our educators by restoring cost of living (COLA) increases for Plan 1 retirees.

Healthcare:

  • Pass the Keep Our Care Act to ensure future healthcare consolidations do not perpetuate discriminatory restrictions to reproductive, gender-affirming, or end-of-life care or exacerbate affordability barriers.  5688. (ACLU)

  • Increase access to Death with Dignity. 1141

  • Immigrant Healthcare: basic healthcare for all Washingtonians. (ACLU)

 

Attainable and sustainable Housing & Labor Rights

  • Pass the Worker Protection Act (1076) allowing whistleblowers to bring action for violations of workplace protections.

  • Prevent foreclosures by expanding resources for families that belong to communities of color

  • Pass the Silenced No More Act to prevent corporations from using NDAs to silence victims of harassment and discrimination.

  • Pass the Middle Housing bill to create middle house near transit and in areas traditionally dedicated to simgle-family detached housing.

  • Renter security through 6 month increase notice, right to break lease, and limits to late fees. (1904) WA Low Income Housing Alliance

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Public Safety and Gun Responsibility

  • Ban open carry at election offices (1618) and official public meetings (1630)

 

Emergency Readiness and Pandemic Response

  • Increase funding for geologic haards mapping plus earthquake, tsunami, and landslide readiness

  • Amend our RCWs to reduce reliance on recurring emergency proclamations during pandemics

 

Technology:

  •  Adopt the Peoples Privacy Act (1433)

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Transportation: 

  • INSERT Into HB1786 and SB5689 in section 223:  Expedite improvements to passenger and freight rail by investing in Amtrak on existing corridors.  (***Environment & Climate Caucus of WA Dems)

  • Ensure that carbon pricing revenue from the Climate Commitment Act is not used for projects that are eligible for funding from gas taxes. (***Environment and Climate Caucus of WA Dems)

  • Pass a transportation package that focuses on equitable transit investments and road maintenance without expansion of capacity for automobiles. (***Environment and Climate Caucus of WA Dems)

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