Executive Committee
Lydia Faitalia (Chair), Lalita Uppala (1st Vice Chair), Kendall Kosai (2nd Vice Chair)
Civil Rights & Immigration Committee (Ad hoc)
Kiana McKenna (Chair), Kendall Kosai, Anna Lising
Economic Development Committee
David Phongsa (Chair), Sam Cho, Lalita Uppala, Ekkarath Sisavatdy
Education Committee
Ekkarath Sisavatdy (Chair), Scott Lehrman, Ping Ping, Carrie Huie
Health & Human Services Committee
Carrie Huie (Chair), Kiana McKenna, Lalita Uppala, Ekkarath Sisavatdy, Scott Lehrman, Ping Ping
Legislative Committee (Ad hoc)
Anna Lising (Chair), Kiana McKenna, Ekkarath Sisavatdy, Kendall Kosai
State Workgroups and Task Forces
The Commission has recommended or appointed individuals to serve on the following state committees, task forces, and work groups.
| Name | Charge | CAPAA Representative(s) and/or Appointee(s) | CAPAA Committee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Digital Equity Forum | The Washington State Broadband Office and the Washington State Department of Equity will be embarking on an ambitious project over the next year in convening a Digital Equity Forum to listen to stakeholders and better understand the needs of communities throughout Washington State regarding broadband internet access, devices, and digital literacy skills. This will be achieved through a series of facilitated meetings and listening sessions that will focus on various communities and interests throughout the state. | Sameth Mell
Alternate: Velma Veloria |
Civil Rights & Immigration |
| Pandemic After Action Review Task Force | The Pandemic After Action Review Task Force was established in Senate Bill 5092, which passed during the 2021 legislative session. Section 144 (9) of the bill requires the Military Department to facilitate a task force to conduct a comprehensive after-action review of the statewide pandemic response and recovery. Even though the pandemic continues in the state and across the world, it is imperative to begin collecting information, lessons learned, and key recommendations to improve response and recovery efforts in the current and future events. The task force membership, which is identified in the bill, will be composed of a diverse group representing Tribes, certain industries, state agencies, associations and people representing communities that have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. | Commissioner Ekkarath Sisavatdy
Commissioner Va’eomatoka Valu |
Health & Human Services |
| Senate Bill 5462 (2024) -OSPI’s work group to develop screening tools for Biased Contents |
As required by the legislation, OSPI is creating screening tools for biased content in our state’s K–12 learning standards and for educator reviewers to use when building an inclusive instructional materials collection. As part of this important work, OSPI is consulting with the state’s commissions and other persons and organizations with relevant expertise. |
Zer Vue | Education |
| Sexually Transmitted Infections Work Group | The workgroup will make recommendations on funding and policy initiatives that address the spread of STIs. The recommendations must be prioritized based on need and available funding, and they must address the following:
|
Project Coordinator Brenda O’Brien | Health & Human Services |
| Physical Activity Task Force |
The task force is directed by the legislature to make policy recommendations and identify best practices for to improve physical activity access for youth and families. The legislature was inspired by the work of King County Play Equity Coalition and wants the state to take a leadership role on this topic. |
Commissioner Lydia Faitalia | Health & Human Services |
| Washington Recovery Group | The Washington Recovery Group will fill the important role to coordinate the state’s COVID-19 pandemic recovery activities and set priorities that strengthen the resiliency of our state and all Washingtonians. | Lisa Dickinson | Economic Development |
| Washington Kindergarten Inventory of Developing Skills (WaKIDS) Review Subcommittee | Subcommittee of the Educational Opportunity Gap Oversight and Accountability Committee, focused on reviewing the implementation of the WaKIDS program. | Commissioner Lydia Faitalia | Education |
| Family Engagement Framework Work Group | The 2020 Legislature directed the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) and the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) to convene a workgroup to identify a family engagement framework for early learning through high school. The work group must review family engagement policies and practices in Washington and in other states, with a focus on identifying best practices that can be adopted throughout Washington. | Ann Ishimaru | Education |
| Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Advisory Committee | SSB 5082 authorizes the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) to convene a committee to build upon the body of Social Emotional Learning (SEL) work of the Social Emotional Learning Workgroups, originally established under ESSB 6052 Sec 501 (34). The information regarding the committee members and the mandated work may be found in Section 1 of SSB 5082. | Caryn Park and Scott Lehrman | Education |
