January 18 - Housing Advocacy Day ... Investing in Student Potential Advocacy Days ... Weeks 1 & 2 legislative update

Now live: Inclusion Matters! Legislative Guide

Housing advocacy with The Arc & DD Council

Every Wednesday during session, The Arc of Washington and the state Developmental Disabilities Council host an advocacy day. This week's topic: Housing accessibility

Wednesday, January 19, 10 am
Briefings are online. Please register here for the Housing link. (And yes – they are taped!)

Goal 1: Learn about the issue and bills in play.

Goal 2: Write or call your legislators. Help them understand why this topic is important to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities

Last week: January 12 Briefing on IDD Issues

Investing in Student Potential Advocacy Days, January 25, 26, 27. https://studentpotential.org/events/

Investing in Student Potential Advocacy Days, Jan 25-27

https://studentpotential.org/events/

Also: Check out daily events to learn and meet other advocates. It’s a lot more fun (and effective) to advocate together.

January 25 - Advocacy basics & coalition priorities
January 26 - Belonging (let's define it) & Funding equity
January 27 - Student panel

Investing in Student Potential is a statewide coalition working to make sure schools are accessible and inclusive to students with disabilities and everyone else. The Arc of King County sits on the steering committee and several Washington chapters are members.

Investing in Student Potential policy priorities

Inclusion Matters! 2022 Legislative Update

Week 1

The 2022 legislative session blasted into session January 10, moving quickly on bills left over from last year and hearing new ones. Here is what we tracked Week 1.

Note: If you click the bill number, it will take you to the bill page. There are options there to comment on the bill, get email updates, track its progress, read the bill text and reports, and watch the hearing.

Bills to watch

Budget

HB 1816 - Making 2021-2023 fiscal biennium supplemental operating appropriations (House).

SB 5693 - Making 2021-2023 fiscal biennium supplemental operating appropriations (Senate)

Note: By law, the governor must submit a balance budget proposal to the legislature. They start the session with hearings on it, then spend the rest of the session drafting their own version. Each chamber writes its own version. The governors budget is not binding, but it does kickstart conversations.

Access, civil rights & community inclusion

HB 1723 - Closing the digital equity divide with affordable service, devices, and training. Public hearing held

HB 1726 - Modifying the standard for use of physical force by peace officers. Public hearing held

HB 1735 - Modifying the standard for use of force by peace officers. Public hearing held

HB 1746 - Updating the 2015 report and recommendations for supporting student success through measuring and mitigating community risk and protective predictors since the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. Public hearing held

HB 1802 - Increasing access and representation in policy-making processes for individuals with disabilities ("Nothing About Us Without Us"). Public hearing held

Early learning & education

SHB 1162 - Concerning high school graduation credit and pathway options. Public hearing held

HB 1664 - Concerning prototypical school formulas for physical, social, and emotional support in schools. (Nurse funding). Public hearing held

SB 5595 - Concerning prototypical school formulas for physical, social, and emotional support in schools. (Nurse, social workers, psychologists, counselors). Public hearing held

Health care & long-term supports (DSHS)

SB 5268 - Transforming services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities by increasing the capabilities of community residential settings and redesigning the long-term nature of intermediate care facilities. Passed out of the Senate, 48-0, with 1 senator excused. This was a priority bill of advocates last year.

Housing

HB 1724 - Permanent supportive housing resources

Work sessions

"Washington's housing supply, affordability, and accessibility crisis"

1/14/2022 – House Housing, Human Services & Veterans

Week 2

Bills are moving quickly. First step is a public hearing. If the bill is viable, an executive session may be held; this is when when committee members can submit amendments. In Week 2, we are seeing a mix of hearings and executive sessions. Here is what we are tracking January 17 to 21.

Bills to watch

Access, Civil Rights & Community Inclusion

HB 1802 - Increasing access and representation in policy-making processes for individuals with disabilities. (Hearing held 1/13; executive action 1/17)

SB 5745 - Increasing the personal needs allowance for persons receiving state financed care. (Hearing 1/20)

SB 5763 – Eliminating sub-prevailing wage certificates for individuals with disabilities (Hearing held 1/17)

SB 5793 - Concerning stipends for low-income or underrepresented community members of state boards, commissions, councils, committees, and other similar groups. (Hearing 1/19; executive session 1/21)

Education

HB 1664 - Concerning prototypical school formulas for physical, social, and emotional support in schools. (Executive action 1/20)

HB 1808 - Concerning pupil transportation funding for students with disabilities, children how are homeless, and children in foster care (Hearing 1/17)

HB 1834 - Concerning student excused absences for mental health reasons (Hearing 1/20)

SB 5581 - Addressing pupil transportation allocations. (Executive action 1/17)

SB 5595 - Concerning prototypical school formulas for physical, social, and emotional support in schools. (Executive action 1/17)

Health care & long-term supports (DSHS)

HB 1800 - Increasing access to behavioral health services for minors. (Hearing held 1/17)

HB 1872 - Establishing the care worker center to promote caregiving professions. (Hearing 1/19)

HB 1890 - Concerning the children and youth behavioral health work group. (Hearing held 1/17)

HB 1980 - Removing the prohibition on providing employment services and community access services concurrently. (Hearing 1/20)

SB 5736 - Concerning partial hospitalizations and intensive outpatient treatment services for minors. (Hearing 1/21)

Housing

HB 1789 - Establishing a property tax exemption for adult family homes serving people with intellectual or developmental disabilities and owned by a nonprofit. (Hearing held 1/17)

HB 1904 - Protecting tenants from excessive rent and related fees by providing at least six months' notice for rent increases over a certain amount, allowing tenants the right to terminate a tenancy, and limiting late fees. (Hearing 1/18)

HB 1908 - Addressing surplus public property for affordable housing. (Hearing 1/18)

Bill trackers

The Arc of King County – Includes more early learning, K-12, housing, and revenue bills
The Arc of Washington - more narrowly focused on people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD)

What you need to know

The session is quick, and agendas are in constant flux.

Committee agendas are usually set the Friday the week before, but they can be updated at any time. If there is a bill you are interested in, you can follow it and get alerts as it moves through the process.

You can find the committee agendas here: https://leg.wa.gov/
You can find your legislators and legislative district here: https://app.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/
You can find legislator rosters here: https://app.leg.wa.gov/rosters/

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