Thanks to Mary Jane F.
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| Dear friends and neighbors,One of my top priorities is to protect our state as the Trump administration assaults the rule of law, undermines science, and targets vulnerable communities in Washington. The Legislature took significant steps this session to defend our hard-fought rights and values in all of those areas. Just this week, the president signed an unlawful order targeting our secure and successful state voting systems. I’m grateful to our Attorney General Nick Brown for his many efforts to fight back on behalf of Washington residents.The state’s supplemental operating budget signed into law this week will help protect Washingtonians’ core needs, while mitigating harms from the Trump Administration. The budget will provide food benefits for 30,000 immigrants with lawful status denied SNAP benefits, backfill Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood, and provide healthcare for very ill or disabled Washingtonians who were kicked off Medicaid.  Democrats in Olympia have been pushing back against Trump since we took back the majority in 2018 and that work will continue. Here are several bills passed this year that will help protect our state from federal overreach:SB 5855 prohibits law enforcement, local police, federal agents, and immigration officers, from wearing masks during public interactions. It ensures transparency, accountability, and public trust by requiring officers’ faces to be visible and mandates display of identifying information while performing routine duties such as stops, patrols, arrests, and crowd control. HB 2105 requires employers to notify workers about federal I-9 form audits, protects against retaliation, limits federal access to employment records, and establishes enforcement mechanisms and penalties to ensure that workers’ rights are respected. SB 6002 establishes reasonable regulations on automated license plate reader cameras – such as the Flock cameras– to prevent their use by immigration enforcement and provide true community safety for all Washingtonians. HB 2242 preserves continued access to affordable preventive health care services in Washington, including vaccines. The legislation updates state law so coverage of vaccines is tied to recommendations from the Washington State Department of Health instead of federal guidance. SB 5892 protects sensitive voter information by designating certain information (full birthdate, SSN, driver’s license number) as confidential. An election officer or designee who discloses confidential voter information will be guilty of a class C felony. HB 2165 prohibits individuals who are not law enforcement officers from making, providing, or possessing badges or other law enforcement insignias. SB 5974 ensures law enforcement leaders are held to the same standards of professionalism and accountability that we ask of every other officer in the state. It will now be clear that a sheriff’s duty, first and foremost, is to uphold the Constitution and the laws of Washington state, including the Keep Washington Working Act, which is critical for the safety of our immigrant community, as well as gun violence prevention laws, such as ensuring weapons are removed from domestic violence abusers. Thank you for taking the time to read this newsletter. If you missed my newsletters on the Millionaires Tax or affordable housing, they are available on my website. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me with any questions at Jamie.Pedersen@leg.wa.gov.Best wishes,Jamie |