Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts

Salomon prepares to move co-living housing bill through Senate

Sunday, February 11, 2024

Sen. Jesse Salamon, D-32
OLYMPIA – Sen. Jesse Salomon (D-Shoreline) announced Friday that he will begin work to pass HB 1998 through the Senate.

Salomon collaborated with Rep. Mia Gregerson (D-Bellevue) during the 2023-2024 interim to develop the bill, which would remove restrictions on the development of co-living housing. 

Each legislator then introduced the bill in their respective chamber.

“I have been interested in the co-living housing model for a while,” Salomon said. “The co-living model is a way to get affordable housing on the market without subsidies. That’s really hard to do in today’s overheated housing environment.”

Under the bill, co-living housing is defined as any residential development with individual rented, lockable units where residents share kitchen facilities with other units. 

If the bill is passed, cities and counties planning under the Growth Management Act would be required to allow co-living housing in any residential zone within an urban growth area that allows multifamily housing.

“It was very encouraging to see the bill pass unanimously in the House on Wednesday,” Salomon said. “I’m feeling very confident about our chances to pass this bill. Everyone in the Legislature knows how essential it is that we get more affordable housing on the market.”
 
The bill will be assigned to a Senate committee for public hearing in the coming days. Its progress can be tracked here.


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Stanford bill funding more paraeducators in schools passes Senate

Saturday, February 10, 2024

Sen. Derek Stanford, D-1
OLYMPIA – Public schools across Washington would be able to have more paraeducators in schools to better meet student needs, under legislation passed by the Senate today on a bipartisan vote of 37-11.

Senate Bill 5882 would increase the staff allocation for paraeducators in the prototypical school funding model.

“Paraeducators are crucial in our public education system,” said Sen. Derek Stanford (D-Bothell), the bill’s prime sponsor. 
“Paraeducators help students overcome barriers to education — whether from learning gaps, pandemic learning loss, or special needs. 
"They provide important one-on-one and small group instruction that tailors education to each student. I want all our students to have more of this support to help them succeed and excel.”

Many school districts are currently facing cuts, said Stanford, and this bill would provide funding to help solve problems while focusing on student needs, as recommended by the Staffing Enrichment Work Group.

The bill now moves to the House for consideration.

Sen. Derek Stanford, D-Bothell, represents the 1st Legislative District, which includes Bothell, Brier, Kirkland, Mountlake Terrace, Alderwood Manor, Cathcart, Clearview, Kenmore, Lake Forest Park, and Maltby

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Senate passes Stanford bill to protect homeowners from losing equity

Sen. Derek Stanford, D-1
OLYMPIA – Borrowers entering home equity sharing agreements, in which homeowners sell part of their home equity to an investor, would gain protections against companies trying to take advantage of them, under legislation passed Thursday evening.

SB 5968 would regulate home equity sharing agreements under the Consumer Loan Act and task the Washington Department of Financial Institutions with developing rules for this industry.

Unlike a home equity loan or a cash-out refinance, home equity sharing agreements require a large balloon payment either when the contract ends or when the home is sold, whichever comes first. These agreements are currently unregulated and not included under the Consumer Loan Act.

“For most families, home equity is their largest asset and the main source of intergenerational wealth for the next generation. For such an important issue, we need some oversight and consumer protection safeguards,” said Sen. Derek Stanford (D-Bothell), chair of the Senate Business, Financial Services, Gaming & Trade Committee and the bill’s prime sponsor. 
“Home equity sharing agreements are often advertised as not being a loan, but when that big payment comes due, selling the family home is usually the only way out.”

SB 5968 now moves to the House for consideration.

Sen. Derek Stanford, D-Bothell, represents the 1st Legislative District, which includes Bothell, Brier, Kirkland, Mountlake Terrace, Alderwood Manor, Cathcart, Clearview, Kenmore, Lake Forest Park, and Maltby.


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32nd LD House Virtual Town Hall February 14, 2024 with Reps Ryu and Davis

Friday, February 9, 2024


Rep. Cindy Ryu, D-Shoreline, will be hosting a Virtual Town Hall along with Rep. Lauren Davis and we want to hear from you!

