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On politics weekly review

Jordan Fingler-Mondau and Brooklynn Chapman from Tacoma in Olympia advocating for affordable. high-quality child care. (Image: Courtesy of Child Care Aware of Washington)

On Politics: News that impacts Washington families

A review of the week past and the week ahead

Where to even start with this week’s review of Washington’s political news, events and decisions that are likely to make, break, or at least impact families in our state? 

A national assault that impacts thousands of Washingtonians

Let’s start at the top with the inauguration of Pres. Donald Trump last week and the ensuing barrage of painful and scary executive orders he signed while sitting throne-like onstage and tossing pens to the audience. 

Key among them was the slew of anti-immigrant orders that the National Immigrant Justice Center says comes down to this: “Immigrant communities will be criminalized to the maximum extent.” Under the orders signed by Trump in his first week back in power, federal agencies will now be able to use criminal statutes to arrest and detain immigrant communities on a large scale. The orders will swell mass incarceration and lead to state and local forces making arrests under agreements that fuel racial profiling.

Washington state is home to 1.2 million people who are foreign-born.  According to the Migration Policy Institute, 246,000 of them are undocumented. Of those, 17,000 have at least one non-U.S. citizen child. According to The Seattle Times, Washington is one of two states where illegal immigration is up.

The upshot of Trump’s pen? Families will be torn apart. Communities will be torn apart. And the spirit of immigration that built this country and state will be drowned out. 

Washington pushes back against Trump’s orders

Despite the president’s racist, anti-immigrant push, I am not without hope, thanks to former Washington State Attorney General-now-Governor Bob Ferguson and new Attorney General Nick Brown. 

“President Trump signed a host of gravely concerning executive orders that pose significant harm to thousands of Washingtonians,” said Brown. “The Attorney General’s Office has spent the last year preparing for this day. We are prepared and committed to using the full power of the Attorney General’s Office to enforce Washington’s laws, to protect people’s rights, and to keep Washingtonians safe. We will uphold the law, and we will fight when called upon for our shared values.

“For now,” said Brown, “I want Washingtonians to know we will do everything in our power to defend them and our state’s shared values against illegal acts by the Trump Administration.”

Thankfully, Brown’s office has already begun to fight back for Washington immigrant families. 

Last week, the AG joined three other states in a lawsuit against the Trump administration regarding the president’s executive order to end birthright citizenship. 

Brown will file an emergency motion to block federal agencies “relying on the order to deny citizenship to babies born in our state,” according to the Washington State Standard

Washington schools superintendent issues guidelines for schools

Washington’s Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) Chris Reykdal responded to the suit, saying, “I applaud Attorney General Brown for his swift action.” 

This week, Reykdal went on to stress that Washington public schools must serve all students whether or not they have legal authorization to live in Washington. He provided guidance to schools Thursday, outlining what districts can and cannot do regarding immigrant students. OSPI has received many calls on this issue and has heard from parents afraid to send their kids to school.

“In Washington state, we will do everything we can to protect our students, no matter their citizenship status,” Reykdal said. “Our State Constitution ensures access to a basic education for every child residing within our state’s borders. Our Constitution does not identify citizenship as a qualification to receive an education.

“Our public schools are a place where students from all different backgrounds come together to learn side-by-side,” Reykdal concluded. “This is the rich diversity that America is known for, and we intend to uphold these values in the months and years ahead.” Read the guidelines on what school should and should not do in regard to students here.

Rallying cries last week and this week

Child care advocates rallied last week on the steps of the state capitol building last week to urge lawmakers to address the state’s child care crisis, one in which provider turnover is high due to inadequate pay and other reimbursements and parents are struggling with the too-high costs of care. 

Parents, kids and providers from 20 early learning organizations, including Child Care Aware of WA, called on lawmakers to pass House Bill 1350 which would “modernize” reimbursement rates for the state’s Working Connections Child Care (WCCC) program, which pays providers to care for kids from low-income families. The bills would create a model based on paying providers a livable wage, providing them benefits and helping them cover costs for materials and supplies needed to provide care.

Earlier in the session,  heard a bill that would eliminate annual licensing fees paid by child care providers to the Washington Department of Children, Youth and Families. Lawmakers in the Senate Committee on Early Learning & K-12 Education will vote on that bill, SB 5130, this week, on January 29.

Parents and education advocates will rally this week to demand lawmakers do right by families and the state constitution by adequately funding public K-12 education. What is adequate? Organizers of Education Advocacy Day on Thursday, January 30, want to see a $4 million annual infusion in the state education budget and a promise of stable long-term funding in perpetuity. 

That same day, January 30, at 10:30 a.m., the Senate Committee on Early Learning & K-12 Education will vote on three crucial education funding bills. The bills are Senate Bill 5187, which addresses transportation funding; Senate Bill 5192, which addresses funding for materials, supplies, and other needs, and Senate Bill 5263, which addresses additional financing to meet the needs of special education students.

