Editor’s Note: The League of Women Voters (LWV) of Washington sent this legislative newsletter on Apr. 9, 2023. Our mission at the Voter Interests Project is to monitor elected officials and ballot measures; we generally do not report on the activities of non-profit organizations. However, the LWV Whidbey Island chapter conducts candidate forums during most election cycles, and are therefore of particular interest to voters. The LWV of Washington’s website states, “The League is a Nonpartisan Source You Can Trust”; however, the LWV does take positions on public policy. Our observation is that their policy positions inform their management of voter forums. Therefore, we believe it to be of interest to our readers to know the positions for which the LWV advocates.

Action Alerts

Click on the links below to learn more about bills currently being reviewed in the state legislature. You can “take action” on these most pressing bills by following the links below.

Ensure Access to Needed Reproductive Healthcare!

SB 5768, Protecting Access to Abortion Medicine, seeks to protect the right to reproductive freedom by making pregnancy terminations safe and effective before 10 weeks of pregnancy. Medication is now used in more than 50% of abortions have been authorized and used safely for more than 20 years for this purpose by the FDA. Tell your legislators you support access to necessary reproductive healthcare!

Click here to sign-in PRO on SB 5768

This Week in the Legislature

Heading for Wrap Up

We’re in the home stretch now. The next couple of weeks will be very busy with floor votes and budget work. Between now and April 12th there will be long hours of floor votes, including debates and party caucus meetings. Then between April 12th and April 23rd, the two houses will be resolving differences in bills, and in some cases moving to House-Senate conference committees to reach agreement.

The operational, capital and transportation budgets must be passed by both houses, which means lots of negotiating. This is very sensitive and important since revenue forecasts may not be as positive as they have been previous years. It may mean that everything cannot be funded, and choices will have to be made.

Please see the Action Alert, it concerns ensuring a supply of abortion medication for our state, in view of efforts to restrict its availability.

Newsflash!

The House has passed the repeal of advisory votes and the Senate had previously passed it, so there will be no Action Alert on this bill – instead a virtual celebration! This bill, 5082, paraphrasing: Encourages electoral participation and makes ballots more meaningful by abolishing advisory votes.

Thank you for supporting the League’s priorities—and please take action this week!

There are several other ways you can follow the hearings and legislative process:

• Via TVW (Washington State’s public affairs TV network), and
• On the Washington State Legislature website.

Check out the weekly updates for each issue (below) for information on how to testify, and how to sign on PRO or CON to proposed legislation.

The 2023 Legislative Issues

LWVWA Legislative Issues From the 2023 Washington State Legislative Session

Click on an issue to learn more about session results on bills the League supported and “This Week’s Updates” to read the issue chair’s report on this past week.

Democracy

Elections | Issue Overview | Read this week’s update

Money in Politics | Issue Overview | Read this week’s update

Education | Issue Overview | Read this week’s update

Redistricting | Issue Overview | New task force underway – see updates

Environment

Climate Crisis and Energy | Issue Overview | Read this week’s update

Forests | Issue Overview | Read this week’s update

Growth Management | Issue Overview | Read this week’s update

Solid Waste Management | Issue Overview | Read this week’s update

Transportation | Issue Overview | Read this week’s update

Social and Economic Policy

Housing and Homelessness | Issue Overview | Read this week’s update

Health Care | Issue Overview | Read this week’s update

Behavioral Health | Issue Overview | Read this week’s update

Children’s Services | Issue Overview | Read this week’s update

Early Care and Education of Young Children | Issue Overview | Read this week’s update

Criminal Justice | Issue Overview | Read this week’s update

Revenue | Issue Overview | Read this week’s update

Gun Safety | Issue Overview | Read this week’s update