E-news – 12 Highlights of Christmas

We’re rounding out the year of 2019 and what an incredible year it has been. You and I have worked so hard together – through conversations, coffee hours, letters, emails, phone calls, rallies – to make the 26th legislative district and the state of Washington a better place for all of us. We expanded access and pathways to health care, we better supported our seniors and veterans and lower-income neighbors, we made it easier for students of every age and in every stage of life to fulfill their dreams through higher education, and we ensured our community got the state investments we deserve.  

As we enter the holiday season of thankfulness and reflection on the year behind us – and look forward to the year ahead – it’s important to celebrate our victories. Here are a few of my favorite highlights from 2019 and hopes for 2020: 

#1: I gave my first speech on the floor of the Senate to advocate for military families! The policy is about ensuring that we serve the families that serve us – it allows the children of service members to enroll in school using their new base as their address (before they find their new home). This will make the transition to a new school for the kids, for their families, and for their school districts just a little easier. (A little inside baseball: the version that the Governor signed is a little different than my version SB 5603, so it doesn’t show up as a “companion bill,” but I worked closely with Rep. Christine Kilduff in the House to get this important policy to home plate.) 

#2: We passed my Reproductive Health Access for All Act! This bill prohibits health care discrimination based on gender identity.  Our neighbors have faced continued discrimination and barriers to care. This bill protects Washingtonians who are often ignored, and provides access to the essential health care they need and deserve. Along the way to the Governor’s desk we also added other important protections: ensuring hospitals are clear about what sort of reproductive health care they offer, and ensuring college student health plans cover the health care needs of survivors of sexual assault. This bill was one of my priorities last session, and we got it done!  

#5: We made our roads safer for folks on bikes, on foot, and in wheelchairs! We did this through my bill, SB 5723, which creates clearer right-of-way rules to better protect vulnerable road-users. As a member of the Transportation Committee, I care not only about alleviating congestion and making sure our region gets the transportation investments we deserve, but also about making road travel safer for all of us. Transportation will continue to be a priority this year as we determine Washington’s best path forward in the wake of I-976, so stay tuned as we work on this.

#8: We’ll fix our Caseload Forecasting system! Currently, the Caseload Forecast Council provides the state of Washington with a projection of the number of people who need services from different entitlement programs, but right now, DD services aren’t included in caseload forecasting. This makes things hard for families that qualify for services based on disability but end up on what’s called the “No Paid Services Caseload” (which is a massive 14,000+ person wait list). I want to fix this. We need to fix this. My bill will give people on the No Paid Services Caseload a case manager to assess their needs and help them find supports. 

#9: We’ll take important steps to protect the health of new parents!  The United States – including Washington – reports shocking numbers of high-risk pregnancies, post-partum complications, and maternal mortality, despite our wealth and medical advancement. The numbers are especially stark for women of color. All Washingtonians deserve safety and comfort after they welcome a new little family member into the world – it should be one of the happiest moments of their lives, not one of the most stressful. That’s why I’ll be sponsoring a bill to improve maternal health outcomes by extending Medicaid coverage to one year post-partum. 

#10: We will encourage more entrepreneurs into the food economy! I plan to propose legislation that will bring more entrepreneurs – especially women, people of color, and immigrants – into the formal system and provide them with better education and training about public and environmental health. You may hear about it as a “Microenterprise Home Kitchens bill.” It will encourage more entrepreneurs with very small food businesses (think: the neighbor who makes amazing lumpia or tamales!) to expand into a more traditional food business model with micro-scale enterprises.  

#11: We will promote access to earned benefits and services for our LGBTQ+ military veterans! Last session, I sponsored a bill (SB 5900) that would create the position of LGBTQ Coordinator within the Washington Department of Veterans Affairs. That bill didn’t make it out of committee last year, but the path to the Governor’s desk looks good for 2020. LGBTQ veterans experience higher rates of depression and suicidal ideation, loneliness, and isolation. This new position will connect with our brave veterans and ensure we’re serving them in their time of need. 

#12: We’ll work to expand access to school based health care – supporting student success and long term health outcomes! Too many children struggle in school and in life because they aren’t getting the health care they need – for colds and flus, and for depression and substance abuse. Maybe it’s because parents are working multiple jobs and can’t take time off work for a doctor’s appointment, maybe it’s because the students aren’t comfortable opening up about their needs, maybe it’s because the nearest clinic is an hour or more away on public transit. Washington State has a number of School Based Health Centers – partnerships between school districts and health clinics – that are meeting students where they are, and helping them get healthy and stay healthy. In 2020, I’m going to work to expand School Based Health Centers into more districts!