It's happening on Wednesday, February 14, 2024 at 6:30pm. 

You’re welcome to take this survey to ask questions ahead of time. 

During the event, tune in live from my Facebook page (you do not need an account to watch!) or YouTube
Hope to see you soon and learn more about what matters most to you.

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Mathilda Hummel serves as a page in Washington State Senate

Friday, January 26, 2024

Sen. Jesse Salomon sponsored Mathilda Hummel as a Senate Page
Photo courtesy Legislative Services

OLYMPIA – Mathilda Hummel of Mountlake Terrace served as a page for the Washington State Senate during the second week of the 2024 legislative session. Sen. Jesse Salomon (D-Shoreline) sponsored her time at the Legislature.

The page program offers a hands-on opportunity for students to find out how state government works. During a week-long interactive learning experience, students are visited by guest speakers and get to draft their own bills. Students also get to explore the Capitol Campus by delivering papers for Senate staff.

Hummel, 14, is a student at Edmonds-Woodway High. She plays trumpet in her school’s concert band and enjoys ballet dancing. Hummel joined the page program because she was interested in government and law; an interest that intensified after her trip to Washington D.C. She is the daughter of Kristina Jipson and Thomas Hummel.
 
“I’ve enjoyed getting to know the security guards, the buildings, and seeing how everything works,” said Hummel.
Pages also create their own bill to be heard in a mock committee meeting. Hummel decided to work on legislation that would provide state funded pre-schools. Hummel has enjoyed her time in Olympia.

“I haven’t met anybody who has been unkind or difficult to talk to,” Hummel said.
For more information about the Senate Page Program, contact SenatePageProgram@leg.wa.gov.

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Presidential primary ballot printing to move ahead after court ruling

Wednesday, January 24, 2024

OLYMPIA — In accordance with the ruling by Thurston County Superior Court Judge Mary Sue Wilson, printing of ballots and voters’ pamphlets for the March 12 Presidential Primary will move forward with the candidate lists submitted by both political parties.

“An order directing the secretary of state to take different action, an order from this court, is simply not supported by the statutes and not supported by the affidavit of the electors,” Judge Wilson said in her ruling.

As directed by state law RCW 29A.56, Secretary of State Steve Hobbs provided the full candidate lists submitted by both political parties for the Presidential Primary to county auditors on Jan. 9. 

  • The Democratic Party had submitted three candidate names: Joseph R. Biden Jr., Dean Phillips, and Marianne Williamson. 
  • The Republican Party had submitted five candidate names for the Presidential Primary: Donald J. Trump, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Chris Christie.
On Thursday, Judge Wilson dismissed a challenge to the ballot listing of former president Trump as a candidate, which followed a dismissal by a Kitsap County court Tuesday.

In the Thurston County case, Judge Wilson found that “the Secretary of State acted consistent with his duties” in proceeding with the candidate lists that parties submitted.

“I am grateful that Judge Wilson ruled in such a timely and well-considered fashion, and that she recognized that I and my staff have been working in full compliance with state law governing the Presidential Primary,” Secretary Hobbs said. 
“We will continue working with our partners in county elections offices to get all the necessary materials for this election to every Washington voter.”
Unlike in other Washington elections, state law requires Presidential Primary voters to sign a party declaration on their ballot envelopes to have their votes counted.


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Bipartisan bill to mandate Holocaust, genocide education receives public hearing

Saturday, January 20, 2024

Sen. Jesse Salomon 
OLYMPIA – On Wednesday, January 17, 2024 the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee heard a bill to mandate public schools offer Holocaust and genocide education.

Senate Bill 5851 was introduced by Sens. Jesse Salomon (D-Shoreline) and John Braun (R-Centralia), who both testified at the hearing.

“For me and many in the Jewish community, this is not just an academic matter. This is an intimate and deeply personal matter that has affected our families. My grandparents barely survived the Holocaust,” Salomon said. “We know that ignorance of history leads to repetition of history.”

