March Newsletter: Public Board Meeting Notification | Washington State Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs

Date

March 21, 2022 - 12:00pm

The Commission will convene its Public Board Meeting on Saturday, March 19th, from 10 AM – 12 PM. The meeting will be held virtually with a dial in option to participate. A link to participate and dial-in information are below.

Meeting materials are available to the general public on CAPAA’s website. Members of the public wishing to provide public comment may contact Project Coordinator Brenda O’Brien at brenda.obrien@capaa.wa.gov with the following information: name, phone number, e-mail address, and affiliated organization.

Click here to join the meeting

Dial-in information is as follows:

Meeting ID: 848 9908 4241
Passcode: 142654

One tap mobile
+12532158782,,84899084241#,,,,*142654# US (Tacoma)
+16699006833,,84899084241#,,,,*142654# US (San Jose)

Thank you to everyone who participated in the 2022 session, from ANHPI lobby days to individually advocating for the issues you care about, our voices were heard! Last Thursday, March 10th marked the end of this year’s 60 day legislative session. Despite a short session, plenty of important legislation and a historic budget were passed.

There were many wins across the session, including CAPAA and APIC Washington priority bills!

CAPAA Priority Bills

SB 5264 | Establishing January as Americans of Chinese Descent History Month. This bill was sponsored by Senator Keith Wagoner – did not pass, as it was never pulled to the House floor for a reading.

HB 1881 | Establishing a voluntary birth doula certification program through the Department of Health. This bill was sponsored by Representative Harris-Talley – was passed by the legislature and on the Governor’s desk to be signed!

HB 1659 | Making higher education more accessible through expanding the Washington College Grantby modifying the income eligibility thresholds and award levels. This bill was sponsored by Representative Slatter – was passed by the Senate but never got a committee hearing in the House.

Other Important Bills

Uber and Lyft drivers will receive new protections including minimum per mile and per minute rates along with paid sick leave and workers’ compensation coverage. The bill will cover nearly 30,000 individuals, many of whom are immigrants and people of color.

Missing and murdered indigenous people is an epidemic in the United States and Canada. House Bill 1725 creates the first first missing, murdered and Indigenous people alert system in the country. Similar to Amber Alerts or Silver Alerts, the system is set up to help identify and locate missing people.

The Covid-19 pandemic exposed many inequities in our society, healthcare being one of them. SB 5736, extends coverage for young people 21 and under who are on the Washington Apple Health state plan so they can receive partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient services.

A bill expanding language access in K-12 schools was passed. HB 1153 will establish effective language access services at public schools to improve meaningful, equitable access for students and their family members who have language access barriers

Budget

Transportation: This year’s budget added up to $64 billion. A few highlights include a $17B transportation package for over the next 16 years that will be used for highways, bridges and transit projects. This includes free public transportation for those under 18 years old, building new hybrid electric ferries, and improving walking and biking corridors.

Small business tax relief: State business taxes for businesses grossing under $125,000 a year are eliminated and provide additional small-business tax credits. Additionally, $100 million for utility assistance for low-income customers and $45 million was allocated for rental assistance.

CAPAA was included in the budget! We were designated funds for our general operations, assigned to equity reviews, and much more.

You can see where CAPAA is mentioned in the budget here.

It has been one year since the tragic, targeted shooting of Asian owned businesses in Atlanta, Georgia. The massacre left eight dead, six of whom were of asian descent. We mourn for the loss of these individuals and for their families.

According to Stop AAPI Hate, from March 19, 2020 to December 31, 2021, a total of 10,905 hate incidents against Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) persons were reported.

As we see a rise in Anti-Asian rhetoric and hate crimes, please take note of the resources that are available.

Report Hate/ Discrimination

Bystander Resources

Online Counseling Programs | How to protect your mental health while fighting racial injustice

Asian American Health Collective | Mental health resource library

API Chaya 27th Annual Vigil

Every year, API Chaya hosts a vigil to honor lives ended by intimate partner violence. In particular, this vigil honors the lives of Susana Remerata Blackwell and her unborn baby Kristine, and her friends Phoebe Orbiso Dizon and Veronica Laureta Johnson. All three were murdered by Susana’s abusive husband on March 2, 1995. This year marks the 27th anniversary of this tragedy. You can read more about their stories from this article from the International Examiner. You can register here.

Training Specialist | Office of Financial management | Continuous

Associate Director of Adult Postsecondary Pathways | Washington Student Achievement Council | Open until Filled

Program Manager | Washington Student Achievement Council | Open until Filled

Board Member | Access to Justice | Open until filled

CEO | International Community Heath Services | Open until Filled

Entry-level Firefighter | Seattle Fire | Application open until April 19th, 2022

Program Manager | Washington Student Achievement Council | Open until filled