FAN staff collaborated in Olympia this week with our partners to get important bills and budget items across the finish line. Elizabeth Dickinson and Kristin Ang joined the NAMI advocacy day. Trevor Sandison worked with the Sikh community who brought youth down for two days of advocacy. And Tomo Duke joined the WAISN rally to call for immigrant justice in the budget. Join FAN this week for a progressive revenue rally on Tuesday—info below.

There are 13 days left in this short 60-day legislative session. Legislators will be working this weekend, with hearings on Saturday. There are four kinds of actions you can take among this menu of options.

1) Bill Hearings: please sign in PRO

HB 1652 Ensuring Families on TANF Keep 100% of Their Child Support is scheduled for a hearing in Senate Ways & Means on Saturday 2/24 at 9:00 AM. Sign in Pro here.

HB 1368 100% Clean School Buses is scheduled for a hearing in Senate Ways & Means on Saturday 2/24 at 9:00 AM. Sign in Pro here.

2) Budgets: Send a letter for budget priorities

Write a letter to your legislators letting them know what you’d like them to support, especially if they’re on these fiscal committees, or when the supplemental budget comes before them for a vote. Find out more about our priorities and send a letter at this Faith Action Network link.

We are asking the Senate Ways & Means Committee members to increase in budget allocations to align with the House's funding levels for the following:

• Housing Trust Fund: Increase the Senate’s supplemental Capital Budget from $111.6 million to $153 million for the Housing Trust Fund to build affordable homes.
• Security Grants for places of worship and nonprofits: House Budget has $1 million for 2024 and $2 million in 2025, while Senate allocated $833,000 in 2024 and $667,000 in 2025.
• Working Families Tax Credit Outreach: The House Budget included $2 million in outreach, while the Senate did not fund it. Outreach is needed for people to know they are eligible.
• Health Equity for Immigrants Campaign: The House Budget includes additional $27.5 million in programmatic funding to the Medicaid-like program and $1 million in community-based outreach and assistance. The Senate budget provides no additional funds for program or for outreach.
• Office of Refugee and Immigrant Assistance: House budgeted $25 million, Senate budgeted $5 million.

3) Floor votes before 3/1 cutoff

Please contact Senate Rules Committee members to ensure the following bills are scheduled for a full floor vote before the opposite house deadline on March 1.

• HB 1541 Nothing About Us Without Us would ensure the meaningful participation of people with direct lived experience on statutorily created or mandated state committees.
• HB 2368 Immigrant and Refugee Assistance expands ability of the Office of Refugee and Immigrant Assistance to administer assistance funds.
• HB 1903 Stolen Firearms. This bill creates a civil infraction for the failure to report the loss or theft of a firearm to law enforcement within 24 hours. Requires law enforcement to enter lost and stolen firearms into the national Crime Information Center database.
• HB 2118 Dealer Responsibility would establish responsible standards of care of merchandise for gun dealers.

4) Rally for progressive revenue with Balance Our Tax Code Coalition:

On Tuesday, 2/27 from 12 to 1pm join a FAN presence at the Balance Our Tax Code Coalition rally for progressive revenue!  Right now, working Washingtonians are paying their taxes but not getting the support they need because of our upside-down tax code. We need tax policies that ask the wealthy and corporations to pay their share to ensure we have the funding our state needs. Contact us at fan@fanwa.org if you plan to join us.

This week the Washington state House and Senate lawmakers presented their supplemental operating, capital, and transportation budget proposals. Here's a summary of the key allocations:

Overall Budget Proposals: The Senate is proposing a $71.7 billion supplemental operating budget, incorporating around $1.9 billion in new spending. The House proposes a slightly lower budget of $71 billion.

Funding Sources: No new taxes are proposed in either chamber's budget. Funding will come from the Climate Commitment Act, federal COVID-19 relief funds, and state opioid lawsuit settlements.

