Climate Action This Week: Adding Climate Goal to GMA; Clean Cars 2030; Community Oversight Boards; GHG Reductions in Public Buildings; HEAL Act; Capital Gains; WA Strong Act.

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House Bills

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* 1. Adding Climate Goal to GMA - HB 1099

This update to the Growth Management Act will support Washington’s biggest counties as they plan for a resilient future. This bill will play an important role of ensuring our cities reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation and protect communities and natural resources from the accelerating impacts of a changing climate. 

Please click here to comment on this bill and ask your representatives to vote YES. When you “verify” your district, you can select which of your elected leaders to communicate to. For this house bill, select your two Representatives.  

“Position” - please select “Pro”. The first sentence of the written comment should be: I strongly support HB 1099 and urge you to vote Yes. 

Then choose 1-2 additional sentences from the options below or feel free to write your own: 
  • Right now, Washington’s biggest counties aren’t planning adequately for climate change.
  • We need to update the Growth Management Act to address climate change before some of our largest counties undergo their next comprehensive plan updates.
  • This update will support Washington’s biggest counties as they plan for a resilient future.

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* 2. Clean Cars 2030 - HB 1204

This bill would set the goal that all new cars and light trucks be electric starting in 2030. This is a critical step for WA to transition away from fossil fuel pollution to cleaner electric vehicles! 

Please click here to comment on this bill and ask your representatives to vote YES. When you “verify” your district select your two Representatives.  

“Position” - please select “Pro”. The first sentence of the written comment should be: I strongly support HB 1204 and urge you to vote Yes. 

Then choose 1-2 additional sentences from the options below or feel free to write your own: 
  • Electric vehicles will save money. They’re already cheaper to fuel and maintain. They will be cheaper than gas cars by 2025.
  • The transition to electric vehicles will bring good paying, green jobs in EV manufacturing and infrastructure to Washington. 
  • Vehicle pollution harms people in low income communities and communities of color the most. Clean cars will bring cleaner air to our communities.

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* 3. Community Oversight Boards - HB 1203

This bill would establish a statewide standard requiring independent, community oversight for any police department with 15 or more officers, empower these community oversight boards to investigate and resolve all complaints within 120 days, and ban current police officers or close relatives from serving on them.

Please click here to comment on this bill and ask your representatives to vote YES. When you “verify” your district select your two Representatives.

“Position” - please select “Pro”. The first sentence of the written comment should be: I strongly support HB 1203 and urge you to vote Yes. 

Then choose 1-2 additional sentences from the options below or feel free to write your own: 
  • Directly impacted families and community members must have a significant place at the table in addressing police accountability so that their lived experiences inform the resolution of complaints and development of policy.
  • In 2015, a Reuters Investigation found that only 10% of 215 complaints against police led to any disciplinary action within the Tacoma Police Department.
  • We must protect those people, especially with brown and black bodies, who come in violent contact with the criminal justice system, as well as police officers who want to do their jobs with integrity.

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* 4. GHG reductions in public buildings - HB 1280

Requires lifecycle costs of greenhouse gas emissions to be assessed when designing or renovating a public facility, so incorporation of low-carbon systems is adequately studied.

Please click here to comment on this bill and ask your representatives to vote YES. When you “verify” your district select your two Representatives.

“Position” - please select “Pro”. The first sentence of the written comment should be: I strongly support HB 1280 and urge you to vote Yes. 

Then choose 1-2 additional sentences from the options below or feel free to write your own: 
  • Buildings are the second-largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Washington, accounting for one-fifth of statewide emissions. Over the next several decades, we need to make sure that most new buildings are built to use clean electricity
  • We need to ensure that greenhouse gas emissions reduction practices are included in the design of major public facilities, and that the use of all-electric energy systems and at least one renewable energy or combined heat and power system is considered.

Senate Bills

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* 1. HEAL Act - SB 5141

This bill requires state agencies to adopt environmental justice principles and practices.

Please click here to comment on this bill and ask your senator to vote YES. When you “verify” your district, you can select which of your elected leaders to communicate to. For this senate bill, select your Senator.

“Position” - please select “Pro”. The first sentence of the written comment should be: I strongly support SB 5141 and urge you to vote Yes. 

Then choose 1-2 additional sentences from the options below or feel free to write your own: 
  • State agencies need to advance equitable community participation in planning, resource allocation, programs, and enforcement. 
  • The HEAL Act would use the Washington Environmental Health Disparities Map to identify populations that are most impacted by environmental effects and engage them in ways to uplift their communities and create a safer and healthier planet for all. 
  • The HEAL Act aims to center those most affected by pollution by defining environmental justice in state law, prioritizing new investments in frontline communities, and increasing public engagement.

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* 2. Capital Gains Tax - SB 5096

This bill would add a 9% tax on high-end capital gains – such as sales of stocks and bonds – only on profits greater than $25,000 (or $50,000 for couples filing jointly). It would raise more than $1 billion for community investment in the coming budget cycle and more than $2 billion in following budget cycles.

Please click here to comment on this bill and ask your senator to vote YES. When you “verify” your district select your Senator.

“Position” - please select “Pro”. The first sentence of the written comment should be: I strongly support SB 5096 and urge you to vote Yes. 

Then choose 1-2 additional sentences from the options below or feel free to write your own: 
  • This bill rectifies current tax breaks on capital gains and would begin to address our upside-down tax code, in which people with low incomes pay six times more as a share of their household incomes in state and local taxes than the wealthiest 1 percent. 
  • The Washington legislature finds that over the last nine months of the coronavirus pandemic, the cumulative wealth of the nation's billionaires has increased by $1 trillion. 
  • Let's create a state in which we each contribute our fair share for education, housing, health care and parks. 
  • Opponents threaten that tech workers will move away if we dare to tax them, but they are likely to face higher taxes elsewhere as most other states tax all income, including capital gains.

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* 3. Washington Strong Act - SB 5373

This is a revenue generating bill that would raise an estimated $16 billion over the first ten years. This would be done by issuing “green” bonds backed by an economy-wide carbon tax linked to the state’s emission reduction goals.

Scheduled for a public hearing in the Senate Committee on Environment, Energy & Technology on Thursday, March 4, 8:00 AM.

Please click here, sign in “Pro” and leave a supporting comment before 7am on Thursday, March 4.

Talking points: 
  • WA Strong has the potential to create upwards of 150,000 jobs by providing much-needed local stimulus with a focus on rural economic development and frontline communities.
  • All investments are tied to climate resiliency and GHG emissions reductions.
  • It includes a cap on emissions using Clean Air Rule authority.
  • This economic policy is based on our state’s needs right now, one that puts our frontline communities and environmental justice first, instead of increasing inequity and placing the burden on our most impacted communities.

P.S. When you fill out the form, please leave the “organization” field blank, unless you have a paid position with an organization.

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-- The 350 WA Civic Action Team

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