Legislative Updates from our friends at CAAPA
Legislative Updates
Thank you to everyone who participated in the 2022 session, from ANHPI lobby days to individually advocating for the issues you care about, our voices were heard! Last Thursday, March 10th marked the end of this year’s 60 day legislative session. Despite a short session, plenty of important legislation and a historic budget were passed.
Legislation
There were many wins across the session, including CAPAA and APIC Washington priority bills!
CAPAA Priority Bills
SB 5264 | Establishing January as Americans of Chinese Descent History Month. This bill was sponsored by Senator Keith Wagoner – did not pass, as it was never pulled to the House floor for a reading.
HB 1881 | Establishing a voluntary birth doula certification program through the Department of Health. This bill was sponsored by Representative Harris-Talley – was passed by the legislature and on the Governor's desk to be signed!
HB 1659 | Making higher education more accessible through expanding the Washington College Grantby modifying the income eligibility thresholds and award levels. This bill was sponsored by Representative Slatter – was passed by the Senate but never got a committee hearing in the House.
Other Important Bills
Uber and Lyft drivers will receive new protections including minimum per mile and per minute rates along with paid sick leave and workers’ compensation coverage. The bill will cover nearly 30,000 individuals, many of whom are immigrants and people of color.
Missing and murdered indigenous people is an epidemic in the United States and Canada. House Bill 1725 creates the first first missing, murdered and Indigenous people alert system in the country. Similar to Amber Alerts or Silver Alerts, the system is set up to help identify and locate missing people.
The Covid-19 pandemic exposed many inequities in our society, healthcare being one of them. SB 5736, extends coverage for young people 21 and under who are on the Washington Apple Health state plan so they can receive partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient services.
A bill expanding language access in K-12 schools was passed. HB 1153 will establish effective language access services at public schools to improve meaningful, equitable access for students and their family members who have language access barriers
Budget
Transportation: This year’s budget added up to $64 billion. A few highlights include a $17B transportation package for over the next 16 years that will be used for highways, bridges and transit projects. This includes free public transportation for those under 18 years old, building new hybrid electric ferries, and improving walking and biking corridors.
Small business tax relief: State business taxes for businesses grossing under $125,000 a year are eliminated and provide additional small-business tax credits. Additionally, $100 million for utility assistance for low-income customers and $45 million was allocated for rental assistance.
CAPAA was included in the budget! We were designated funds for our general operations, assigned to equity reviews, and much more.
You can see where CAPAA is mentioned in the budget here.