Climate Action This Week: Agricultural Overtime; Terminating Certain Tax Preferences for Fossil Fuel Products; Transportation Budget 2021-2023; Growth Management Act Bills; Restoring Voter Eligibility.

If you're viewing this on a smartphone, make sure you're in your browser.
 
We have several comment opportunities this week. For submitting written commentary please consider these tips:
  • You can submit written testimony up to 24 hours after the hearing ends.
  • Clearly state your position up front.
  • Keep it short.
  • Personalize or use data points if you can.
  • Be polite.

Question Title

* Your information

Question Title

* 1. Agricultural Overtime: SB 5172

This is a common sense Senate bill that addresses overtime for farm workers and needs to pass the House. 

It’s scheduled for public hearing in the House Committee on Labor & Workplace Standards on Tuesday, March 23, 10:00 AM. 

Follow this link to provide a written comment on SB 5172 via the legislative website.  

“Position” - please select “Pro”. The first sentence of the written comment should be: I support SB 5172. 

Then choose 1-2 additional sentences from the options below or feel free to write your own.
  • Farm workers are essential workers, and should be paid for working overtime. This bill would allow that to happen with a phase-in approach, beginning January 1, 2022. 
  • This bill would address the deeply racist historical wrong of excluding farm workers from labor protections.
  • The State Supreme Court ruled in November 2020 that dairy workers are entitled to overtime pay. This bill will extend that to other agricultural workers.

Question Title

* 2. Terminating Certain Tax Preferences for Fossil Fuel Products: HB 1537

This new finance bill has just been introduced with the goal of ending some tax exemptions for fossil gas. It aims to reduce the market distortions preventing the prioritization and expanded use of cleaner renewable fuels. This will move us towards a cleaner, more sustainable economy and a healthier tax system.

It’s scheduled for public hearing in the House Committee on Finance on Tuesday, March 23, 1:30 PM.

Follow this link to provide a written comment on HB 1537 via the legislative website.  

“Position” - please select “Pro”. The first sentence of the written comment should be: I support HB 1537. 

Then choose 1-2 additional sentences from the options below or feel free to write your own. 
  • It’s important to cut tax exemptions for fossil fuels. 
  • Fossil gas has no meaningful role in a climate stable future.
  • 5 in 10 jobs in Washington’s energy economy are now in renewable energy and efficiency — and we have room to grow, as Oregon and California have an even higher proportion of clean energy jobs. 
  • For the health of our region and our climate, it is important that we move away from using fossil fuel.

Question Title

* 3. Transportation budgets 2021-2023: HB 1135 and SB 5165

The House and Senate Transportation budget bills will be heard in their respective committees this week. Both make transportation appropriations for the 2021-2023 fiscal biennium but are related to much larger multi-year proposals. The House proposal includes more support for multimodal solutions to transportation.

Each committee needs to hear from us that it’s time to prioritize greenhouse gas reductions in the Transportation budget. The talking points below apply to both committee hearings.

The House Transportation budget is scheduled for public hearing in the House Committee on Transportation on Tuesday, March 23, 3:30 PM.

Follow this link to provide a written comment on HB 1135 via the legislative website.

 “Position” - please select “Pro”. The first sentence of the written comment should be: I strongly support HB 1135. Then choose 1-2 additional sentences from the options below or feel free to write your own. (Bonus points for including the Amtrak Cascades Long Range Plan!)

The Senate Transportation budget is scheduled for public hearing in the Senate Committee on Transportation on Tuesday March 23, 4:00 PM (and on March 25 at 4:00 PM).

Follow this link to provide a written comment on SB 5165 via the legislative website.

“Position” - please select “Other”. The first sentence of the written comment should be: I have concerns about SB 5165.

