Quaker Voice Friends and Supporters, We urge you, as you are led, to send the Quaker Voice Statement on Racial Inequity (PDF format) to your state legislators, with a cover letter from you requesting action in the coming sessions. This statement was approved by the Quaker Voice Board for release on June 19, 2020, Juneteenth. It is based on contributions from the … Read more
Highlights: Washington State will enact new greenhouse gas emission benchmarks for state agencies and the state as a whole. Washington State banned private prisons for state facilities. This year saw a large increase in investment in the Housing and Essential Needs (HENS) fund, which targets the most vulnerable people in Washington state without immediate access … Read more
In the 2020 session, the Economic Justice group emphasized housing, food, and income in its priorities, with top priorities in housing. The legislature passed a remarkable wave of bills in this area, providing $174 million in resources for the state’s affordable housing and homelessness needs. Showing the importance of the issues, all of this spending … Read more
Two bills we supported this year are becoming law: (1) A bill to prohibit contracts by the WA Dept. of Corrections for privately-operated prisons (2) A “bail-jumping” bill, that will reduce penalties for not appearing in court, which tend to affect low-income people most. We are greatly pleased with the success in implementing the corrections … Read more
Dear Friends: We hope you are staying safe in these challenging times! We know that many of us will be receiving a stimulus check from the federal government and some of us do not urgently need the funds. If you are looking for ideas for donating some or part of your stimulus check, Quaker Voice … Read more
The bill to Abolish the Death Penalty (SB 5339) and the bill to prohibit contracts with privately-operated prisons (SB 6442) have both passed the Senate and must receive votes in the House by Friday, March 6, 2020. Unfortunately, the following efforts did not succeed this session: Restoration of voting rights for persons released from prison … Read more
The bill to Abolish the Death Penalty (SB 5339) and the bill to prohibit contracts with privately-operated prisons (SB 6442) have both passed the Senate and must receive votes in the House by Friday, March 6, 2020. Unfortunately, the following efforts did not succeed this session: Restoration of voting rights for persons released from prison … Read more
On May 7th. Gov. Jay Inslee signed an unprecedented suite of clean energy legislation into law, ushering in aggressive timelines for decarbonizing Washington’s economy and transforming the state’s energy. Together, these measures represent the greatest step Washington has ever taken toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Successful bills: SB 5116 Establishes the clean energy transformation act. … Read more
Help Clean Up Washington’s Transportation Fuels An important bill that would improve the efficiency of fuel used for transportation in Washington State needs your support. HB 1110 and its companion bill in the Senate SB 5412 would establish a Clean Fuels Program to limit the greenhouse gas emissions per unit of transportation fuel energy in Washington … Read more
Two bills crucial for the future of our state’s ecology need help to make their way through the Washington State legislature. Both bills are important steps to prevent the worst effects of climate change: HB 1112 would direct both the Department of Ecology and the Department of Enterprise Services to facilitate the transition away from … Read more