Washington
Related: About this forum2016 session of the state legislature
A short season, so legislators can get back to campaigning earlier.
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eridani
(51,907 posts)Lobby Training 2016
December 12, 2015• 10:00 AM
WFSE/AFSCME LPA Offices• 906 Columbia Street SW - 5th Floor, Olympia, WA 98501
Host Contact Info: Jacki Verd jackiv@wfse.org 800-562-6002
Friend,
I'm attending an event called Lobby Training 2016 on December 12, 2015 at 10:00 AM in Olympia , WA .
The 2016 Legislative Session is right around the corner and public service employees continue to struggle from previous budget cuts that went too far, and too deep. Adding to the political challenge, we still have an anti-government majority in the Senate, a very slim pro-worker majority in the House, and a Legislature under court order to make a significant investment in basic education. It is critical that legislators understand how the previous cuts have impacted constituents and services in their communities. Only you can tell YOUR story. We need you to come to Olympia and tell your legislators about the programs you support, about the difference your work is making in our state and communities, and why continuing to invest in public safety and the safety net is crucial. Unsure where to start? Don’t worry. Lobby Training is back and better than ever. Join us to learn the most effective ways to talk to decision makers and practice them with a bipartisan group of legislators. PLEASE REGISTER BY DEC 5. More information: Council 28 will pay airfare and or mileage. If overnight lodging is required, please contact your local president for approval prior to making your request. Breakfast and lunch are provided to everyone who REGISTERS by the DEC 5 deadline.
Can you join me? Click here for details and to RSVP: https://actionnetwork.org/events/lobby-training-2016?source=email&
Thanks!
eridani
(51,907 posts)Are you ready to take your advocacy to the next level? Then, we invite you to register for Housing and Homelessness Advocacy Day on February 2, 2016!
Hosted by the Washington Low Income Housing Alliance the day includes:
Inside information and timely updates on affordable housing and homelessness legislation.
Workshops on how to talk to your elected officials and be the most effective advocate possible. Meetings with your lawmakers for which you’ll be armed with key messages, supporting documents and facts to help share your story.
And an opportunity to feel the power of a strong and growing movement for affordable housing and an end to homelessness.
Registration is now open for individuals and groups of any size! We look forward to seeing you there!
http://wliha.org/housing-and-homelessness-advocacy-day
eridani
(51,907 posts)Join the Young Democrats of Washington for our annual Lobby Day in Olympia! Meet your legislators, learn more about the issues, and make friends with Young Dems from all around the state!
http://ydwa.org/events/save-the-date-2016-lobby-day/
eridani
(51,907 posts)http://www.thepierceprogressive.org/actionalertschoolsupercandidateforum2016
Sunday, January 10, 2016 - 21:21
What: State Superintendent Candidate Forum
Where: IBEW Local 76 Hall, 3049 S. 36th Street, Tacoma, WA 98409
When: Thursday, January 14, 2016, potluck 6:00 p.m., meeting 7:00 p.m., candidates speak starting at 7:30 p.m.
On Thursday night, January 14, 2016, all four announced 2016 Washington State Superintendent of Public Instruction candidates are scheduled to speak and meet voters at a free forum held as part of the January Pierce County Democrats meeting. Candidates Chris Reykdal, Gil Mendoza, Erin Jones, and Larry Seaquist will each make brief remarks and then take questions. The public is encouraged to attend the event at the IBEW Local 76 Hall, 3049 S. 36th Street, Tacoma, WA 98409. After a 6:00 potluck, the meeting will begin at 7:00, with the candidates expected to speak starting at approximately 7:30 p.m.
Linda Isenson, Chair of the Pierce County Democrats, noted "Washington citizens have many concerns about their public school system, including the constitutional obligation to fund them, student testing and standards, and charter schools." Ms. Isenson additionally stated "we are excited to present this opportunity for local voters to bring their questions directly to the candidates running for State School Superintendent."
eridani
(51,907 posts)St. John’s Episcopal Church
114 20th Ave SE,
Olympia, WA 98501
Monday, January 18, 2016
9 am – 3 pm
ATTEND the 2016 Summit
MEET with your lawmakers
SHARE your story
TAKE ACTION on the issues you care about
Join us as we urge our lawmakers to fight for:
The protections of basic needs programs and critical services
Progressive revenue options
Racial equity and economic justice in public policy
For more information about this event or to volunteer your help, please contact us at: david@povertyaction.org.
eridani
(51,907 posts)HB 2544 / SB 6239 would give local communities a new local option to create a Preservation Tax Exemption. This would be a key tool to help local communities preserve the affordable housing that already exists in our communities, while improving the housing health and quality of that stock for very low-income residents.
Preserving affordable housing in areas where prices are increasing quickly - particularly those near transit investments, high quality schools, and good jobs - is critical in efforts to prevent displacement of long-time community members.
Remember, YOU can be a champion on these issues! Every phone call, letter, public comment, and meeting with an elected official helps us move closer to accomplishing our vision of all people living with dignity in safe, healthy, and affordable homes within communities of opportunity.
