A new year and a new legislative session is upon us. Our team has been working on preparing for the 2024 session since August and we are prepared to bring you even more legislative information and calls to action than last session! It’s a short session, ending in early March, so let’s buckle up and make as much impact as possible in the short time we have!
Week 1 has a full schedule of public hearings of both carryover bills from 2023 and new bills dropped in December. The following list are the ones within our scope of work (1A, 2A, parental rights, education and right to life) that we feel are the biggest priority in week 1, with ways you can take action!
Please consider contributing to Conservative Ladies by making a donation or upgrading to a paid subscription/membership to support our work to defend and advance conservative policy in Washington and beyond. Thank you!
HB 1962: Improving voter registration list accuracy
SUPPORT.
Hearing date: Jan 9 at 1:30PM, State Government & Tribal Relations Committee
This bill seems to be a step in the right direction for cleaning up the voter registration list by requiring county auditors to take specific steps when a voter moves, improves communication between counties and inactivates a voter who moves out of state (hopefully those who pass away as well…sorry, couldn’t help it).
TAKE ACTION: You can sign in PRO for this bill, you can testify in person or remotely or you can submit written testimony that will become public record. Click HERE to sign up to testify. Click the green button below to sign in PRO (must sign in by 12:30PM, Tuesday, January 9th.
HJR4208: Removing gendered language from the state constitution
OPPOSE.
Hearing date: Jan 10th at 8AM, State Government & Tribal Relations Committee
This bill would remove all reference to man/woman or male/female in the state constitution and replace it with a non-binary version: they/them/theirs. This is unnecessary and a waste of time when lawmakers have more important issues that are directly impacting citizens they need to focus on. This bill would require a 2/3 majority vote of the legislature to pass and it would then be placed on the ballot in November 2024.
TAKE ACTION: You can sign in CON for this bill, you can testify in person or remotely or you can submit written testimony that will become public record. Click HERE to sign up to testify. Click the red button below to sign in CON (must sign in by 7AM, Wednesday, January 10th.
SJR 8207: Amending the Constitution to allow a majority of voters to authorize school district bonds.
OPPOSE.
Hearing date: Jan 10 at 10:30AM, Senate K-12 and Early Learning Committee
This bill would amend the state constitution to allow a simple majority to pass school district bonds, rather than the current law requiring 60% approval to pass. School districts around the state have been having difficulty passing their bonds and levies due to the failure to educate Washington students.
TAKE ACTION: You can sign in CON for this bill, you can testify in person or remotely or you can submit written testimony that will become public record. Click HERE to sign up to testify.
30 SECOND ACTION: Click the red button below to sign in CON (must sign in by 9:30 AM, Wednesday, January 10th.
HB 1045: Creating a basic income pilot program
OPPOSE
Hearing date: Jan 11 at 4PM, House Appropriations Committee
This bill would create a basic income pilot program in Washington state,
Establishes the Evergreen Basic Income Pilot Program (pilot program), providing 24 monthly payments to up to 7,500 qualifying participants in an amount equal to 100 percent of the fair market rent for a two-bedroom dwelling unit in the county in which a participant resides.
Creates a board of directors to administer, coordinate, and establish policies for the pilot program.
Designates that persons receiving funds through the pilot program are eligible for certain assistance programs, and contains provisions to minimize the impact of receipt of basic income funds on income calculation for other assistance programs and determination of child support obligations
TAKE ACTION: You can sign in CON for this bill, you can testify in person or remotely or you can submit written testimony that will become public record. Click HERE to sign up to testify.
30 SECOND ACTION: Click the red button below to sign in CON (must sign in by 3:00PM, Thursday, January 10th.
HB 2038: Collecting data on student transfers & withdrawals from public schools &school districts.
OPPOSE
Hearing date: January 11, 8AM, House Education Committee
This bill would create an [optional] survey for families who are unenrolling their students from government-funded schools. The survey is said to be a way for the legislature to determine why so many families are opting to remove their children from government schools. We oppose this bill for a number of reasons: we would like to see the legislature not waste time with a survey and correct the problems we know exist. Only 51% of students are passing ELA, 39% math and 37% science. We do not agree with government collecting data on families and children. This funding would be better spent elsewhere.
TAKE ACTION: You can sign in CON for this bill, you can testify in person or remotely or you can submit written testimony that will become public record. Click HERE to sign up to testify.
30 SECOND ACTION: Click the red button below to sign in CON (must sign in by 7:00AM, Thursday, January 11th.
HB 1368: Requiring and funding the purchase of zero emission school buses.
OPPOSE
Hearing date: January 11, 4PM, House Appropriations Committee
Requires school buses purchased by public kindergarten through twelfth grade (K-12) schools to be zero-emission school buses beginning September 1, 2033, and requires 70 percent of school bus purchases to be zero emission beginning September 1, 2030. Establishes a zero-emission school bus grant program for K-12 schools to be administered by the Department of Ecology. Amends school bus purchasing protocols of the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) and school districts to take into account the 2033 zero-emission bus purchasing requirement.
TAKE ACTION: You can sign in CON for this bill, you can testify in person or remotely or you can submit written testimony that will become public record. Click HERE to sign up to testify.
30 SECOND ACTION: Click the red button below to sign in CON (must sign in by 3:00PM, Thursday, January 11th.
HB 1954: Harmonizing language relating to reproductive health care services and gender-affirming treatment
OPPOSE
Hearing date: January 12, 8AM, House Health Care & Wellness Committee
This bill clarifies by law that providers giving abortions or so-called “gender affirming care” (up to and including surgeries) would not be punishable by law. It also states that providers/license holders who have performed these services in other states and been found in violation of those state laws would not be punishable or acknowledged in Washington state. Essentially…”a sanctuary state” for abortion and so-called gender-affirming care providers.
TAKE ACTION: You can sign in CON for this bill, you can testify in person or remotely or you can submit written testimony that will become public record. Click HERE to sign up to testify.
30 SECOND ACTION: Click the red button below to sign in CON (must sign in by 7AM, Friday, January 12th.
SB 5982: Updating the definition of “vaccine”
OPPOSE
Hearing date: January 12th, 8AM, Senate Health & Long Term Care Committee
TAKE ACTION: You can sign in CON for this bill, you can testify in person or remotely or you can submit written testimony that will become public record. Click HERE to sign up to testify.
30 SECOND ACTION: Click the red button below to sign in CON (must sign in by 7AM, Friday, January 12th.
Please consider contributing to Conservative Ladies by making a donation or upgrading to a paid subscription/membership to support our work to defend and advance conservative policy in Washington and beyond. Thank you!