| Cooper Jones Active Transportation Safety Advisory Council | This council created from two previous groups: the Pedestrian Safety Advisory Council and the Cooper Jones Bicyclist Advisory Council. CAPAA will have a representative on the council to address the high rate of fatalities in vehicle/pedestrian and vehicle/bicycle crashes among AAPI individuals. | Harold Taniguchi | Health & Human Services |
| Ethnic Studies Curriculum Advisory Committee | This bill would create an ethnic studies advisory committee with an educator representing CAPAA. The committee would be tasked with: identifying and making available ethnic studies materials and resources for use in grades seven through twelve and for use in elementary schools; and developing a framework to support the teaching of ethnic studies in grades seven through twelve. The committee would operate until June 30, 2021. | Sui-Lan Ho’okano, Pacific American
Vesna D., Asian American |
Education |
| AAPI English Learner Data Disaggregation Grant | The federally funded grant aims to support school/family partnerships and close gaps in graduation, absenteeism, and disciplinary rates for AAPI English Learner students. | Julie Kang | Education |
| COFA Healthcare Advisory Committee | Advise the Health Care Authority in the development, implementation, and operation of the COFA Premium Assistance Program. | Commissioner Lydia Faitalia | Health & Human Services |
| COFA Dental Care | ESB 5274 requires CAPAA to provide input to the Washington State Health Care Authority in regard to establishing an annual comprehensive community and education and outreach program, including contracting with a Washington organization that has multilingual language capacity, and working with stakeholder and community organizations, to facilitate applications for, and enrollment in, the COFA premium assistance and dental care programs. | Commissioner Lydia Faitalia | Health & Human Services |
| Early Learning Advisory Council (ELAC) | ELAC representatives from around the state meet regularly to provide input and recommendations to the Department of Early Learning so strategies and actions are well informed and broadly supported by parents, child care providers, health and safety experts and interested members of the public. | Susan Yang | Education |
| Educational Opportunity Gap Oversight and Accountability Committee (EOGOAC) | The EOGOAC is a bicameral, bipartisan legislative and community workgroup committed to closing racial opportunity gaps in Washington’s K-12 public education system. | Fiasili Savusa, Pacific American Commissioner Lydia Faitalia (alternate) Frieda Takamura, Asian American Brianne Ramos (alternate) |
Education |
| Governor’s Interagency Council on Health Disparities | Established by the Legislature in 2006 to create a state action plan for eliminating health disparities by race/ethnicity and gender in Washington State. | Commissioner Lydia Faitalia, Commissioner Carrie Huie (alternate) | Health & Human Services |
| Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention | The National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention (Action Alliance) is the nation’s public-private partnership for suicide prevention. The Action Alliance works with more than 250 national partners to advance the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention. Current priority areas include: transforming health systems, transforming communities, and changing the conversation. | Project Coordinator Brenda O’Brien | Health & Human Services |
| Washington State Creative Economy Strategic Plan Work Group | Work group to develop a strategic plan to improve the Washington state creative economy. | Matt Chen | Economic Development |
| OSPI School Safety and Student Well-Being Advisory Committee (SS-SWAC) | The purpose of this committee is to advise the superintendent, the office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction’s School Safety Center, the Regional Safety Centers, school districts, and public and private schools on all matters related to comprehensive school safety and student well-being | Isa Whalen | Education |
| Blueprint for a Just & Equitable Future: The 10-Year Plan to Dismantle Poverty in Washington | The Poverty Reduction Work Group (PRWG) formed in 2017 to create a 10 Year Plan to eradicate poverty. PRWG is made up of community groups, State agencies, state racial & ethnic commissions, tribal government, and a Steering Committee of 22 people with lived experience | Commissioner Lydia Faitalia | Health & Human Services |
| Technical Advisory Committee on Congenital Cytomegalovirus (cCMV) | The purpose of this committee is to to discuss the potential addition of congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) to the Washington State newborn screening panel. | Dr Karen Fukui-Miner | Health and Human Services |
| SSB 5304 Language Access Work Group | The purpose of the 6-month work group is to study and make recommendations to the Legislature regarding interpretive service certification policies and programs for limited and non-English-speaking Washingtonians. The work group will recommend options for the most effective ways the state can ensure that highly qualified interpreters are trained and certified to work effectively, particularly in medical settings. | Commissioner Carrie Huie-Pascua | Health and Human Services |
| Washington State Independent Living Council quarterly meetings |
The Washington State Independent Living Council promotes a statewide network supporting the Independent Living Philosophy for people with disabilities through advocacy, education, planning, and collaboration. | Project Coordinator Brenda O’Brien | Health & Human Services |