Current law on Holocaust education directs educators to teach students that, in addition to six million Jews, millions of others were killed in the Nazi death camps, including political opponents, LGBTQ citizens, and Romani people.

The bill also strongly recommends schools offer at least one Holocaust and genocide standalone elective and designates April as International Genocide Prevention and Awareness Month.

The Washington Education Association, the largest representative of public-school employees in Washington state, testified in support of the bill.

“[Teaching students about the Holocaust is] a way of providing insight into how inhumanity of this magnitude develops so that there can never again be a doubt about what can happen when people fail to condemn hatred or bigotry,” said WEA representative Simone Boe. 
“We encourage educator training about other examples of genocide and crimes against humanity, so they can readily incorporate the teaching when the topics align.”

During the hearing, many citizens shared their personal family histories and spoke about the importance of teaching about the many genocides that have happened throughout the world, such as the Bosnian and Darfur genocides.

“The Nazis began their murderous reign by targeting political opponents. In our current time, when political discourse is as dehumanizing and vitriolic as ever, this bipartisan bill is an effort to come together to restore democratic norms and protect our democracy,” Salomon said. 
“It’s clear that people feel we have a lot to gain from teaching our children about the Holocaust, its causes, and its lessons. Not just to defend against increasing antisemitism, but to come together as a society and resist the hatred of any group that leads, inevitably, to a tragic conclusion.”

You can watch the testimony on the bill here and track its progress here.

Sen. Jesse Salomon, D-Shoreline, represents the 32nd Legislative District, which includes Lynnwood, Edmonds, Mountlake Terrace, Seattle, Shoreline, Woodway, and unincorporated Snohomish County.


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The fate of Washington’s primary program to combat climate change will be in the hands of voters to uphold or reject this November

Friday, January 19, 2024

Brian Heywood (left), founder of Let’s Go Washington, stands in front of boxes of petitions for an initiative to repeal Washington’s cap-and invest program. Washington State Republican Party Chair Jim Walsh, (red sweater) who filed the initiative, addressed supporters before the signatures were turned in Nov. 21, 2023. Members of Washington Conservation Action (background) held signs in opposition. (Jerry Cornfield/Washington State Standard)

Initiative 2117, certified for the ballot on Tuesday, would erase the two-year-old Climate Commitment Act. The law imposes annual limits on greenhouse gas emissions for major emitters, such as oil refiners and utilities, and requires them to buy allowances at state auctions for each metric ton of their pollution.

The state raised $1.8 billion from allowance auctions last year. Revenue is designated for programs to cut pollution and help the state respond to climate change. Thus far, funding has gone into the purchase of electric school buses, free public transit for youth, air quality monitoring, and electric vehicle chargers.

Critics contend the policy won’t significantly move the needle on climate change but is driving fuel, food and energy prices higher as companies pass the new expense onto consumers.

“It has already taken a bite out of family budgets and put a heavy burden on commuters just so politicians can distribute feel-good subsidies to their political friends and allies,” said hedge fund manager Brian Heywood, founder of Let’s Go Washington and chief financier of the successful signature-gathering effort for the initiative.
 
Supporters turned in upwards of 400,000 signatures for Initiative 2117 in November.

Because it is an initiative to the Legislature, the measure will first go to lawmakers who can adopt it as written this session.

That won’t happen. Democrats hold majorities in the House and Senate and for them, the Climate Commitment Act is a signature policy they won’t ditch.

Neither will Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee who has pushed for carbon pricing through his three terms. He’s now urging the Legislature to link Washington’s carbon market with ones in California and Quebec. Even with the measure in play, work on “linkage” of the programs is underway this legislative session.

