Tag Archives: United States Constitution

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The 2014 WA state legislative session


First posted in March 2014 …

While progressives earned a couple of important wins this legislative
session, Rodney Tom and his Senate Republicans put greedy corporations
first and obstructed progress every step of the way. Fuse members stood
up to hold them accountable online, on the ground and in person. Here’s a
rundown of some of our biggest accomplishments during the 2014
legislative session and what we need to do next to build a more
progressive Washington.

The Good News:


The Dream Act
The clear highlight from this legislative session was the passage of the Dream Act. The Washington Dream Act allows all of our brightest students to apply for the state need grant, regardless of their immigration status. Our friends at OneAmerica, the Washington Student Association, the Washington Bus, and many others worked for years to build grassroots support for this legislation. More than 1,500 Fuse members joined them by urging legislators to support the Dream Act this year. Thanks to this unwavering pressure, the Senate finally passed The Dream Act.

Gun safety and domestic violence prevention
The House and Senate also unanimously approved a bill to expand gun violence protections for survivors of domestic violence. This legislation allows judges to require people under a restraining order to surrender their guns while the order is in effect. Even the NRA supported it, and in a functioning Senate it wouldn’t be controversial. Sadly, it took more than a year for Sen. Rodney Tom to allow a vote. Our friends at the Washington Alliance for Gun Responsibility deserve much credit for organizing support for this bill.

Why we need change:

In their second year in power, Sen. Rodney Tom and his Republican caucus were even more partisan and dysfunctional than 2013. They spent much of the legislative session congratulating themselves and repeating their tired sound bites, rather than working together to pass major legislation. Here are a few key bills that failed in 2014:


Closing tax loopholes and funding education
There are more than 650 tax loopholes on the books that cost our state billions of dollars every year. Closing some of the unnecessary or inefficient tax loopholes is critical to funding education. The House made modest progress by voting to close four tax loopholes to save $200 million in the budget for education. Yet Sen. Andy Hill of Redmond, the Senate’s budget writer, balked at this responsible solution to our state’s education funding crisis. Instead, he actually created or extended 18 other loopholes that will cost taxpayers $87 million. It’s sad to say, but Sen. Hill’s budget prioritizes every one of these 650 tax loopholes over our kids’ future.

Transportation and transit funding
The House passed a comprehensive transportation package in 2013 while the Senate Republicans spoke at length about the need for a transportation package. Yet nearly a year later – huge transit cuts looming across the state –– the Senate Republicans still have yet to approve any solutions to fix our bridges and roads or  improve public transit.

Reproductive Parity Act
The Reproductive Parity Act (RPA) would require health insurance companies to cover all of a woman’s legal pregnancy options, ensuring every woman has the freedom and privacy to make her own pregnancy decisions. The House passed the RPA and a majority of Senators have signed a letter in support, yet Sen. Tom refused to allow a vote yet again this year. His hand–picked anti–women’s health committee chair, Sen. Randi Becker, refused to allow a vote on the critical bill. More than 2,600 Fuse members called on Senators Tom and Becker to allow a vote before the deadline. With a change in leadership, the RPA could pass the Senate in a matter of minutes.

“[Senator Jan] Angel was playing insider politics at its worst, with no concern about punishing homeless children and families.”

-The Olympian, March 9, 2014 3

Homeless Housing
One of the biggest controversies in 2014 was over funding for homeless housing. A strong bipartisan coalition worked to extend the fee that funds a huge portion of the state’s budget for housing assistance for low–income and homeless families. Unfortunately, Rodney Tom’s committee chair, Republican Sen. Jan Angel, abruptly ended a committee hearing without voting on the bill just before the legislative deadline. According to Sen. Steve Hobbs, one of the bill’s champions, Sen. Tom told Sen. Angel to kill the bill. Only after a flurry of outraged press coverage1  and editorials2  did Tom and Angel back down and agree to extend the funding in the final moments of session.

