Hi team — Since the 2021 legislative session began in January, Senate Democrats have been hard at work on their key priorities — including racial equity and police reform, COVID relief and response, and tackling the climate crisis.
The past few months have been busy for WA Senate Democrats. Our Senate Dems took on the challenge of a virtual session and delivered critical relief to thousands of Washingtonians — and were successful:
our state’s economy has weathered the pandemic better than any other!
The 2021 legislative session ended yesterday, and we are thrilled to share some accomplishments WA Senate Democrats made this year in our newsletter! Thank you for staying connected and taking action on so many important issues with us.
— Adam, Katy, Malorie and the whole team at Washington Senate Democratic Campaign
We celebrated Earth Day this month!
Here in Washington — where our natural resources and outdoor spaces are home to tens of thousands of species of wildlife that are at severe risk from the climate crisis — our Democratic leaders have passed some of the most forceful bills to support our planet.
The Senate has passed bills to protect our local wildlife, fight climate change, and address environmental injustice.
Climate scientists agree that we must act now if we want to save our planet from the ravages of the climate crisis.
Take action for our planet!
The legislative session came to a close yesterday, so let’s take a look at some of the impactful legislation our Senate Democrats passed to support Washingtonians and our state!
- The legislature passed a bill introduced by Sen. Mona Das to combat institutional racism in education by providing diversity and anti-racism training for our school administrators and staff — introducing trainings to promote equity throughout our state’s public schools.
- Washingtonians have been hit hard by the pandemic, but our members committed to ensuring businesses stay afloat, employees are supported, and families keep food on the table. The legislature passed a bill that will support businesses across Washington with the funding they need — and this bill was part of an even bigger relief package that will expand testing and vaccinations, deliver much-needed support to our schools and students, and help thousands of Washingtonians meet their basic needs, like food assistance.
- The legislature passed a bill introduced by Sen. June Robinson that will establish a tax on capital gains to rebuild Washington’s upside-down tax system. This will raise millions a year for critically important childcare and early childhood education programs while providing tax relief for working families.
- Sen. Saldaña’s HEAL Act passed through the Senate and the House! This will establish environmental justice requirements, a permanent environmental justice council, and more.
- The legislature passed a police accountability bill introduced by Sen. Manka Dhingra that will expand oversight of law enforcement by requiring police officers to intervene if a fellow officer uses excessive force.
These bills above are only a few of the many pieces of legislation Washington Senate Democrats have passed this session because of bold and thoughtful leadership.
And we couldn’t have done it without input from supporters like you!
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Thanks for reading our April 2021 newsletter. Please submit questions and feedback here.
