Climate Action This Week:
  • Climate in the Growth Management Act
  • Regulation of Priority Chemicals in Consumer Products
  • Reducing Methane Emissions from Landfills
  • Accessory Dwelling Units 
  • Supplemental Operating Appropriations
  • Capital Budget
  • Additive Transportation Funding and Appropriations
  • Law Enforcement Detention and Pursuit
  • Modifying the Standard for Use of Force
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* Your information

We think these first two actions will take 10 minutes.

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* 📜 1. Climate in the Growth Management Act - HB 1099

This important bill requires climate change and resiliency goals to be included in certain cities’ and counties’ comprehensive plans, developmental regulations and regional plans. It identifies actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and vehicle miles traveled. 

We are following the lead of Futurewise on this bill.

Update! This bill was sabotaged as it passed out of the Senate Ways & Means Committee on Monday. The bill was scrubbed of critical climate mitigation actions, removing requirements that our fastest growing communities reduce greenhouse gas emissions and vehicle miles traveled. It was even scrubbed of the term “climate change” repeatedly.

Hopefully, by passing the defective Senate version of the bill quickly, the climate provisions can be restored during reconciliation negotiations between the House and Senate.

✏️ Follow this link to ask your Senator to support this bill. When you “verify” your district, you can select which of your elected leaders to communicate to. For this bill, select your Senator.

“Position” - please select “Support”. The first sentence of the written comment should be: Please pass HB 1099 so that it can be repaired in negotiations between House and Senate leadership.

📑 You can include these talking points or write your own:
  • I am shocked that the vital greenhouse gas and Vehicle Miles Traveled elements of HB 1099 were stripped out of this bill. We are in a climate crisis!
  • Please vote this damaged version of the bill off the Senate floor quickly so that it can be repaired in final negotiations between the House and Senate.
  • The best time to add climate change to the Growth Management Act was when it was first enacted in 1990. The second best time is now!

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* 📜 2. Regulation of Priority Chemicals in Consumer Products - HB 1694,  Reducing Methane Emissions from Landfills - HB 1663, and Accessory Dwelling Units - HB 1660

These three bills need to be brought to the floor and passed.

✏️ Please call or email your Senator and ask that they vote YES on these bills. Not sure who your Senator is? Look them up here: Legislative District Finder.

Pro tip: Your legislator’s email address is constructed this way: first.last@leg.wa.gov. Don’t forget the dot, and make sure you spell their first and last names correctly! You can also find their phone numbers and emails (and those of their assistants) in the Legislative Roster.

If you’re calling and you reach voicemail, be sure to speak slowly and clearly and say the bill number.  And be sure to let them know that you are a constituent of their district!

📑 Script: I’d like to ask my Senator [Name] to vote YES on the following three bills: 

Regulation of Priority Chemicals in Consumer Products - HB 1694
This bill sets a strong example on the feasibility of all-electric state buildings.
Please vote YES on this bill.

Reducing Methane Emissions from Landfills - HB 1663 
This bill requires more landfills to monitor and reduce methane emissions, an important step in tackling climate change.
Please make sure the bill is brought to the floor and passed. 

Accessory dwelling units - HB 1660
This bill lifts unnecessary local restrictions on backyard homes and mother-in-law apartments, a step to resolving our housing crisis.  
Please make sure the bill is brought to the floor and passed.

All done? Don’t forget to scroll to the bottom and click the orange “DONE” button to submit your actions!
We think these three Budget-related actions will take 10-15 minutes.

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* 📜 3. Supplemental Operating Appropriations - HB 1816

A coalition working on salmon recovery pushed for a bold salmon budget package this session and versions of it made it into both the House and Senate Budgets. These budgets include: 
  • Funding for a riparian work group between stakeholders 
  • A stream mapping assessment to pinpoint what waterways need the most help
  • Gap analysis on voluntary programs to see what additional strategies are needed to see a rise in salmon populations 
One item that made it into the Senate budget but not the House is $375,000 for a Snake River Dam Mitigation Study. This study is an essential part of ongoing stakeholder work to reach a long-term solution for Snake River salmon recovery.  Let’s make sure these funds are in the final budget. 

