By Susan Fleming, Lobby Team Chair, LWV of Washington 

The Washington legislative session gaveled to a close last week on March 10. One apt description of this session likened it to a fire hose! So many bills, so much action, so many hearings—with so much accomplished. Major directions were set, money was allocated. Some of the bigger challenges addressed include housing, transportation, growth management, and climate change. You can read many of the details about the legislation the LWV of Washington supported (and opposed) in the last Legislative Newsletter of the season, published this week. 

This is not a 90-day-per-year job. Now that we’re in the off-season, there is plenty of work to do to prepare for the 2023 session, which will be a “long session” of 120 days. There is the usual administrative “stuff,” of course, and a bit of a break until next year. Did you know that many policy bills are introduced multiple times to the legislature before they finally become law? And that only a small percentage of the bills that are introduced are passed into law? Making change requires a long-term commitment. 

Our Lobby Team members work throughout the year to stay in the loop on bills being proposed, and perhaps even influencing them. Our work on legislation is anchored in our positions and principles, which are described in our Program in Action. They guide us in acting on selected governmental issues and is one of our purposes as an organization. The work is exciting, demanding, and most interesting. Please do contact us if you’d like to learn more. We would love to talk with you! 

Lobby Team members deserve huge congratulations for the work they did as well as the results they achieved this session. Our Lobby Team was engaged 24/7 during the 90-day session. Here is some of what our issue chairs and advocates were up to—you can find more detail in the Legislative Newsletter and on the Issue webpages. 

Social and Economic Policy Issue Team 

• Kim Abbey, Healthcare Issue Chair: Supportive housing for persons recovering from health care problems, including behavioral; preserving the ability to access abortion care. 

• Stoney Bird, Public Bank Advocate: Establishing a public bank. 

• Susan Fleming, Lobby Team Chair: Police accountability measures.  

• Cynthia Stewart, Revenue and Tax Policy Issue Chair: Tax changes and exemptions regarding the provision of affordable housing.  

• Cynthia Stewart, Housing and Homelessness Issue Chair: Supportive housing for those with disabilities, financial help with housing for victims of domestic violence, and funding for building affordable housing. 

Democracy Issue Team 

• Catherine Ahl, K-12 Education Issue Chair: Providing more physical, emotional, and social support within schools as well as interpreters for individualized education program meetings. 

• Cindy Madigan, Money in Politics Issue Chair: Fiscal impact of ballot measures; advisory votes. 

• Alison McCaffree, Redistricting and Census Issue Chair: Promoting comprehensive redistricting reform. 

• Carol Sullivan, Elections Advocate: Eliminating “open carry” of firearms into government meetings, enabling citizens to more easily participate on state boards and commissions, and voting in county jails. 

Environment Issue Team 

• Sherri Dysart, Forests Issue Chair: Conserve and restore kelp forests and eel grass meadows on our shores and promote coastline restoration. 

• Martin Gibbins, Climate and Energy Issue Chair: Reduce greenhouse gas emissions, clarify the Climate Commitment Act of 2021, and require a risk assessment of our power supplies. 

• Phyllis Farrell, Environment Advocate 

• Raelene Gold, Rivers and Treaties Advocate: Ensure financial responsibility for oil spills and improve spill prevention, support treaty-reserved fishing rights and state-tribal cooperation on the management of fish and resources. 

• Ann Murphy, Waste Management Advocate 

• Cynthia Stewart, Growth Management Issue Chair: Improve the state’s climate response through updates to our comprehensive planning framework and authorize tribes to participate in local growth management planning processes.  

• Cynthia Stewart, Transportation Issue Chair: Loans and grants for broadband infrastructure and additional revenue sources for regional transit areas. 

Additionally, our Issue Chairs were actively engaged in budgeting discussions. 

New Advocates: Jody Disney, Mary Lynne Courtney, Janet Hedgepath 

Contract Lobbyist: Nancy Sapiro, who provided excellent strategy advice  

Board Members: Joan Lawson, Julie Sarkissian, Susan Fleming 

Legislative Newsletter: Carolyn Stewart and Amy Peloff, editors, implemented a new methodology and format for the Legislative Newsletter.