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For submitting written commentary please consider these tips:
  • You can submit written testimony up to 24 hours after the hearing ends.
  • Keep it short.
  • Personalize or use data points if you can.
  • Be polite.
  • Clearly state your position up front.
Now let's get to work.

Question Title

* Your information

Question Title

* 1. Improving the state’s climate response through updates to the state’s comprehensive planning framework (GMA) HB 1099 

By passing HB 1099, state legislators can ensure that our cities reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation and protect communities and natural resources from the accelerating impacts of a changing climate. This update to the Growth Management Act will support Washington’s biggest counties as they plan for a resilient future.

Scheduled for public hearing in the House Committee on Environment & Energy on Tuesday, January 19, at 8:00 AM.

Follow this link to provide a written comment via the legislative website.  
Your comments will be made available to legislative committee members and staff of the committee, and will be included in the legislative record for bill and meeting archival purposes. Your comments will not be used as part of testimony summary materials on the bill report.

"Position" - please select "Pro". The first sentence of the written comment should be: I strongly support HB 1099. Then choose 1-2 additional sentences from the options below or feel free to write your own.
  • We need to take climate change into account as we manage our growth.
  • Transportation is our biggest source of climate pollution. We need an updated GMA to reduce sprawl.  
  • Updating the GMA to provide better land use and transportation planning will result in more livable communities and reducing climate pollution at the same time. 
  • Let’s plan for resilience by protecting the lands that buffer our communities against the worst effects of climate change. 
  • Cities and counties need to use smart planning to reduce and prevent the impacts of wildfire, drought, sea level rise and flooding. We need to identify the “hot spots” where these disasters are more likely to happen.

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* 2. Establishing requirements for tactics and equipment used by peace officers HB 1054

This is a very powerful bill that would address the aggressive use of force we have seen used over and over again. This bill would prohibit peace officers from using chokeholds and neck restraints, law enforcement agencies from acquiring or using tear gas and certain types of military equipment, uniformed peace officers from intentionally concealing identifying information on their badges, and peace officers from seeking, and a court from issuing no-knock warrants.

Scheduled for executive session in the House Committee on Public Safety on Tuesday, January 19, 8:00 AM

Let’s email and remind the Chair and certain key members to vote yes.

Click here to send an email to Chair, Rep. Roger Goodman (D-45), Rep. John Lovick (D-44), Rep. Tina Orwall (D-33) and Rep. Tarra Simmons (D-23).

Tell them, Please support HB 1054 with a Yes vote in Tuesday’s Executive Session of the Public Safety Committee. It’s very important that this bill passes the House!

If the above link did not work, please address your emails to:
Script: I’m writing to ask Rep. [Name] to vote yes on HB 1054 being voted on in Tuesday’s Executive Session of the Public Safety Committee. It’s very important that this bill passes the House.

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* 3. Concerning the Washington climate commitment act SB 5126

This bill aims to provide accountability and authority for achieving the State’s greenhouse gas reduction targets. It creates a cap and trade program requiring large greenhouse gas emitters to buy allowances at auction for each metric ton of emissions above a gradually decreasing cap. It also creates a task force to establish a statewide approach to climate resilience, and plan a clean energy economy.

Unfortunately, cap and trade programs, like California’s, have failed to meaningfully reduce emissions. Instead they allow polluters to buy time to continue polluting. Direct regulation has been far more successful at reducing emissions.

Scheduled for public hearing in the Senate Committee on Environment, Energy & Technology Tuesday, January 19, 10:30 AM

Follow this link to provide a written comment via the legislative website.  
Your comments will be made available to legislative committee members and staff of the committee, and will be included in the legislative record for bill and meeting archival purposes. Your comments will not be used as part of testimony summary materials on the bill report.

"Position" - we recommend selecting "Con". We recommend the first sentence of the written comment to be: I oppose SB 5126. Then choose 1-2 additional sentences from the options below or feel free to write your own.
  • Leaders from Black-led organizations and communities of color oppose this policy for many reasons, including that cap and trade programs have historically failed to reduce pollution for communities on the frontlines of climate change.
  • Polluters should not be allowed to buy time to continue to pollute.
  • We need a better system than cap and trade to enforce our emission reduction goals.
  • California’s largest polluters relied on out-of-state offset projects to meet their emissions obligations under cap and trade.
  • Direct regulation is a more effective way to reduce emissions.

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* 4. Implements the recommendations of the environmental justice task force (The HEAL Act) SB 5141

Where you live, your income, race, or language ability should not determine how healthy and safe you are. But we know that health and well-being varies significantly according to who you are and where you live. The HEAL Act aims to change this. This legislative session, we’re joining with allies to pass the HEAL Act which aims to center those most affected by pollution as Washington transitions to a greener and fairer economy. 

Scheduled for a public hearing in the Senate Committee on Environment, Energy and Technology on Wednesday January 20, 8:00 AM 

Follow this link to provide a written comment via the legislative website.  
Your comments will be made available to legislative committee members and staff of the committee, and will be included in the legislative record for bill and meeting archival purposes. Your comments will not be used as part of testimony summary materials on the bill report.

"Position" - please select "Pro". The first sentence of the written comment should be: I strongly support The HEAL Act, SB 5141. Then choose 1-2 additional sentences from the options below or feel free to write your own.
  • State agencies need better outreach plans that are more inclusive.
  • It’s time to fully enforce our health protection laws and prioritize state spending in high need areas.
  • We need more equitable community participation in state agency planning, resource allocation, programs, and enforcement.
  • State agencies need to use the Washington Environmental Health Disparities Map to identify communities most impacted by environmental effects and engage them in ways that make them safer and healthier.
  • When we improve the lives of those most affected by pollution, we’re all better off.

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* Wow -- this was a long list of actions. Thanks for sticking with us! How did that go?

-- The 350 WA Civic Action Team

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