Moving forward: WA Legislature tackles impactful needs

The Democratic-led Washington State Legislature has closed shop on its 2022 "short session," but not before passing a bunch of bills that address important needs. Here are some highlights:

Infrastructure
Green transportation: $207 million for electric vehicle charging infrastructure and $120 million for electric vehicle purchase incentives ($25 million new dollars in incentives were allocated in this year’s short session to add to what already had been allocated in the previous session.)
Portland-Vancouver Interstate 5 new bridge: $1 billion was allocated as part of the state's 16-year, $17 billion Transportation Package

Hood River Bridge: $75 million to help move the project forward

Public Safety

SB5078: prohibits the manufacture, importation, distribution, selling, and offering for sale of “ammunition feeding devices” with the capacity to hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition.
HB1705: bans “Ghost Guns” including untraceable firearms and untraceable unfinished frames and receivers that can be used to manufacture or assemble untraceable firearms; forbids selling, transfer, purchasing, transporting or receiving them; establishes standards for marking untraceable firearms and unfinished frames and receivers with serial numbers. No Republican voted for it.

HB1735: clarifies the use of physical force against a person who needs mental health assistance. It modifies the standard use of force by peace officers, allowing reasonable force for de-escalation tactics. This had been a problem for the past year when 2021 law limiting force prompted some law enforcement agencies to refuse to to intervene in mental health crisis situations. Senior advocates and others lobbied for the change.

HB1725: requires the state patrol to establish an ALERT SYSTEM for missing indigenous people, an essential tool to address the crisis of missing and murdered indigenous people in our state and region.

Healthcare

SB5546: sets a copay cap of $35 per 30-day supply of insulin for everyone on state-regulated insurance plans, such as Medicaid and state employees. It doesn’t apply to private health plans. (Note: Our very own Chris Corry of LD 14 was the only Republican to vote against this bi-partisan bill. Ugh.)

Women’s Reproductive Rights
EHB1851: Protects the rights of pregnant person's ability to access abortion care

Housing and Homelessness
Passed $669 million for various programs, including $240 million for Rapid Housing Acquisition, $15 for Homeless Youth facilities, $68.5 million for rental assistance, $55 million for frontline homeless service providers, and $45 million to help homeless people into affordable housing

Other highlights

 Pay raises for state employees ($261 million); assistance for hospitality and convention industries, the arts, and small businesses ($215 million); shoring up the popular Family Paid Leave program ($350 million); and relief for small businesses from the Business & Occupation tax ($15 million).

Finally, a law we can all agree upon!

HB1497: prevents telephone solicitors from making calls before 8 a.m. or after 8 p.m.; prohibits selling of called party's name and information; requires removal of called party from the solicitor's list upon request for at least a year.