Legislative Process: Lawmakers are expected to vote on the operating and transportation budgets this Saturday, Feb. 24. Proposals must be negotiated between the House and Senate before a final version of the budget is adopted, with a constitutional requirement to pass the final version before the legislative session ends on March 7.

• Education: The Senate plans include $242 million for K-12 schools, covering free student meals and special education, and a pay increase for paraeducators costing $49.6 million. The House proposes $260 million for K-12 education, emphasizing special education and free meals for two-thirds of state students.
• Behavioral Health: The Senate allocates nearly $252 million for the behavioral health system, including significant funding for the operation of mental health treatment facilities and a teaching hospital. The House proposal includes $275 million for behavioral health, with substantial investments in inpatient treatment and youth behavioral health programs.
• Substance Abuse Treatment: Both chambers propose significant funding for addressing substance abuse and the fentanyl crisis. The Senate includes $36 million from opioid settlements for treatment and crisis mitigation. The House proposes $200 million for fentanyl and opioid treatment, including public health awareness and specific support for Washington Tribes.
• Housing and Human Services: The House proposal includes $40 million for homelessness services, $73 million for food services, and $25 million in support for asylum seekers and refugees.
• Housing Trust Fund: The Senate’s supplemental Capital Budget included an additional $111.6 million for the Housing Trust Fund to build affordable homes, while the House allocated an additional $153 million. Housing Trust Fund builds homes for the lowest income households in Washington, including people exiting homelessness, people with disabilities, seniors living on fixed incomes, and more. This would bring the total investment in the Housing Trust Fund for the two-year budget to more than $511-$553 million.
• Transportation: Both House and Senate versions are around $14 billion with $150 million for fish passage barrier correction, funding for Columbia River Interstate Bridge Replacement and Washington State Ferries Including hybrid-electric vessels.

In hearings this week, FAN testified in strong support of HB 2368 Assisting Refugees and Immigrants which would provide emergency and legal services for people who do not qualify for federal refugee programs, including a $25M budget ask for the state Office of Refugee and Immigrant Assistance. FAN also urged the House Appropriations Committee to prioritize and fund SB 5427 Biased Incident Hotline. The bill would establish a hotline for individuals targeted by hate crimes and bias incidents, providing a much-needed support system and resource for victims. Other significant fiscal hearings this week were on HB 2114 Improving Housing Stability for Tenants and HB 1579 Independent Prosecutor in Senate Ways & Means, and SB 5241 Keep Our Care Act in House Appropriations.

Great news to celebrate this week is that SB 6007 Grocery Worker Standards has passed both the Senate and House!

Please check our Bill Tracker for policy committee hearings and actions taken on other bills on our agenda prior to the 2/21 Opposite Committee Cutoff this week.

Washington state is facing crucial legislative decisions with six initiatives submitted by Let’s Go Washington that could significantly impact our progress on tax reform and social programs. The legislature can pass these initiatives, let voters decide in November, or propose alternatives.

We learned this week that three of these initiatives will be heard in the legislature next week. FAN opposes these initiatives and will be on record against them, in collaboration with our coalition partners:

1. I-2111 Banning income taxes at both state and local levels, which could jeopardize current and future revenue streams. Will be heard on Tuesday 2/27 at 12:30 PM in joint session.
2. I-2113 Expanding police authority for high-speed chases, raising concerns about public safety and law enforcement practices. Will be heard on Wednesday 2/28 at 9:00 AM in joint session.
3. I-2081 Enumerating parental rights in education, with potential implications for LGBTQ+ children and access to comprehensive health care services. Will be heard on Wednesday 2/28 at 8:00 AM in joint session.

The other three initiatives are expected to be directly presented to voters on the November ballot—you will hear more about these from FAN as we join the campaigns against them:

4. I-2117 Repealing the Climate Commitment Act, which funds major environmental efforts.
5. I-2109 Repealing the capital gains tax, affecting funding for childcare, early learning, and K-12 education. This tax, paid by a small fraction of the wealthiest residents, generates significant revenue for vital programs.
6. I-2124 Allowing opt-out of the long-term care program, risking the program's financial stability and essential benefits for millions.