“This effort to repeal the Climate Commitment Act is not just a repeal of a financial instrument,” Inslee said this week. 
“It is a system to give people cleaner air and if the [emissions] cap is eliminated, the protection will be eliminated. The people who want to pass this initiative want to have the right to produce infinite carbon pollution. I fundamentally disagree with that and people need to know that it is a threat.”
--Jerry Cornwall, The Washington Standard


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Bill introduced by Rep. Lauren Davis would limit high-potency cannabis products

Tuesday, January 16, 2024

Rep. Lauren Davis, D-32
OLYMPIA – High-potency THC cannabis products pose physical and mental harms that must be addressed, according to legislation introduced by Rep. Lauren Davis (D-Shoreline) and Rep. Tom Dent (R-Moses Lake).

“Today, there’s no legal limit on the potency of the psychoactive element, THC, in cannabis concentrates,” Davis said. 
“Cannabis vape oils, dabs, and shatter are regularly sold with a THC potency of nearly 100 percent—a ten-fold increase in potency from when cannabis was legalized in 2012. These concentrated products are different. And dangerous.”

House Bill 2320 spreads awareness of the dangers of high-potency THC to Washingtonians and funds the development of interventions in healthcare settings for individuals at risk of adverse health impacts from high THC products.

“The cannabis industry has changed considerably since cannabis was legalized,” Dent said. “This legislation is needed to address the everchanging market and put some measures in place to protect cannabis users and our youth.”

The bill, which will be heard in the House Regulated Substances and Gaming Committee on Tuesday, Jan. 16, also raises the age of purchase of high THC products to 25, consistent with science about brain development.

According to Dr. Beatriz Carlini, from the University of Washington’s Addictions, Drug, and Alcohol Institute, these high-THC cannabis products are “as close to the cannabis plant as strawberries are to frosted strawberry pop tarts.”

House Bill 2320 recognizes a consensus statement released by The University of Washington and Washington State University about the public health risks posed by high THC products.

That statement summarizes the best available science: “the use of cannabis with high THC concentration increases the chances of developing cannabis use disorder or addiction to cannabis, particularly among adolescents. … Daily cannabis use, particularly of high-potency products, increases the risk of developing a psychotic disorder, like schizophrenia, and is related to an earlier onset of symptoms compared to people who do not use cannabis.”

The number of young people who are being impacted by the high potency of cannabis is increasing rapidly. It is leading to serious mental health issues such as psychosis,” Dent said. “We need to address this crisis before it filters deeper into our communities.”

If enacted, the legislature would also provide funding to the Department of Health to inform Washingtonians about the harms associated with high-potency THC cannabis products through social marketing and public health messages.

“This is a case where an addiction-for-profit industry has outpaced public policy,” Davis said. “It is our duty as lawmakers to learn from history and not repeat it. We must act now to protect public health. It is past time.”

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Maddy Lambert serves as a page in Washington State Senate

Saturday, January 13, 2024

Maddy Lambert served as a page to Sen. Jesse Salomon
Photo courtesy Legislative Services

OLYMPIA- Maddy Lambert from Einstein Middle School served as a page for the Washington State Senate during the opening week of the 2024 legislative session. Sen. Jesse Salomon (D-Shoreline) sponsored her time at the Legislature.

The page program offers a hands-on opportunity for students to find out how state government works. During week-long interactive learning experience, students are visited by guest speakers and get to draft their own bills. Students also get to explore the Capitol Campus by delivering papers for Senate staff.

Lambert, 14, is a resident of Shoreline. She enjoys watching TV, playing video games, and skiing.

Lambert said she committed to being a page because her mom and her aunt were in the page program as well.

Pages also create their own bill to be heard in a mock committee meeting in between their day-to-day tasks. Lambert’s bill would have public schools, especially high school, start later as high school starts “way too early.”

Her favorite parts of the program included hanging out with the security guards and exploring the different buildings of campus.

For more information about the Senate Page Program, contact SenatePageProgram@leg.wa.gov.


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Court hearing Tuesday for challenge to presidential primary ballot

OLYMPIA — Under the process outlined in RCW 29A.68, Kitsap County Superior Court has scheduled a hearing Tuesday, January 16, 2024 for a court filing contesting ballot placement for the March 12 Presidential Primary.