We’re following the lead of the Sierra Club on this budget request.

✏️ Follow this link to ask your Representatives that the study be included. When you “verify” your district, you can select which of your elected leaders to communicate to. For this bill, select both your Representatives.

“Position” - please select “Support”. The first sentence of the written comment should be: I support HB 1816.  Please include the Snake River Dam Mitigation Study that appears in the Senate version in the final budget.

📑 You can include this talking point or write your own:
  • This important budget item is part of a comprehensive salmon recovery strategy for the Columbia and Snake river basins.  It allocates $375,000 from the general fund solely to complete by July 30, 2022 an important analysis on options to replace the benefits of the four lower Snake river dams.

📜 4. Capital Budget - SB 5651

The Senate Capital Budget contains $69 million in federal funding for the Weatherization Plus Health program; the House Capital Budget contains $15 million in federal funding AND $15 million in state funding. The state funding is critical because the federal funds are restricted in terms of how they can be used; state funding is needed for a full, flexible program. 

We are following the lead of Shift Zero on this budget request.

Please call or email the House and Senate Budget leaders and ask them to support state funding for the Weatherization Plus Health program.

✏️ Click here to send an email to these key members of the House and Senate Budget committees.

If the above link did not work, please address your emails to:

House:
Chair Rep. Steve Tharinger (D-24) – (564) 888-2366  – Steve.Tharinger@leg.wa.gov 
Vice Chair Rep. Lisa Callan (D-05) – (425) 651-2341  – Lisa.Callan@leg.wa.gov
Vice Chair Rep. David Hackney (D-11) – (206) 490-0914 – David.Hackney@leg.wa.gov
Ranking Minority Member Rep. Mike Steele (R-12) – (509) 782-3436 – Mike.Steele@leg.wa.gov
Assist. Minority Member Rep. Peter Abbarno (R-20) – (360) 786-7896 – Peter.Abbarno@leg.wa.gov
Assist. Minority Member Rep. Joel McEntire (R-19) - (360) 786-7870 - Joel.McEntire@leg.wa.gov

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* Senate:
Vice Chair, Capital Sen. David Frockt (D-46) - (360) 786-7690 - David.Frockt@leg.wa.gov
Ranking Minority Member, Capital Sen. Jim Honeyford (R-15) – (360) 786-7684 – Jim.Honeyford@leg.wa.gov
Assist. Minority Member, Capital Sen. Mark Schoesler (R-9) - (360) 786-7620 - Mark.Schoesler@leg.wa.gov

If you’re calling and you reach voicemail, be sure to speak slowly and clearly and say the bill number. And be sure to let them know if you are a constituent of their district!

📑 Script: I’m writing to ask Senator or Rep [Name] to support state funding for the Weatherization Plus Health program.

 Then choose 1-2 additional sentences from the options below or feel free to write your own.
  • Please support the House’s position of at least $15 million in state funding for Low-Income Weatherization Plus Health in addition to at least $15 million in federal dollars. The state dollars are necessary to maximize federal funding and deliver Healthy Homes measures not allowed using federal funds. Both funding buckets are needed to maximize the types of weatherization improvements that can be completed for each home.  
  • Please ensure that the final budget includes an additional $1.5 million for weatherization workforce and contractor development to build long-term program capacity and equitable family wage job opportunities across the state.

  I called I emailed
Chair Rep. Steve Tharinger
Vice Chair Rep. Lisa Callan
Vice Chair Rep. David Hackney
Ranking Minority Member Rep. Mike Steele
Assist. Minority Member Rep. Peter Abbarno
Assist. Minority Member Rep. Joel McEntire
Vice Chair, Capital Sen. David Frockt
Ranking Minority Member, Capital Sen. Jim Honeyford
Assist. Minority Member, Capital Sen. Mark Schoesler

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* 📜 5. Additive Transportation Funding and Appropriations - HB 2118

This bill authorizes a total of $1.3 billion in additional transportation spending for the 2021-23 fiscal biennium for purposes associated with the Move Ahead Washington transportation package. It also requires the state to conduct a study of toll revenue performance on I-405 and SR 167.

We are following the lead of the Climate Rail Alliance on this amendment request. 