| The Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) on Guanidinoacetate methyltransferase (GAMT) deficiency and Arginase 1 deficiency (ARG1-D) | The purpose of this committee is to discuss the potential addition of Guanidinoacetate methyltransferase (GAMT) deficiency and Arginase 1 deficiency (ARG1-D) to the Washington State newborn screening panel. | Dr. Myung Park | Health & Human Services |
Recently Completed Task Forces
| Name | Charge | CAPAA Representative(s) | CAPAA Committee | Report(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crisis Standards of Care Community Engagement Project Advisory Committee | Provide input and guidance on the development of guidelines to assist healthcare providers deliver the best possible medical care when there are not enough resources to provide patients the level of care they would receive under normal circumstances. | Commissioner Lori Wada | Health & Human Services | |
| Disaster Resiliency Work Group | SSB 5106 requires CAPAA to participate as part of a workgroup reviewing disaster resiliency activities and providing a recommendation to the Legislature and the Governor if Washington should create an ongoing disaster resilience program, which activities it should engage in, where it should be housed, and how it is funded. | E.D. Toshiko Hasegawa Commissioner Nam Nguyen |
Health and Human Services | Washington Disaster Resiliency Work Group Final Report |
| Every Student Succeeds Act | The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was signed into law by President Obama on December 10, 2015. Under the new law, Washington will embark on a redesign of Washington’s Consolidated Plan. | Mele Aho Julie Kang Kathy Purcell |
Education | Multiple reports published; all reports available here |
| Family Engagement – Reopening Washington Schools Workgroup | As school districts work this summer with families and educators to plan for next school year and craft reopening plans, OSPI will convene a short term workgroup to provide additional ideas for meaningful family engagement. | Sili Savusa Alternate: Tam Dinh |
Education | |
| Governor’s Poverty Reduction Work Group | The workgroup is tasked with developing a strategic plan to reduce poverty, improve communities and make needed progress related to housing, health integration, employment and education. | Commissioner Nam Nguyen | Health & Human Services | Multiple reports published; all reports available here |
| Governor’s Task Force on Independent Investigations of Police Use of Force | The task force will provide recommendations for legislation on independent investigations involving police use of force.
The governor’s task force is a part of a coordinated effort with legislators to provide a comprehensive set of reforms. Task force members will provide insight and feedback, review I-940 structure and investigative protocol, other independent investigation models, and provide input that will help inform legislation for the upcoming legislative session. |
Puao Savusa, Pacific American
Emma Catague, Asian American |
Civil Rights and Immigration | Governor’s Task Force on Independent Investigations of Police Use of Force: Final Report |
| Healthier Washington Communities and Equity Accelerator Committee | Elevate and act on Healthier Washington’s commitment to every Washingtonian getting a fair chance to lead a healthy life. | Health & Human Services | ||
| I-940 & HB 1064 Police Training Implementation Team | Requires the criminal justice training commission, when developing curricula, to consider inclusion of alternatives to the use of physical or deadly force so that de-escalation tactics and less lethal alternatives are part of the decision-making process leading up to the consideration of deadly force. | E.D. Toshiko Hasegawa | Civil Rights | |
| Interagency Workgroup on Youth Homelessness | The workgroup convenes state agency partners to develop shared goals, outcomes, and action plans to prevent and design system response to youth homelessness in Washington State. | Commissioner Nam Nguyen | Health & Human Services | 2017 OHY Interagency Work Group Report |
| Joint Legislative Task Force on the Use of Deadly Force in Community Policing | Reviewed laws, practices, and training programs regarding the use of deadly force in Washington state and other states; Reviewed current policies, practices, and tools used by or otherwise available to law enforcement as an alternative to lethal uses of force, including tasers and other nonlethal weapons; and Recommend best practices to reduce the number of violent interactions between law enforcement officers and members of the public. | Toshiko Hasegawa | Civil Rights | Washington State Joint Legislative Task Force on the Use of Deadly Force in Community Policing: Final Report to the Legislature |
| Language Access Advisory Committee | Established to develop sample materials for school districts to disseminate to school employees and parents regarding parents’ rights to language access services for limited-English proficient parents, as well as the resources available to assist parents and guardians in accessing language access services. | Commissioner Lori Wada | Education | |