The challenge filed in Kitsap County January 10, 20024 contests the eligibility of Donald J. Trump for the office of President under the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

“I am committed to presenting Washingtonians with the opportunity to make their voices heard in the Presidential Primary March 12, which requires printing ballots and sending them to registered voters weeks ahead of Election Day,” Secretary of State Steve Hobbs said. 
“Our state’s process gives the courts an important role in answering questions about eligibility. I look forward to having this question resolved in a timely fashion.”

Washington’s Office of the Secretary of State oversees a number of areas within state government, including managing state elections, registering corporations and charities, and governing the use of the state flag and state seal.


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Salomon introduces bill to protect salmon from toxic chemical

Friday, January 12, 2024

Sen. Jesse Salomon, D-32 on the floor of the state senate

Senate Bill 5931 would expedite Department of Ecology review and regulation of the toxic chemical 6ppd-quinone. Ecology would determine initial regulatory actions by June 2025 and adopt rules to implement those regulations by June 2026.

6ppd makes its way into waterways through roadway runoff. Studies have linked it to salmon mortality, and it is the most common killer chemical for coho salmon. The substance can kill coho salmon after only a few hours of exposure.

“The science is as clear as it could be,” Salomon said, “this chemical is killing salmon at an alarming rate. 
"We’re spending billions of dollars to remove culverts which prevent salmon from accessing spawn areas, but this chemical is killing them before they can even make it to those culverts. We need to ensure that we aren’t sabotaging our restoration efforts.”

According to the Environmental Research Institute of the States, 6ppd is the second most deadly toxin to aquatic creatures ever studied. 

Already, the Institute for Fisheries Resources and the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations have filed a lawsuit against tiremakers alleging that they are violating the Endangered Species Act by using this known toxin. 

Additionally, the EPA has responded to a petition submitted by several Native American tribes, stating that it is “necessary to initiate” risk management rulemaking under the Toxic Substances Control Act “to address the risk to the environment from 6ppd-q.”

“I stand with our tribes in calling for the regulation of this chemical and the protection of our vulnerable salmon,” Salomon said. 
”We need to make our intent to regulate this chemical clear and let tiremakers know that they need to be working with us to find an alternative substance which doesn’t present such serious risk to our salmon.”

Currently, all vehicle tires contain 6ppd, which makes the tires flexible and slows their degrading. According to Professor Ed Kolodziej, whose team first discovered the toxicity of 6ppd, removing the chemical “from motor vehicle products and focusing on the use of non-toxic chemicals … [is one] of the cheapest and most effective options,” for ensuring the health of Washington’s salmon.

“I’m hopeful that this bill will allow the state of Washington to manage the risk of this chemical and make clear the dire need for a replacement,” Salomon said. “We’ve made important progress on salmon restoration; we need to keep at it and find a way to make our waters less toxic to Washington’s fish.”

The bill was heard in the Senate Committee on Environment, Energy & Technology at 1:30pm on January 9, 2024. You can follow its progress here.


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Candidate lists now complete for March 12 Presidential Primary in Washington state

Wednesday, January 10, 2024

OLYMPIA — The Office of the Secretary of State announced that candidate lists are now complete for the statewide March 12 Presidential Primary ballot. 

The state Democratic Party submitted three candidate names: Joseph R. Biden Jr., Dean Phillips, and Marianne Williamson.
 
The Washington State Republican Party submitted five candidate names for the Presidential Primary: Donald J. Trump, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Chris Christie.

In the Presidential Primary, each voter will be required to sign a party declaration on their ballot envelope to have their vote counted.

Washington’s Office of the Secretary of State oversees a number of areas within state government, including managing state elections, registering corporations and charities, and governing the use of the state flag and state seal. 

The office also manages the State Archives and the State Library, documents extraordinary stories in Washington’s history through Legacy Washington, oversees the Combined Fund Drive for charitable giving by state employees, and administers the state’s Address Confidentiality Program to help protect survivors of crime.


