By RayJaun Stelly, The Seattle Medium
According to many political insiders, the upcoming legislative session is critical to the plight of the African American community as we continue to navigate the pitfalls associated with COVID.
The 105-day legislative session also provides more time for legislators to pass bills, negotiate an “inclusive” biennial budget, and for community advocates/activists to persuade the governor, attorney general, and other elected and appointed officials to support policies that advances the well-being of our community.
According to Ed Prince, the Executive Director of Washington State Commission on African American Affairs (CAA), whose purpose is to advise and provide recommendations to the governor, state legislature, and state agencies on issues that impact African Americans, the top legislative priorities for the upcoming session include education, health, economic security, criminal justice, and environmental equity.
“[The commission feels that these issues cover] the game of Black life in Washington, there are very few things that fall outside of one of those buckets,” says Prince.
In particular, Prince is following two bills that can be very impactful on families with children.
The first bill is the Washington Future Fund, which provides up to $3,200 to all children born in Washington under Apple Health (Washington State’s version of Medicaid). The fund, which is based on the “baby bonds” model conceived by economist Darrick Hamilton, puts money into an account for eligible recipients that can be cashed out anytime between their 18th and 31st birthdays. The money can be used for a home, college education, or to start a business. If created and funded in 2023, this would provide economic opportunity for about 40,000 children a year throughout the state.
The second bill is the universal free meals program for schools in Washington state. The main purpose of this bill is to ensure that kids do not go hungry because they cannot afford to pay for school lunches. Under this proposal all of the state’s 1.1 million students would receive free school meals beginning in the 2023-24 school year.
St. Rep. Debra Entenman (D – 47th Dist.), who sits on the transportation, civil rights, and judiciary committees, plans to make affordable housing one of her legislative priorities as a member of the housing committee.
“I thought it was important to become a member of the housing committee because there are millions of dollars that the department of commerce will be distributing in our state,” said Entenman, who also serves as vice chair of the post-secondary education committee. “I want to make sure that families who want to build generational wealth by developing property that they currently own or buying property for the first time can do that.”
In addition, Entenman will continue working to ensure that college students have access to healthy food. According to Entenman, there are a number of homeless or have low-income students who qualify for the food assistance program, known as EBT. Which is why she wants to make sure that college students in Washington state can use their EBT cards to have access to food. Currently, the card is hindered for use on campus or can only be used in a limited capacity.
“Students have shared with us that they don’t have cooking facilities because they are homeless and so having an EBT card without having access to prepared food makes it difficult for them to have a hot meal,” said Entenman. “We have a number of students who qualify for assistance, [but are unable to utilize the benefits].”
Entenman plans to re-submit a request to the USDA asking for an exemption that will allow students to utilize their EBT cards to access food on campus.
St. Rep. Jamila Taylor (D – 30th Dist.) also plans to make housing a priority in the upcoming legislative session. Taylor, who chairs the Legislative Black Caucus and serves as vice chair of the Housing, Human Services, and Veterans Committee, says the current housing shortage in the area is something that must be addressed.
Taylor is also a supporter of people with developmental disabilities and has expressed that they deserve access to all the resources they need to thrive. She’s introduced two bills that passed the legislature. HB 1980, removing the ban on developmental disabilities administration clients participating in both employment and community access at the same time. HB 2008, eliminating the use of IQ scores in determining whether people with developmental disabilities are eligible for programs and services.
Taylor would also like the issue of mental and substance abuse to be prioritized. Expressing that, “we need rapid on-demand treatment, so people can get the help they need when they need it.”
Taylor believes that instead of crowding jails that there is a need for a more comprehensive support system that connects people with resources. To the end, she has introduced a bill to improve access to community-based treatment for those with behavioral issues and make it easier for families to get their loved one’s care when they need it.
“You deserve to know that if you or a loved one needs help, it’s there for you,” says Taylor. “We’re working to build up our behavioral health system to focus on treatment, care, and recovery. We can’t wait until people hit rock bottom and need to be hospitalized before we provide them with treatment.”