Passing new legislative ideas hard, and doing so during a short legislative session is doubly so. Although many local communities have been discussing the idea of a property tax exemption to support the preservation and improvement of already existing affordable housing for a while now, many legislators may be hearing this proposal for the first time.
That is why your voice is so critical! We need to make sure our legislators know just how important it is to enact this law this session.
http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/50287/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=18154
I hope to see them all in Olympia with the Faith in Action folks on February 4th. Yeppers, I am a sign waver from WAY back... 
eridani
(51,907 posts)From health care access for all, to ensuring paid sick leave and minimum wage for all workers, to guaranteeing the reproductive freedom to plan when to start or expand a family, we need lawmakers to stand with women - not stand in the way.
Join NARAL Pro-Choice Washington and Washington Community Action Network in delivering this message in Olympia!
This President’s Day we need to make sure our voices are heard loud and clear at the capitol.
What: Rally and day of advocacy at the Washington State Capitol
When: February 15, 2016 from 10am-5pm
Where: Olympia, WA - when you register, we will send you the meeting location
We will coordinate rides and appointments and provide lunch and training. You bring your enthusiasm and
commitment to demand that lawmakers stand with us or get out of our way.
Register Today!
Tiffany Hankins
Organizing and Political Director, NARAL Pro-Choice Washington
Our mailing address: 811 1st Ave, Ste 675, Seattle, WA 98104
https://docs.google.com/a/prochoicewashington.org/forms/d/1aam2U6nPrfvjK0tSWXSUBZAgXYye_DftQOv7z_KI6lw/viewform
eridani
(51,907 posts)This Action Alert is about on House Bill 1321. This bill is to get a Fed waiver for Single Payer health care costs to be funded from one source, pooling insurance monies at the state level
This Action Alert will be distributed -- and explained by members of the MDC Health Care Task Force -- at the next MDC meeting, on January 27th.
MDC members are asked to phone immediately thereafter (by February 1st at the latest) the Legislators on the House Health Care and Wellness Committee. HB 1321 must be passed now out of the Committee, for a vote by the full House.
eridani
(51,907 posts)What happens is that sometimes the hospital is in your carrier network, but the doctor isn’t. When the doctor is “out of network” with your insurer, he can bill you for the difference between what your insurance is willing to pay and what the doctor believes they deserve. These surprise bills are unfair to patients. That’s why Eileen has introduced HB 2447, a bill that will require the doctor (provider) and the carrier (insurance company) to either come to an agreement or go to binding arbitration. You shouldn’t get stuck with the bill just because they disagree on their costs.
eridani
(51,907 posts)The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, which would fill a gap in current law and require employers to provide pregnant workers with reasonable work accommodations, such as temporary assignment to light duty, additional bathroom breaks, or schedule flexibility to accommodate doctor appointments.
Legislation to increase contraceptive access by requiring health insurance plans to cover a twelve-month supply of birth control at a time. Currently, many plans will cover only one- or three-month supplies for birth control, which disproportionately impacts women in rural areas, those with limited access to transportation, and limited time away from work, school, and family obligations.
Legislation to allow sexual assault protection orders (SAPOs) to be issued for more than two years, and to establish criteria for renewing SAPOs that are about to expire.
The Equal Pay Opportunity Act, which debuted last session and passed the House, but did not make it out of the Senate, would reduce the wage gap by closing loopholes in the existing equal pay laws and protect employees who ask about or disclose wage information.
eridani
(51,907 posts)Urgent Action needed! Please get as many of your State Representatives to sign onto this new legislation introduced today! Black Alliance of Thurston County co-founder Karen Johnson is the principal author, with input of many of us, to remove the 'Malice' language from the state law that protects police officers from prosecution and conviction of the use excessive force!
Please read! Additionally if you as an individual want to sign on, or if your Organization can sign on to support this bill contact:
Dr. Karen Johnson at:
dr.kjohnson888@gmail.com
Jay "Westwind Wolf" Hollingsworth, Mohegan, "Muks Papaunituk", Community Police Commission, CM., Member WSDCC Native American Caucus,
eridani
(51,907 posts)http://www.theolympian.com/news/local/politics-government/article57129993.html#storylink=cpy
Some some lawmakers worry that a Washington state law makes it impossible to hold accountable police officers who unjustly shoot people.
Two measures introduced in the Legislature this week aim to change that.
In Washington, police officers can’t be convicted of using unnecessary force unless a prosecutor can prove that they acted with malice. A bill introduced by Rep. Luis Moscoso, D-Mountlake Terrace, would remove that standard — which has been on the books since 1986. According to an Amnesty International report, Washington is the only state that requires prosecutors to meet this standard in order to convict a police officer in a deadly force case.
“I’m coming to learn that it’s nearly impossible to prosecute law enforcement in the state of Washington,” Moscoso said.
“I don’t expect this bill is going to go very far this year, but we need to have this discussion,” he said.
eridani
(51,907 posts)http://www.thestand.org/2016/01/register-now-for-feb-11-12-legislative-events/
This year is shaping up to be a challenging session of the State Legislature. While the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO will be fighting off “Right-to-Work” (For Less) legislation, the council will continue advocating for a Shared Prosperity Agenda that includes aerospace tax break accountability, raising the minimum wage, providing paid safe and sick days, discouraging wage theft, promoting pay equity, stronger safety and health laws, and making sure the wealthy pay their fair share of taxes.