“School funding and revenue are taking center stage,” say Arik Korman, CEO of Seattle-based League of Education Voters. “In both chambers, multiple proposals are being heard regarding funding for special education, student transportation, student behavioral health, and school staffing. There is a general feeling that at some point, all these various proposals will have to be combined, just because with so many moving pieces it is hard to keep track, and there is a risk of necessary language missing to successfully implement.

Fiscal committees in both chambers are exploring revenue and funding ideas” “We might see one or more built into their individual budget proposals.”

Keep bugging lawmakers if you want to end gun violence

Last week, Senate and House committees held public hearings on numerous gun safety and gun violence prevention bills, including Senate Bill 5099, which would create a state licensing system for firearms dealers. House Bill 1386 would place an 11% sales and use tax on firearms in Washington State. House Bill 1163 would require a permit for firearm transactions, mandate comprehensive background checks, and establish safety training standards. House Bill 1132 would limit bulk purchases of firearms and ammunition to deter illegal trafficking. Finally, House Bill 1152 would mandate secure storage of firearms in vehicles and residences and expand the duties of the Washington Office of Firearm Safety and Violence Prevention to include public education on proper firearm storage. Although heard, none of the bills have been voted out of committee. If you support the bills, The Alliance for Gun Responsibility offers an easy way to make your voice heard.

Stop teenage flavored vape smoking

The House Committee on Consumer Protection & Business will vote this week on a bill to ban the sale of flavored tobacco and nicotine products in Washington. The goal? To drastically cut down teenage nicotine usage. HB 1203 will come up for a vote on January 31. A companion bill has been filed in the Senate, which, if approved by the full legislature, would make it illegal for retailers to sell any flavored tobacco or nicotine products. Check out this article on the topic from the Washington State Standard.

Families need rent they can count on

Lawmakers in the Washington State House Housing Committee took a stand for families who rent last week. They passed a bill out of the committee that would limit the amount of rent and fee increases landlords in the state can charge in any 12 months. The bill has been sent forward in the legislative process. It now sits with the House Appropriations Committee. The bill would cap the rent and fee increases to 7% in any 12 months while prohibiting increases in the first 12 months of a tenant’s lease. Check out this article on the issue from The Seattle Times.

Who will deliver for WA’s mothers and children?

I am a former birth worker and attended countless labor and deliveries throughout Washington for more than 20 years. Many of them were with women on Medicaid, trying to get the best care possible for them and their babies. Some of them were turned away from their OB/GYN clinics because they would not, or could not, take Medicaid. Sadly, these were not isolated cases. More and more women are facing the same dilemma: Without a clinic to support them, they delay or skip prenatal care at a potentially huge cost to them and their babies. Ensuring that every woman has quality prenatal, birth, and postpartum care should not be a political debate. Unfortunately, it is, across the country and here in Washington. My thanks to The Seattle Times for covering this critical issue.

Words of wisdom and hope

I’ve been feeling more than disheartened as I read each new article on Trump’s deluge of executive orders and the impact they may have on the lives of real families here in Washington and across the country – everything from his horrific plans for immigrants to his devastating decision to leave the Paris Accord. It feels disastrous that the U.S. will not be part of the promise and international treaty to fight climate change that most other countries have signed, at least for the next four years. So much could be done in those years.

Amid all that reading, I received an email from Dana Guy, executive director of PEPS, which connects parents with the peer support they need to help their kids and families survive and thrive. I needed to hear Guy’s wisdom, and perhaps it will help you, too:

“As we navigate the uncertainty and anxiety that many of us are feeling during the presidential transition, we also want to acknowledge the important progress that has been made in recent years,” Guy wrote. She pointed to former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy’s work to bring awareness to issues like the loneliness epidemic and a parental mental health epidemic in which 48% of parents feel overwhelming stress most days.

“The good news,” said Guy, “[is] we’re addressing this issue every day at PEPS.”

“We strive to make every group a safe space for parents to talk openly about their highs and lows, their struggles and stressors,” said Guy. “So much is built from that foundation of families sitting in a circle together — community, care, mutual support and reciprocity, celebration, joy, laughter and more. Social connection and community are an antidote to stress. “

I am inspired by news of rallies in Olympia, an attorney general and a Seattle judge already fighting back, and a reminder that groups like PEPS and All Together for Seattle Schools are fighting to support parents and kids. Rather than to give up, I am inspired to step up and join the fight.

Watch hearings in Olympia

To watch a hearing, click on the bill page, find your bill by bill number and click on the bill’s page, scroll to the bottom, and click on the date under Available Videos.

About the Author

Cheryl Murfin

Cheryl Murfin is managing editor at Seattle's Child. She is also a certified doula, lactation educator for NestingInstinctsSeattle.com and a certified AWA writing workshop facilitator at Compasswriters.com.