What is the legislative newsletter?
DRW will provide a weekly update each Saturday morning during the 2021 Legislative Session. The below newsletter was the first to be sent this session! If you are interested in receiving this weekly newsletter, please subscribe below.
January 30, 2021
| FIVE BILLS TO WATCH Week Four of the 2021 Legislature: February 1 – February 5, 2021 This Monday is the 4th week of the Legislative session in 2021 – Day 22 of 105 Days. You can find the bills that are going to be heard next week by going to the Home Page of the Washington State Legislature website. We’ve picked 5 bills that will have a hearing next week that likely will be important to people with disabilities. Consider taking a look at the bill page, watching the hearing, and perhaps weighing in on one or more of them. You can learn about each of these bills by clicking on the bill number below and reading the bill, and by watching the hearing on TVW on the date and time listed below. |
| BILL ONE: Sub-minimum wage for persons with disabilities Labor, Commerce & Tribal Affairs (Senate) Monday, 2/1/2021 9:30 AM Public Hearing: SB 5284 – Eliminating subminimum wage certificates for persons with disabilities. (Remote testimony) BILL TWO: Transforming DD Services Health & Long Term Care (Senate) Monday, 2/1/2021 1:30 PM Public Hearing: 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. (Remote testimony) BILL THREE: Allowed Earned Time House Committee on Public Safety Tuesday, 2/2/2021 8 AM HB 1282 – 2021-22 Concerning allowed earned time for certain offenses. BILL FOUR: Some fiscal bills related to COVID response. Note: there are actually 5 bills here – but they are all part of the same hearing, so you can learn about them all by attending one afternoon session. Ways & Means (Senate) 2/2/2021 4:00 PM Public Hearing: 1. SB 5344 – Responding to the COVID-19 pandemic through state actions supported by federal funding. 2. HB 1368 – Responding to the COVID-19 pandemic through state actions supported by federal funding. 3. SB 5343 – Revising 2019-2021 fiscal biennium appropriations… in the developmental disabilities and long-term care programs in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. 4. HB 1367 – Revising 2019-2021 fiscal biennium appropriations…in the developmental disabilities and long-term care programs in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. 5. HB 1095 – Concerning the taxation of governmental financial assistance programs addressing the impacts of conditions giving rise to a gubernatorial or presidential emergency proclamation. BILL FIVE: Updating mental health advance directives Behavioral Health Subcommittee to Health & Long Term Care (Senate) 2/5/2021 10:30 AM Public Hearing: SB 5370 – Updating mental health advance directive laws. (Remote testimony – If measure is referred to committee) |
| Announcements: The legislative session is live and on-demand at https://www.tvw.org/ Rooted in Rights is always looking to pay bloggers – click here to fill out the submission form to write with Rooted in Rights!The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee is hiring a senior disability policy advisor to lead the disability policy work for the Committee. See job posting below: SENIOR DISABILITY POLICY ADVISORDemocratic Senator seeks applications for a senior advisor on the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions to lead disability policy work and to advance community integration, inclusion, equity, and equal access for people with disabilities. The ideal applicant for this role will be familiar with disability rights, services, and policies across the health, education, labor, and pensions portfolios and be fluent with disability laws such as the Americans with Disabilities Act, Rehabilitation Act, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act, and others. Applicants should have experience drafting and reviewing legislation and developing and managing coalitions. Candidates must have outstanding interpersonal skills, the ability to manage multiple projects under tight deadlines, and must collaborate well with colleagues. CLOSES February 12th, 2021. Please send a resume and cover letter to disabilityadvisor21@gmail.com |
| Upcoming Virtual Events and Trainings: Every Tuesday – Washington State Legislature Website Tours 5:30 – 7:00 PM (Break Included) Hosted by Washington Legislative and Policy Advocates. If you plan to advocate on any issue during the 2021-2022 Legislative Session, getting familiar with the website is highly recommended! The tour starts here: https://leg.wa.gov/.Click here to register to attend. |
This year all public participation in the legislature will be done online.
How do I sign up to testify?
There are three ways to interact with hearings: 1) sign up to testify live 2) submit written testimony 3) sign in on the record in support, opposition, or other. How to do all three of these actions and where to find them on the legislature’s website can be found in our Remote Testimony Written and Video Guide.
Need to email House or Senate members of a committee?
We’ve gathered and organized the email addresses of each committee’s members, legislative assistants, and staff. Visit our House and Senate Email Lists page for a quick way to copy and paste these email addresses into your message.
Where can I find more legislative resources?
DRW and CDAN have teamed up to create a page dedicated to legislative resources. There you will find documents created by DRW, links to the legislative website, and more! Do you have a legislative resource that others may find helpful? Send an email to mekdesa@dr-wa.org.