Final 2008 Legislative Report
Good news for Washington!

 The Washington State Legislature’s 2008 session ended March 13, with significant progress in the social and environmental issues supported by Washington State UU Voices for Justice.

UU Voices focused on four issues during the 2008 legislative session:  affordable health care, global warming, poverty and homelessness, and greater rights for same-sex couples – another step toward full marriage equality.

In partnership with advocacy allies, including the Washington State Coalition for the Homeless, the Poverty Action Alliance, several environmental groups, and the Religious Coalition for Equality, UU Voices members saw several of these priorities move from legislative bills to statewide laws.

Affordable Health Care 

• $2.2 million in funding will subsidize accessible health care coverage for low-wageworkers in small businesses in 2009.
• In 2007 Medicaid coverage was extended to an estimated 38,000 more children of low-and moderate-income families.  Governor Chris Gregoire also signed into law expanded coverage for foster children and illegal immigrant children, with the goal of covering all children by 2010.   Despite uncertainly about Federal regulations regarding funding, Governor Gregoire affirmed her commitment to funding the State Children’s Health Insurance Program and is working with Federal official toward that end.

Housing and Poverty

• The Housing Trust Fund was increased by $70 million, bringing it up to $200 million, assuring more low-income housing for Washington residents. This is a sizeable budgetary jump from the previous $130 million.  It represents a victory for those experiencing homelessness!
• Renters displaced by condominium conversions received assistance through a bill requiring a longer notice period and authorizing additional relocation fees.
• Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) recipients gained their first increase since 1995. This funding will help narrow the gap between rapidly growing costs and TANF payments.  The $7.8 million for housing assistance will come out of federal TANF dollars, not from Washington State’s general fund.

Global Warming

• Climate Action/Green Jobs bill initiates the clean energy business research and green-collar jobs program labor market research as the state moves to train and transition workers to clean energy jobs.  The program is funded at $2.59 million.
• Local Farms/Healthy Kids bill, supported by a large majority of legislators, will help small to mid-size farms supply food banks and schools with locally grown produce.
• Evergreen Cities bill was funded at $386,000 to help restore trees in urban areas.

Domestic Partnerships

Governor Gregoire singed The Domestic Partnership Expansion bill in a jubilant ceremony on March 12. The new law provides Washington State’s gay couples with about 170 new rights and responsibilities previously unavailable to them.  Despite the success marked by this legislation, gay couples still have fewer than half of the rights that married couples take for granted at the state level, and no rights at all at the federal level. Even with this important new law, gay families in Washington State will only have about one-seventh of the legal rights their straight married friends and family take for granted every day.  Supporters of the Domestic Partnership Expansion bill renewed their commitment to achieving marriage equality for Washington’s same-sex partners.

Thank the Governor, Your Senators and Representatives – and Yourselves!

 
Both legislators and justice advocates are taking a well-earned break. This is the perfect time to write to your legislators and Governor Gregoire to show your appreciation for their work in Olympia.

·       Thank them for their support of bills that promise better lives for children, for the poor and homeless, for gays and lesbians.  Thank them for making our state a leader in finding ways to reduce global warming and in creating a green economy.

·       Remind them that many issues that did not survive this legislative session are still issues, and that you will support their advocacy of bills that address them in 2009:  removal of unreasonable local government restrictions on tent cities; funding to further reduce homelessness; health care coverage for all people; marriage equality.

·       Continue the conversation with your legislators around issues that matter to you, issues that our Unitarian Universalist values call us to address.

·       Join with Washington State UU Voices for Justice now!  During the interim, we begin planning for next year by developing our legislative agenda and holding advocacy workshops in congregations. Ask us about having one in your congregation.

·       Finally, thank yourself, and other Unitarian Universalists, for your advocacy of issues this session.  Your presence at rallies and committee hearings was noticeable.  You made a difference!

 

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WASHINGTON STATE UU VOICES FOR JUSTICE AT

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING IN TACOMA

Coordinator Rev. Carol McKinley facilitated a workshop at AGM on UU Values in Public Policy: Tools to Build an Effective Advocacy Network

In addition to many people from Washington State, UU's from Oregon expressed an interest in developing a legislative network in Oregon.   As Rev. McKinley said in her opening words to the workshop,

"WA UU Voices exists to be a moral presence, to represent our UU values and to be the catalyst for systemic change for equality and for quality of life for all citizens in Washington State. Legislative advocacy is ministry: we are carrying our values, our faith into the public square. Working together we can expand our social justice work beyond our congregations and local communities into a larger arena, to work for effective, systemic social change through state legislation. To do this effectively, we need to talk about what values underlie our commitment, how our UU faith impels us to continue this work."

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