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Edmonds SnoKing AAUW meeting January 13, 2024

Sunday, January 7, 2024


EDMONDS SNOKING AAUW BRANCH MEETING
January 13, 2024
10am – Noon

Topic: Public Policy

Join Edmonds SnoKing AAUW and our Public Policy liaison as she shares the importance of connecting with our representatives. Learn how you can create change and improve WA State laws to protect and advocate for our friends, neighbors, communities and beyond.


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Sen. Salomon tours new Cedar building at Shoreline Community College

Monday, December 18, 2023

Sen. Salomon and President Jack Kahn in a manufacturing space in the new Cedar building on the Shoreline Community College campus. Photo courtesy SCC

Senator Jesse Salomon visited the campus at Shoreline Community College on Monday, December 11, 2023.

Sen. Salomon represents the 32nd Legislative District which includes all of Shoreline and Woodway and a large section of south Edmonds. 

According to College president Dr. Jack Kahn,

Today we had a chance to show him around our new Cedar building which features biology, chemistry and biotech/biomanufacturing as well as advanced manufacturing.

It’s a gorgeous space, and we are so grateful to have it.

Tour group: Sen. Salomon (center, plaid jacket), Dr. Jack Kahn (center green jacket), Trustee Eben Pobee (back row left of Dr. Kahn)

Kahn continued,

A huge thank you to our faculty members Linda Forst, Matt Loper, Brian Saunders, Kira Wennstrom, and Acting VP of Instruction Lucas Rucks for leading the tour, and thank you to ASG President Lina Chung, all the students and Trustees Ringer Eben Pobee, MBA who joined us!

Apologies to Sen. Salomon for the typo in his name in the first edition.

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Shoreline PTA Mental Health Committee to hear from Rep. Lauren Davis

Friday, December 15, 2023


The Shoreline PTA Mental Health Committee is welcoming Representative Lauren Davis to their next meeting on Thursday, December 14, 2023 from 6:30 - 8pm. 

She will discuss how advocates can use their voices in the upcoming legislative session for more behavioral health funding for our schools.

Location: Shoreline Center, Room D-105 (18560 1st Ave NE, Shoreline, WA 98155) enter through front doors near the flagpole.

Light snacks and refreshments will be provided.


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Sen. Derek Stanford 1st LD invites teens 14-16 to apply for Senate page positions

Thursday, December 14, 2023

Senate pages. Photo courtesy State LSS

Do you know a young person who wants to learn more about what goes on in their state government?

The Washington State Senate has one of the best page programs in the country, and applications for 2024 are open! This exciting program allows young Washingtonians to get a closer look at the civic process and meet other students from all across the state.

Pages are students aged 14 through 16 who serve for one week during the legislative session. 

During that week, they spend time in Page School learning about the legislative process while also distributing materials throughout the Capitol campus, assisting legislators, working on the Senate floor, and presenting the colors at the opening of each day’s legislative session. 

Pages receive pay during their week in Olympia. Scholarships are also available for pages from families with financial need, and housing is available with host families in Olympia.

Learn more and get instructions for applying here.

Sen. Derek Stanford, State Senator, 1st Legislative District (LFP, Kenmore, Bothell, Woodinville)
Website SenateDemocrats.wa.gov/Stanford
Facebook Facebook.com/SenatorDerekStanford
Email Derek.Stanford@leg.wa.gov


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Petitions filed for ‘parents’ bill of rights’ ballot measure in Washington



Brian Heywood is founder of Let’s Go Washington and chief funder of signature-gathering for the initiative filed Tuesday to create a parents’ bill of rights. Heywood is pictured above checking boxes of petitions filed last month for the group’s measure to repeal a state climate law.
(Jerry Cornfield/Washington State Standard)
 
Conservative groups are behind the initiative to embolden parents of public school students. Many of the provisions exist in current law, state education officials say.

By Jerry Cornfield

An alliance of conservative groups on Tuesday submitted nearly 425,000 signatures for an initiative to guarantee parents access to materials their children are taught in K-12 classrooms and information about medical services public schools provide.