Raising the minimum wage
Fuse members sent more than 7,500 messages to legislators in support of raising the statewide minimum wage to $12 per hour. This important legislation would help ensure that no one who works full time lives in poverty. Unfortunately, we came up several votes short in the House while the Senate Republicans, led by Sen. Michael Baumgartner of Spokane, tried to cut the minimum wage for thousands of Washington workers.

Fuse Senior Organizer Alex Epstein preps volunteers to meet with legislators about the Big Oil tax loophole

Holding the Senate accountable:

Fuse members were there every step of the way to put grassroots pressure on the Senate Republicans and educate the public about their far–right agenda. We organized canvasses, phonebanks and constituent meetings with swing Senators. We also provided rapid–response communications and social media to spread the word and ensure the media and our members online also held the Senators accountable.

More than anything else, the 2014 legislative session showed how much we need a change in the Senate. Tom and his Republican caucus continue to be an obstacle to progress, which means our hopes of passing meaningful progressive reforms depend on retaking the Senate this fall. That’s where you come in.

It’s going to take a, long–term campaign to both retake the Senate and build grassroots support for change on the issues that matter, from commonsense gun laws to raising the minimum wage.

Will you give us the long–term funding we need to win by donating $10 per month as part of the Fuse PowerSource team?

and since this post we found out that Rodney Tom will not run for reelection ! So, that happened

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Tobacco


 

Help FDA Keep Kids from Using Tobacco
05/09/2014 10:40 AM EDT
FDA monitors compliance with federal tobacco laws through surveillance, inspections, and investigations. Help FDA in your community by reporting potential violations of the law.
Did you know that the public plays a vital role in ensuring that tobacco products stay out of the hands of kids?
Every day in the U.S. more than 3,200 youth under age 18 smoke their first cigarette, and more than 700 become daily cigarette smokers. To help end youth access to tobacco products, FDA monitors compliance with federal tobacco laws through surveillance and inspections, and by investigating complaints from the public about potential violations.
Your report may help us identify possible violations of the laws that we enforce, such as not selling regulated tobacco products to anyone under age 18.
Read this consumer update to learn how to help FDA ensure that federal tobacco laws are being followed by reporting potential violations of the law.
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Gun Safety


Tacoma Mayor Marilyn Strickland and the Tacoma City Council unanimously passed groundbreaking legislation that will keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people and make Washington safer.

The new law will require background checks for all gun sales at gun shows held on city property. It’s a measure that will keep guns from getting into the hands of dangerous people, and it will save lives — but with background checks legislation on the ballot this fall, we need to keep up the pressure for comprehensive gun laws statewide.

Send a message to Mayor Strickland and the Tacoma City Council thanking them for unanimously passing this common-sense law, then sign up to get involved with the fight ahead:

This is just one of the victories we’ve seen for common-sense gun laws this year. In March, the Washington state legislature passed a law to keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers. These are huge victories for public safety — but all Washingtonians will still be at risk until we pass comprehensive public safety laws, and we’re going to need supporters like you to stand with us every step of the way.

I-594, the ballot initiative to require background checks for all gun sales in Washington state, is going to be on the ballot in this November’s election, and we’re going to be doing everything we can to pass this important bill into law. There’s a lot left to do, and it starts with thanking legislators in Tacoma for leading the way.

The tide is turning in favor of common-sense gun laws all across America, and Washington is helping lead the way. Send a message of thanks today, and sign up to get involved in the fight for background checks in Washington:

http://act.everytown.org/letter/tacoma-thank-you

Thanks for sending a message,

Everytown for Gun Safety

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Drafted


By

Michael Sam Becomes First Openly Gay Man Selected In The NFL Draft

Another barrier for equal rights for all fell on Saturday when Michael Sam, from the University of Missouri, was drafted into the NFL by the St. Louis Rams with the 249th overall pick. Sam, who was named the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Defensive Player of the Year for 2013, is the first openly gay man to be drafted into any of the four major professional sports in America.

