Hi John,

2020 is almost here!

The end of December brings winter holidays, time spent with loved ones, and the waning of the old year, with all its traditions and celebrations. (It's also the end of an entire DECADE!)

At Poverty Action, we're looking forward to a little bit of time off work and rest before the new year begins, bringing with it the start of the 2020 Legislative Session! But even though session hasn't even begun yet, we've still got some updates for you, including an invitation to our biggest event of the year.

2020 Lobby Day

Our 15th annual Lobby Day will be held this year on January 20, 2020 in Olympia. We're always up for a good pun, so this year we're looking forward to the session ahead with sharp eyes and a 2020 vision for justice and progressive policies in Washington state. Join us and hundreds of Washingtonians as we learn about advocacy, how to create change with people-centered policies, and meet in-person with our lawmakers. The event is, as always, completely free. If needed, we can arrange transportation, childcare, interpretation, and other accommodations. To attend, you MUST register by January 14, 2020. 

Governor's Supplemental Budget Proposal

Last week, Governor Inslee released his Supplemental Budget Proposal. This proposal is the Governor's proposed vision for how the state should fund the programs and departments that all Washingtonians rely on. A supplemental budget generally includes far fewer changes or investments than a biennial budget. Later on in session, the House and the Senate will each release their own budget proposals, and negotiate amongst one another and the Governor to come up with a final Supplemental Budget.

This budget proposal contains significant, critical investments to state homelessness and anti-poverty programs. It proposes key investments in basic needs assistance programs such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Aged, Blind, or Disabled (ABD) that will eliminate the state's policy of providing reduced cash grants for program participants who have safe, reliable shelter. It also proposes a $26 million investment in Housing & Essential Needs (HEN), the state's proven anti-homelessness program that helps people with temporary disabilities pay for rent and other essential items. Homelessness, poverty, and other economic inequities cannot be eliminated without dedicated investments. We applaud this proposal and urge lawmakers to uphold the Governor's proposed changes to TANF, HEN, ABD, and other programs. View our analysis of the budget here and read our press release here.

Holiday Giving: Help us Fund our 2020 Lobby Day

Every year we try to out-do ourselves and host a better lobby day than the year before. We're so excited to welcome you to our 2020 Lobby Day, and are sure it will be the best one yet. 

Help us make this vision a reality in 2020. Your gift today will help us host our largest lobby day to date. We need your help to bring a busload from Spokane and from Everett, from Seattle and Tacoma, and two buses from Yakima. We need your help to buy lunch and coffee for 450 people. And we need your help to provide support and training to attendees to prepare them to meet with their legislators.

We know it works when people with low incomes advocate for critical policy changes. Our steadfast advocacy over the past several years paved the way for the Governor’s proposal to make critical investments in our state’s safety net. Let’s keep up the momentum!

Donate to Poverty Action today!

From all of us at Poverty Action, we wish you a safe and bright end of year.

See you in 2020!