The WSLC wants to build on the successful strategy of its last two legislative conferences by engaging affiliates’ rank-and-file members in direct lobbying with their legislators. So once again, the WSLC will host its annual Legislative Reception and Lobbying Conference on Feb. 11-12 in Olympia and encourages leaders, staffers, and especially rank-and-file members of WSLC-affiliated unions to attend these important, informative events.
REGISTER NOW! Click here to register online. The $100 registration fee covers materials, admission to the Reception, which includes drinks and hors d’oeuvres, plus breakfast and lunch for the Lobbying Conference. Preregistration is especially important because the WSLC will be making appointments with state legislators in advance, so if you plan to attend, please sign up today! If you have any questions, email Kamaria Hightower or call her at 206-254-4913.
The action begins Thursday night, Feb. 11 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. with the WSLC Legislative Reception at the Olympia Red Lion Hotel. This is a great opportunity for union members to meet and mix with legislators, elected state officials, and agency directors and staff in an informal setting. Registered attendees are welcome to bring a guest(s) for $15 per person. To keep the registration lines shorter, early registration will be available in the Red Lion lobby starting at 1 p.m. on Thursday.
eridani
(51,907 posts)I sent a comment to my legislators and one of the cosponsors of this.
http://app.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?year=2015&bill=6206
http://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/2015-16/Pdf/Bills/Senate%20Bills/6206-S.pdf
Note--CBD extracts should also be monitored for cannabinol (CBN), which is a potent soporific and the reason why I limit intake to evenings. IMO, sleepy is much more dangerous than stoned behind the wheel.
eridani
(51,907 posts)Our agenda this year is focusing on a couple things:
First is trans rights- as you’ve probably heard there’s a lot of legislation proposed this session that would legalize discrimination against trans people, we’re going to be talking about why we oppose that.
Second is fully funding the State Need Grant (without cutting other social programs to do so!). This grant makes higher education a reality for many students but is still incredibly underfunded, we’re going to be advocating for increases in funding to make sure that everyone has equal access to higher education.
Lastly is a proposal to close the Extracted Fuel Tax Exemption loophole, this could not only raise between $50-55 million a biennium, but also would push Washington towards greener energy sources for a more sustainable future.
We’re excited to see you, and expect a couple more emails in the coming days to help make sure you have everything you need to feel ready! Be sure to register by February 11.
eridani
(51,907 posts)2 PM to 4 PM
The Meeting Room of the Des Moines Library
21620 11th Avenue South
Des Moines, WA 98198
206.824.6066
Sarajane Siegfriedt sarajane3h@comcast.net
Steve Zemke stevezemke@msn.com
KCDCC, PO Box 25273, Seattle, WA, 98165
eridani
(51,907 posts)Good morning. I’m Marilyn Watkins with the Economic Opportunity Institute, speaking in opposition to the striking amendment on House Bill 1646.
Unequal pay is hurting Washington women and undermining community prosperity. My organization strongly supported the Equal Pay Act as it was introduced and passed the House. But the proposed bill here in committee today takes us backward.
The typical employed Washington woman made $15,000 less than the typical man in 2014 – a big hit to family pocket books. For every dollar paid to white men, white women who worked fulltime in Washington in 2014 made 74 cents, Black women 58 cents, and Latinas just 48 cents, according to American Community Survey data. This is true even though women now compose half the workforce and earn the majority of college and advanced degrees.
There are many reasons for the wage gap. Among them are job segregation and biases – often unconscious – of firm managers. Biased assumptions reduce the likelihood that women and all people of color will be hired, assigned to high wage departments, or promoted.
Multiple studies have demonstrated that supervisors and coworkers frequently don’t recognize or belittle women’s contributions. Even in college science classes, women must significantly out-perform men to be considered knowledgeable by male peers. A recent study of 200 managers at Fortune 100 companies found that they tended to assume that women employees had more difficulty than men in balancing work and family, even though the women themselves reported less conflict. That bias resulted in less willingness to promote women.
Other studies have found that all other qualifications being equal, motherhood renders women less employable while fatherhood makes men more desirable to employers. And people with “ethnic-sounding” names have a much harder time landing a job interview than people with “white” names with similar resumes.
As a result, women, especially women of color, have less bargaining power and often start at lower wages than men.
This discrimination is compounded by the fact that 60% of private sector workers are prohibited by their employers from discussing compensation. So most people don’t know when someone else is getting paid more for the same job – or which job tracks are likely to result in higher pay long term.
Moreover, when workers do discover wage discrimination, the burden is on them to go to court and prove that their employer intended to discriminate on the basis of gender or race.
Gender-based wage inequality is too pervasive and too harmful to be left to the goodwill of individual companies.
The Equal Pay and Opportunities bill as it passed the House would make real progress by facilitating wage transparency, opening doors of opportunity, and providing realistic recourse for people who face discrimination.
The proposed substitute sets us back, by further empowering employers to practice wage secrecy. I urge you to reject it and instead pass the underlying bill.