The event happened just one day after Arkansas became the latest in a long line of states to see its same-sex marriage ban struck down.

In the immediate wake of Sam’s courageous decision to come out, NFL teams and players had encouraging things to say, with many general managers explicitly stating it would have no impact on their evaluation of Sam as a player. But “all the NFL personnel members” that Sports Illustrated spoke to off the record “believed that Sam’s announcement will cause him to drop in the draft.” It appears that if may have contributed: Sam is only the second person ever to hold the title of SEC Defensive Player of the Year and fall out of the top 33 picks of the NFL draft–let alone to number 249. Before the draft, he was projected to go 169th, in part because of a worse-than-expected performance at the NFL combine.

Buzz of the potentially historic moment had been building as draft day approached. Early last week, ESPN selected Sam as the winner of this year’s Arthur Ashe Courage Award, given to individuals who transcend sports. Then Sam signed a sponsorship agreement with Visa, tackling his off-the-field notoriety head on in a TV ad that aired during the first night of the NFL draft: “Judge me for what I do on the field,” he said. The audience for ESPN’s Saturday draft coverage, with a focus on Sam, was up 22 percent or almost 2 million viewers from the previous year.

When Sam was finally selected, he celebrated the moment as many others would: with an embrace and a kiss from his significant other, who just happens to be another man (watch the video of Sam getting the call saying he’d been picked here):

michaelsam

Sam now faces the next challenge in the process of becoming the first openly gay NFL athlete in history: making it through training camp and securing a spot on the roster. It’s not a given, according to those in the know: “Sam is considered undersized for an NFL defensive end and may have to become a linebacker in the pros.”

And to be sure, he will have to face more controversy around his sexual orientation. Even as he was selected, one Miami Dolphins player tweeted, “horrible.” But in an indication of how the league will treat any behavior of this nature, the player was promptly fined, suspended and forced to apologize.

BOTTOM LINE: The fight for LGBT equality took another big step forward on Saturday. Michael Sam became the first openly gay player drafted into one of America’s four major professional sports.

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Put Prevention Barrier around the Golden Gate Bridge

My teenage son killed himself by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge. If the bridge had a suicide prevention barrier (like other landmarks do), Kyle might still be alive today. Please sign my petition to install a barrier and save lives.

My son Kyle was only 18 when he took his own life by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge in September 2013. I still have no idea why he made that terrible decision. He had never been depressed, never mentioned suicide. It seems he decided to kill himself completely on impulse.

If the Golden Gate Bridge had a suicide prevention barrier, like other major bridges do, my son might still be alive today.

After my son died, I found out that the Golden Gate Bridge has more suicides than any landmark in the world. But unlike other landmarks like the Eiffel Tower and the Empire State Building, the Golden Gate Bridge doesn’t have a life saving suicide prevention barrier to save people like my son from jumping to their deaths.

I started a petition on Change.org calling on the California Senate Budget Committee to approve funding for a suicide prevention barrier for the Golden Gate Bridge. Please sign my petition.

Not a day goes by that I don’t think about Kyle. He was just starting his senior year in high school, captain of the basketball team, planning on college. He had just gotten his passport for a trip to Australia after graduation. My son had excitements and hope in his life, and where does that go now? I still can’t believe he’s gone.

There’s a common misconception that people who attempt suicide once will just try again — that’s not true. In fact, one study showed that 94% of people who were talked down from the Golden Gate Bridge did not go on to kill themselves. If a barrier had been in place, my son could have been among that 94%.

It is appalling for California and America that the Golden Gate Bridge has more suicides than any landmark in the world. This is a problem that can be easily fixed, and lives will be saved as a result.

It is too late for my son, but if enough people sign my petition, I know we can help save someone else’s loved one. I know we can make sure no other family has to live through something like this.

Please sign my petition calling on the California Senate to approve funding for a suicide prevention barrier for the Golden Gate Bridge.

Thank you,

Kymberyrenee Gamboa
Fair Oaks, California