The Capital Gains tax and Climate Commitment Act are crucial for funding education and combating climate change, respectively, and their repeal would undermine significant advancements. The Long-term Care initiative threatens a program vital for many Washingtonians, potentially leaving them without essential coverage. The outcomes of these initiatives could either sustain or reverse progress in creating a more equitable tax system and addressing critical social issues.

During these quickly moving weeks of session, we want to gather these resources for your easy reference as you advocate:

• Advocacy 101 training recording
• FAN’s Legislative Agenda updated on our website.
• Bill Tracker as legislation moves through committee hearings.
• Issue Fact Sheets from our coalition partners with information on bills.
• Take Action page which includes a link that you can use to write your own legislators
• Legislative Hotline to leave a brief phone message for your legislators: 800-562-6000
• Washington State Legislature website with more of everything you need!

Saturday, February 24, 9:00am-3:00pm, in-person. Yakima Advocacy Day, learn more and register here.

Tuesday, February 27, Noon-1:00pm, in-person. Balance Our Tax Code Coalition Rally, register here.

Wednesday, February 28, Noon, in-person. Labor Rally to Protect Strikers, rsvp here. 

Wednesday, March 6, 11:00am-1:00pm, in-person. Rally for Universal Health Care. E-mail Consuelo Echeverria consuelo@hcfawa.org for more details.

Look for opportunities to meet with your state legislators during their Town Halls--either by phone, online or in-person. This is an effective way to keep pushing for the bills that have successfully crossed over into the other chamber. Find your legislator here and look on their website for town hall opportunities. You can also use this Housing Alliance link for townhalls that have been announced.

Tuesday, February 27, 7:00pm, Meaningful Movies Presents: Ever Green, online. Learn what is happening through the Whidbey Environmental Action Network (WEAN). E-mail Dave Isaak disaak1@gmail.com for more details.

Saturday, March 2, 9:00am-4:00pm, Decolonization for Transformation, in-person, Sunnyslope Church, Wenatchee. Save the Date for a Cultivating Justice featuring Sarah Augustine, Executive Director, Coalition to Dismantle the Doctrine of Discovery. Email Jess Ingman for more details.

Saturday, March 2, 9:00am-5:00pm, Why Race Matters Workshop, in-person. This workshop with Peace and Justice Action League of Spokane, addresses how racial inequities have been built into institutions and structures throughout our country. Participants will learn key steps we can take to advance racial equity in our organizations and in our community. Register here.

Saturday, March 2, Noon, WA Poor People's Campaign March, in-person, WA State Capitol, Olympia. Join in the Mass Poor People's Assembly in Olympia in conjunction with 30 states nationwide! Challenge poverty being the 4th leading cause of death in this country! See more at washingtonPPC.org and register here.

Saturday, March 9, 3:00pm, Interreligious Dialogue Initiative Film Screening and Discussion: Carving the Divine, in-person, Seattle University, Seattle. An event in solidarity and support for the Seattle Betsuin Buddhist Temple which recently experienced arson. Register here.

Saturday, March 10, 1:30-3:30pm, American Democracy in Peril: What History Tells Us and How We Take Action Today, in-person and online, University Unitarian Church, Seattle. Learn from lecturer David Domke about how the civic choices that we make today will determine the future of American democracy and justice. Learn more here.

Sunday, March 17, 5:00-8:30pm, Muslim Association of Puget Sound (MAPS) Interfaith Iftar: United in Humanity - Fostering Peace, Compassion, and Understanding, MAPS Redmond. Unite in our common humanity and explore the significance of Ramadan together. Break fast together at sunset, partake in a shared meal, and forge meaningful connections Register here.

August 5-9, Holden Village Summer 2024 Lecture Series, in-person, Holden Village, Chelan. Learn from FAN Staff members Kristin Ang and Tomo Duke as well as Board Member Rev. Dr. Edward Donalson III on their work with FAN and beyond. Learn more here.

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