Then choose 1-2 additional sentences from the options below or feel free to write your own. (Bonus points for including the Amtrak Cascades Long Range Plan!)
  • Transportation is responsible for the largest portion of our state’s carbon emissions. It’s time to prioritize greenhouse gas reductions as a goal of our transportation planning.
  • The House budget is our best bet if we want to actually reduce traffic congestion; make our transportation system affordable for our State and our families; provide mobility options for the many people in our State who don’t drive; promote health and fitness; reduce traffic collision deaths; create more jobs; and reduce pollution causing climate and community damage.
  • We can’t solve congestion by building more roads and more lanes.
  • Demand for better multimodal transportation has never been greater.
  • We are healthier when we build infrastructure for walking and biking.
  • The Amtrak Cascades Long Range Plan can deliver a proportionate, achievable and impactful transportation solution to the climate crisis, in a timeframe that really matters for our state. This bill should include funding for the Amtrak Cascades Long Range plan update.

4.  Growth Management Act bills: HB 1117, HB 1099, HB 1220, and HB 1241

These four important GMA bills are scheduled for an executive session in the Senate Committee on Housing & Local Government, Wednesday, March 24, 10:30 AM.
  • HB 1117 - Promoting salmon recovery through revisions to the state's comprehensive planning framework.
  • HB 1099 - Improving the state's climate response through updates to the state's comprehensive planning framework.
  • HB 1220 - Supporting emergency shelters and housing through local planning and development regulations. 
  • HB 1241 - Planning under Growth Management Act (Increases the review and revision cycle, requires progress reports and improves Tribal consultation).
Please call or email the following key Committee members to ask them to vote YES on all four bills. 

Click here to send an email to key members of the committee.

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

Chair, Sen. Patty Kuderer (D-48) – (360) 786-7694 – patty.kuderer@leg.wa.gov
Vice Chair, Sen. Mona Das (D-47) – (360) 786-7692 – Mona.Das@leg.wa.gov
Sen. Annette Cleveland (D-49) – (360) 786-7696 – Annette.Cleveland@leg.wa.gov
Sen. Jesse Salomon (D-32) – (360) 786-7662 – Jesse.Salomon@leg.wa.gov

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

Question Title

* Script: I’m contacting you to urge you to vote yes on the following bills being voted on in Thursday’s Executive Session. It’s very important that all these bills pass the Senate. I strongly support all of these bills.

Then choose 1-2 additional sentences from the options below or feel free to write your own.
  • Salmon survival is critical to our economy, recreation and cultures; future development needs to be done in a way that enhances, rather than further threatens salmon recovery.
  • We need to update the Growth Management Act to address climate change before some of our largest counties undergo their next comprehensive plan updates.
  • We need to take climate change into account as we manage our growth.
  • Preserving existing housing stock and reducing sprawl will promote the protection of areas for recreation and wildlife habitat and allow more efficient transportation.
  • Let’s plan for resilience by protecting the lands that buffer our communities against the worst effects of climate change.

  Chair, Sen. Patty Kuderer (D-48) Vice Chair, Sen. Mona Das (D-47) Sen. Annette Cleveland (D-49) Sen. Jesse Salomon (D-32)
I called
I emailed

Question Title

* 5. Restoring voter eligibility: HB 1078

This bill restores voting rights to a person convicted of a felony who is not serving a sentence of confinement. It removes provisions authorizing the revocation of provisional restoration of voting rights upon failure to pay legal financial obligations.

This bill has passed the House, and a Senate policy committee, and is now in Senate Rules awaiting a floor vote.

Follow this link to comment on Restoring voter eligibility: HB 1078 via the legislative website.

After verifying your district, select your senator and for “Position”, please select “Pro”. The first sentence of the written comment should be: I support HB 1078.

Then choose 1-2 additional sentences from the options below or feel free to write your own. 
  • Restoring voting rights has a public safety benefit by reducing recidivism.
  • Individuals who are civically engaged are less than half as likely to commit another crime.
  • This reform brings us closer to a more equitable society.
  • This bill aligns with the Department of Corrections' mission to improve safety by positively impacting the lives of approximately 26,000 people on community supervision and work release.

Question Title

* Thanks for taking action with us!

-- The 350 WA Civic Action Team

P.S. Not on the CAT email list? Sign up here!

T