✏️ Follow this link to ask your Representatives to make amendments to this bill. When you “verify” your district, you can select which of your elected leaders to communicate to. For this bill, select both your Representatives.

“Position” - please select “Neutral”. The first sentence of the written comment should be: I have concerns with HB 2118 and request the following amendments.

📑 You can include these talking points or write your own:
  • Washington needs a transportation vision for 2030, not 2050, given the urgency of climate change. “Ultra” high speed rail will not be operational along the Cascades corridor until 2050 or beyond; therefore it is not an appropriate use of public Climate Commitment Act funds. “Ultra High Speed Rail” is a non-Federal Railroad Administration brand of passenger rail and will not provide any climate benefits, or other public benefits, until it is completed. 
  • Please delete the word “ultra” in LEAP 2022-2 document, p. 66 and LEAP 2022-A, line 5, where you itemize $150 million for “ultra” high speed rail. This will allow all official federal definitions of high speed rail projects under consideration in our state to be eligible.

All done? Don’t forget to scroll to the bottom and click the orange “DONE” button to submit your actions!
Our final two actions will take about 10 minutes.

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* 📜 6. Law enforcement detention and pursuit - SB 5919

We oppose this bill. SB 5919 would lower the standard when officers can conduct high speed vehicular pursuits. 

We are following the lead of the Washington Coalition for Police Accountability on this bill.

✏️ Follow this link to tell your Representatives to vote NO on this bill. When you “verify” your district, you can select which of your elected leaders to communicate to. For this bill, select both your Representatives.

“Position” - please select “Oppose”. The first sentence of the written comment should be: I oppose SB 5919.

📑 Then choose 1-2 additional sentences from the options below or feel free to write your own.
  • High-speed car chases are inherently dangerous. Two-thirds of high-speed vehicular chases end in a fatality of a bystander or passenger and half of the deaths in high-speed chases are innocent bystanders. In Washington high-speed vehicular pursuits are the second leading cause of police killings after shootings. 
  • This bill removes the critical provision of requiring that the pursuit is necessary.  If there is an alternative way to arrest someone that doesn’t put the general public in danger, it should be used – vehicle pursuits should be a last resort.

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* 📜 7. Modifying the Standard for Use of Force - HB 2037

This bill removes important protections crafted last year in consultation with families of those harmed or killed by police. This bill would authorize the use of physical force against anyone fleeing from a “lawful temporary investigative detention,” also known as a Terry Stop, if police have “reasonable suspicion” they have committed even a very minor offense. People often flee interactions with police out of fear that they will be harmed, not because they have committed a crime. This bill gives police more leeway to use force and is a step backward. In practice “reasonable suspicion” leads to racial profiling.

We are following the lead of the Washington Coalition for Police Accountability (WCPA) on this bill.

This bill was passed out of the Senate Law and Justice Committee with an amendment by Senator Pedersen that states officers must make it clear that they are detaining someone (i.e. they cannot use force to detain them without the person’s knowledge they are being detained), and when the Terry Stop is for a criminal offense (so not, for example, a traffic stop).  

This is a less egregious version of the bill, but it still lowers the standard to “reasonable suspicion,” which carries a high risk of racial profiling. The WCPA position on this bill is neutral. If the bill is expanded on the floor or if Senator Pedersen’s amendment is removed, WCPA will go back to opposing.

✏️ Follow this link to send a comment to your Senator. When you “verify” your district, you can select which of your elected leaders to communicate to. For this bill, select your Senator.

“Position” - please select “Neutral”. The first sentence of the written comment should be: I have concerns with HB 2037.

📑 Then choose 1-2 additional sentences from the options below or feel free to write your own.
  • Please ensure that Senator Pedersen’s amendment stays in, without being changed. 
  • The Pedersen amendment in committee prevents officers from using force on someone who doesn’t know they are being detained. For example, people with intellectual or physical disabilities, or those who aren’t English speaking, or where the officer’s conduct is unclear.
  • Using force on someone who is unintentionally walking away from officers is just plain wrong.

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* How did that go? As always, thank you for taking action with us! Please remember to click “Done” when you are finished.

-- The 350 WA Civic Action Team

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