The 2022 Legislative session has started out strong and as we\u00a0finish\u00a0another\u00a0productive\u00a0week, I would like to take the time to share some of the incredible strides we have made, as well as some of the people powered changes that are on the roster.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The\u00a02021 session saw landmark legislation\u00a0across the\u00a0board in\u00a0Pandemic\u00a0Relief, Police Accountability,\u00a0Housing,\u00a0Gun Safety Laws,\u00a0Childcare, Climate Change, Tax Reform, Cybersecurity, and\u00a0Fair Pay.\u00a0This session\u00a0we\u2019re\u00a0back\u00a0and\u00a0more\u00a0dedicated\u00a0than ever to help pave the way to safer, more equitable communities with keystone policy that prioritizes working\u00a0families and\u00a0protects our children.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n I\u2019d like to hear what\u2019s important to you. Please join\u00a0me and\u00a0the rest of the 48<\/span>th<\/span>\u00a0legislative district\u00a0delegation on\u00a0February 3<\/span>rd<\/span>, 6-7pm via telephone to learn more about\u00a0what we\u2019re doing.\u00a0It\u2019s free and we are taking all the questions we can get to.\u00a0To ensure your questions are answered, you can submit them ahead of time by\u00a0<\/span>clicking here<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n To join, dial 877-229-8493 PIN #: 116362<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n With your help, here\u2019s what I\u2019m championing for our District this Legislative Session:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Housing<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n We\u00a0continue to deal\u00a0with\u00a0the dual\u00a0crises of lack\u00a0of\u00a0affordable housing,\u00a0and homelessness.\u00a0If people can\u2019t afford rent, they cannot afford a mortgage.\u00a0We\u00a0need to leverage\u00a0existing\u00a0roads,\u00a0sewer lines, water\u00a0mains,\u00a0and\u00a0buildings,\u00a0to\u00a0create more\u00a0affordable\u00a0housing and help people get off the\u00a0streets.\u00a0This will take cooperation by all levels of\u00a0government and\u00a0partnering\u00a0with\u00a0nonprofits and\u00a0the private sector to incentivize development.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n We\u2019re looking at several pieces of legislation that each solve a different piece\u00a0of\u00a0the puzzle.\u00a0SB 5662\u00a0coordinates\u00a0\u00a0interagency\u00a0efforts\u00a0to\u00a0ensure all hands are on deck when we\u00a0help to\u00a0transition people\u00a0from living\u00a0off\u00a0of\u00a0right of\u00a0ways and\u00a0into\u00a0more permanent living solutions. SB 5755 creates a tax\u00a0incentive\u00a0for cities and\u00a0developers to\u00a0build more affordable housing on\u00a0unused\u00a0vacant land\u00a0in the city.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0And importantly, SB 5670 will make way for new and diverse types of housing\u00a0near\u00a0transit\u00a0areas by\u00a0allowing for\u00a0other\u00a0types of\u00a0homes\u00a0like\u00a0duplexes\u00a0and\u00a0triplexes.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The\u00a0research is clear that foster care and homelessness are strongly linked.\u00a0Research shows\u00a0more than one in five foster care youth\u00a0experienced\u00a0homelessness for at least one night within their first year out of the foster care system. Nationally, one in four foster youths will become homeless within 4 years of aging out of the foster care system. In Washington, that figures\u00a0rises\u00a0to one out of three foster youth becoming homeless within a year of aging out of the system.\u00a0SB 5566 will extend the age of eligibility\u00a0for our foster youth to receive housing\u00a0assistance to help\u00a0cutoff this\u00a0pipeline\u00a0into\u00a0homelessness.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Firearm Safety<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n America has a gun violence problem.\u00a0More than 38,000 people die of gun violence in this country every year.\u00a0Last year we passed my bill to ban open carry at the\u00a0Capitol\u00a0campus and permitted protests. Now we\u2019re hoping to give cities and counties that same option\u00a0with SB\u00a05568 that I am\u00a0sponsoring.\u00a0We\u2019ve seen in the past year, people\u00a0showing up\u00a0at council meetings, school board meetings\u00a0and public health meetings with guns.\u00a0There\u00a0is never a reason to bring your AR-15 to a school board meeting unless the intent is to intimidate.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n We\u00a0also\u00a0banned\u00a0bump stocks and \u201cghost guns\u201d,\u00a0allowed\u00a0for the temporary removal of firearms from those who are at extreme risk of hurting themselves or others,\u00a0and\u00a0revoked\u00a0concealed\u00a0pistol licenses from those with stalking or sexual assault protection orders.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Last year I told you I would be back with my bill to ban assault weapons and it was heard in Law and Justice last week. These weapons of war have no place in our communities, especially since they are clearly the favorite choice for mass shooters.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Transportation<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n This is our moment to write a visionary, equitable, climate-focused transportation package that invests in shared priorities while respecting our real and unique local needs.\u00a0SB 5705\u00a0includes\u00a0a\u00a0meaningful investment\u00a0in\u00a0our overall transportation package.\u00a0There is no shortage of\u00a0need when it comes to investing\u00a0in our communities and creating\u00a0an accessible and sustainable transportation future for residents across Washington.\u00a0This bill\u00a0helps ensure we finish our\u00a0projects along\u00a0the\u00a0WA-167 and I-405 corridor\u00a0improving\u00a0the\u00a0flow and safety of\u00a0traffic\u00a0for working\u00a0families,\u00a0and\u00a0bolsters\u00a0our\u00a0rapid bus transit\u00a0option to give drivers an alternative method of daily commute.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Workers\u2019<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span>Rights<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n SB 5130, concerning personnel files,\u00a0would help us tackle a true workers\u2019\u00a0rights issue at\u00a0its\u00a0heart. Coming directly from the story of one of my\u00a0constituents,\u00a0whose personnel file was altered by her employer during a wrongful termination lawsuit, SB 5130 is\u00a0a\u00a0foothold to adequate and fair protection.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n This has been a pervasive issue but with a heightened demand in Tech\u2014there is a heightened strain on tech employees.\u00a0The unfortunate reality is we still need so many of these types of worker protections. Especially in the tech industry.\u00a0While\u00a0large corporations can quickly become a household name in these conversations surrounding tech workers\u2019\u00a0rights, but the bigger picture shows us that this issue\u00a0must\u00a0be tackled systemically.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Into Another Virtual Session.<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Though we may not be physically in the same space,\u00a0we\u00a0are still\u00a0working.\u00a0we\u00a0have\u00a0new opportunities to connect.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n We\u2019re seeing\u00a0more testimonies\u00a0and more diverse voices than ever before. While we recognize and work to address the digital divide across the state, removing the physical barrier of needing to be present in Olympia to gain access to the legislative process has allowed a more open and robust dialogue.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n If you\u2019d like to participate in this mostly remote session, here are some helpful links:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/senatedemocrats.wa.gov\/kudererarchive\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2022\/01\/48th-TTH-FB-Event-Cover-1024x576.png\")
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