Friends
Committee on
Washington
Public Policy (FCWPP)
P.O. Box 452
,
Olympia
WA
98507-0452
(206) 854-4444
[email protected]
FCWPP Steering Committee Legislative Report
January 12,
2005
The Washington State
Legislature convened on Monday, January10, 2005, for its session of 105
days. Your lobbyist Roger
Kluck along with Dan Clark and others arrived at the Capitol campus with a
developed agenda well underway. We
are excited about our opportunity to be a witness to Friends' testimonies
among our elected officials in
Olympia
. We are guided by the truth
that there is “that of God” in each person, and that we are called to
be advocates for the under-represented and under-valued in our society.
2005
Legislative Priorities
1.
Transition Reentry Reform:
FCWPP will
sponsor and support legislative efforts designed to assist re-entry and
transition of people being released from prison.
This initiative focuses on how our State can reintegrate
into the web of society offenders who have served their time and enhance
their chances at becoming fully functioning members of their communities.
See FCWPP’s overview paper, "Reintegration
or Recidivism of Released Persons in
Washington
State
" (dealing with transition planning and coordination,
community reentry programs, education programs, vocational programs,
chemical dependency treatment, practical preparation for release, legal
financial obligations, and other legal barriers).
Dan Clark and Roger Kluck
have gathered together an effective, engaged coalition and convened
several meetings in
Seattle
and
Olympia
with allies and legislators. As
a result, we have two bills ready for submission. The
first bill reduces the interest rate on a released person’ s legal
financial obligations (LFO). The
second addresses restoration of rights upon compliance with conditions
other than LFO’s. We have
sponsors in the House for both bills and a Senate sponsor of our interest
reduction bill. We will be
developing a special package of materials for enlisting Republican
support, focusing on the position and heavy encouragement of the Bush
administration in this area.
2.
Tax Structure Reform:
We will review the
current tax structure of our State, and urge lawmakers to create and pass
progressive tax policy which distributes the burden of sustaining our
common life with justice and equity, and not at the expense of the poor
and vulnerable.
Washington
State
has the most regressive tax system in the country, with our low and middle
income residents paying more than their fair share of taxes.
We are also facing a $1.6 billion budget shortfall in the 2005-07
biennium.
FCWPP will continue its
involvement with allies in the Tax Fairness Coalition, providing a
supporting voice and continue with educational outreach programs.
Continuing with last year’s approach, our primary focus will be
to support regular review of tax exemptions, preferences, and credits to
determine if they are meeting their intended goals and promoting public
good. We will also oppose
repeals of the estate tax at the state level.
3.
FCWPP will also support efforts to:
- Reduce
hunger and poverty by preserving or increasing funding for vital
social services including housing assistance, welfare spending, mental
health services, GA-U (General Assistance to the Unemployed) program,
and public health.
- Urge
exempting the mentally ill from death sentencing, or better yet,
replace the death penalty with a mandatory life sentence without
parole.
4.
We will also oppose efforts to:
- Define
marriage as only a union between a man and a woman.
- Erode
environmental protections.
- Erode
civil liberties.
5.
We will encourage Friends and like-minded people to participate
through FCWPP and other legislative advocacy groups.
-
Call
us or send us an email if you have any questions, comments or
concerns. If you have an
issue in which you are willing to invest some time, we can help you
find the right people, and you can help us with your voice and
experience with the issue. Our
Activist Alert list continues to be our main method of communication.
Recipients and Meeting representatives are encouraged to print
the alerts and bring them to the attention of their meetings.
-
Visit
or call your legislators. Write
a letter to the editor of your local newspaper.
Ask us if you would like our help in these activities.
-
Participate
in a Legislative Advocacy Day sponsored by any of many different
organizations. For
example, the Washington Association of Churches is sponsoring
its annual Church Advocacy Day Gathering on Thursday,
February 24 at the United Churches of Olympia (110 11th Ave SE), in
Olympia, for a morning session; meetings with Legislators in the
afternoon. Contact: [email protected].
A comprehensive listing of Advocacy Days and weekly updates on
Legislative activities is also available at the UW’s Policy Watch
page located at http://depts.washington.edu/sswweb/policyw/.
We look forward to
serving you and to your participation.
Thank you,
Deric Young
Legislative Committee Clerk
360-790-7502
[email protected]
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