The proposed ballot measure, Initiative 2081, would codify a “parents’ bill of rights” on matters ranging from reviewing textbooks and curriculum to obtaining medical records to being able to opt their child out of assignments involving questions about a child’s sexual experiences or their family’s religious beliefs.

Initiative supporters delivered boxes of petitions to the Secretary of State’s Office in Tumwater at 1:30pm. They said they were turning in 423,399 signatures.

“This initiative is nothing anyone would have believed was controversial even a few years ago,” said hedge fund manager Brian Heywood, founder of Let’s Go Washington and chief financier of the signature-gathering effort.

“Parents are the primary stakeholder in raising children,” he said in a statement. “The overwhelming number of signatures from across the political spectrum shows that everyone just wants to get back to normal.”

State Rep. Jim Walsh of Aberdeen, who also chairs the Washington State Republican Party, is the prime sponsor of this initiative and five others circulated this year by Let’s Go Washington, Restore Washington and other conservative political groups.

In November, they turned in 418,399 signatures for Initiative 2117 to repeal the Climate Commitment Act. Petitions for a third measure dealing with vehicle pursuits by police are scheduled for delivery Thursday, according to the Secretary of State’s Office.

Collectively these measures are part of a broad Republican-driven strategy to push back on significant social, fiscal and environmental policies approved by Democratic legislators and Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee over the objections of many GOP lawmakers.

Need or distraction?

Initiative 2081 focuses on public schools which have increasingly been a battleground in Washington and across the nation on issues of curricula related to sexual health and race and policies on COVID vaccinations and gender identity.

The measure would require parents to be able to review educational materials and receive copies of academic and medical records for free. It also says parents should “receive written notice and the option to opt their child out” of surveys, assignments, questionnaires, and other activities in which questions are asked about their child’s “sexual experiences or attractions” or their family religion or political affiliations.

Another provision calls for parents to be notified if their child receives any medications or medical care that could result in a financial impact.

Officials with the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction are studying the measure to see how it aligns with current Washington law.

“Most of the provisions appear to be consistent with existing law,” said OSPI spokeswoman Katy Payne. “We are reviewing it in further detail to determine if the initiative conflicts with any existing civil rights protections or Human Rights Commission determinations.”

Mark Gardner, a high school teacher in the Camas School District, said the premise of ensuring parents have a voice isn’t problematic. The reality, he said, is most of what is sought exists now through state law or school district policies.

“To me this feels like a distraction from our greater needs,” he said. State lawmakers should look to boost funding for hiring support staff and paraeducators, for example, because these professionals “would really serve our kids,” he said.

To be certified, Initiative 2081 petitions must contain the signatures of at least 324,516 registered voters. State election officials recommend initiative sponsors submit at least 405,000 signatures to account for any found to be invalid.

The process of certifying valid signatures will begin after the December 29, 2023 deadline for filing initiatives to the Legislature.

Because it is an initiative to the Legislature, if it has the requisite number of signatures it will first be sent to lawmakers who can adopt it as written in the 2024 session. They also can reject or refuse to act on it, in which case it will go on the November 2024 ballot.

Lawmakers can approve an alternative measure to be placed on the ballot alongside the initiative if they want, as well.


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46th Legislative District Rep. Darya Farivar to hold a coffee on Saturday December 16, 2023

Monday, December 11, 2023


Rep. Darya Farivar invites her 46th LD constituents to met her for coffee or tea on Saturday, December 16, 2023 from 11am – 1pm, at Zoka Coffee 2200 N. 56th St, Seattle, WA. 

With less than five weeks to go until the 2024 legislative session commences, this is a great opportunity to share your thoughts on the issues that matter most to you. I’ll also be sharing my legislative priorities thanks to the great feedback of our community. 

If you won’t be able to attend, please consider sharing your legislative priorities with me in this short survey. 


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1st Legislative District legislators to hold in-person meeting Monday at Kenmore Library

Friday, December 8, 2023


Sen. Derek Stanford, Rep. Shelley Kloba and Rep. Davina Duerr will be at at the Kenmore Library from 4pm to 5:15pm on Monday, December 11, 2023 for a community conversation.



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