| Office of Equity Task Force | Section 221 (7)(a) of ESHB 1109 would establish a task force to develop a plan for the creation of an office of equity. The task force would be required to issue a preliminary report to the governor and legislature by December 15, 2019, and a final proposal by July 1, 2020. The requirements of the proposal are outlined in Section 221 (7)(c). | E.D. Toshiko Hasegawa Alternate: Carrie Huie-Pascua |
Civil Rights | Washington State Office of Equity Summary Proposal |
| Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction 2020-21 School Year Reopening Schools Work Group | A group of practitioners, legislators, education leaders, and community members to help plan and provide information about reopening Washington state schools for the 2020–21 school year by reviewing, epidemiology information; identifying and refining possible reopening strategies and models; and informing OSPI recommendations to the Governor, collaboration with the Washington State DOH, and guidance to school districts. | Commissioner Tam Dinh, Asian American
Commissioner Lydia Faitalia, Pacific American |
Education | Multiple reports published; all reports available here |
| Public SchoolLanguage Access Work Group | Section 2 of this bill would require CAPAA to be part of a work group of up to 25 people to improve access for public school students and their family members who have language access barriers. CAPAA assumes the group will meet 6 times in FY20 and 2 times in FY21, and will incur travel costs associated with these meetings. | Commissioner Sina Sam | Education | Multiple reports published; all reports available here |
| Race and Criminal Justice System Task Force 2.0 | This task force takes up the work of the previous Task Force on the Criminal Justice System. The task force consists of judicial officers, academics, prosecutors, defenders, law enforcement, and community leader, who form working groups to examine race disproportionality in the criminal justice system in order to present findings and recommendations. | Adrienne Wat | Civil Rights and Immigration | Race and Washington’s Criminal Justice System: 2021 Report to the Washington Supreme Court |
| Race and Ethnicity Student Data Task Force | The task force will review the United States department of education 2007 race and ethnicity reporting guidelines and develop race and ethnicity guidance for the state to further disaggregate data. | Brianne Ramos Dolly Nguyen Erin Okuno Lina Thompson |
Education | Race and Ethnicity Student Data Task Force 2017 Report
Race and Ethnicity Student Data Task Force Guidance for the Washington State Public Education System |
| School Safety and Student Well-Being Advisory Committee | CAPAA is required to participate as part of this committee to advise the superintendent, the office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction’s School Safety Center, the Regional Safety Centers, school districts, and public and private schools on all matters related to comprehensive school safety and student well-being. | Brianne Ramos | Education | |
| Smart on Juvenile Justice Strategic Task Force | The Smart on Juvenile Justice Statewide Juvenile Justice Reform Planning Grant is a 2-year planning grant designed to support the development of a data-driven, statewide juvenile justice reform strategic plan focused on improving both public safety and outcomes for youth. | Commissioner Tam Dinh | Civil Rights | |
| Statewide Resource for Behavioral Health and Suicide Prevention Work Group | Develop a statewide resource for behavioral health and suicide prevention for the state’s post-secondary institutions, which will include curriculum to train staff and students in suicide recognition, including the specific needs of student veterans; resources to serve diverse communities and underrepresented populations; and more. | Commissioner Tam Dinh | Health & Human Services | |
| Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Indicators Workgroup | ESSB 5883 Sec 501 (31) directed OSPI to convene a workgroup to build upon the work of the social emotional learning benchmarks work group established under section 501(34), chapter 4, Laws of 2015 3rd sp. sess. The work group must identify and articulate developmental indicators for each grade level for each of the social emotional learning benchmarks, solicit feedback from stakeholders, and develop a model of best practices or guidance for schools on implementing the benchmarks and indicators. The workgroup submitted recommendations to the education committees of the legislature, and the office of the governor by June 30, 2019. | Caryn Park | Education | Addressing Social Emotional Learning in Washington’s K-12 Public Schools: Report by the Social Emotional Learning Benchmarks Workgroup |
| Student Discipline Task Force | With the passage of 4SHB 1541 in the 2016 legislative session, OSPI is reconvening the task force to (1) Review and recommend data collection standards related to Part I of 4SHB 1541 (Disproportionality in Student Discipline) and (2) provide feedback regarding the revision of student discipline rules in Chapter 392-400 WAC. | Commissioner Lynette Finau Zharina Angeles |
Education | Student Discipline Task force Final Report |
| Suicide Prevention in Higher Education Grant Program Work Group | The Suicide Prevention in Higher Education Grant Program competitively awards grants for partnerships between post-secondary education institutions and health care organizations. These partnerships must “provide mental health, behavioral health, and suicide prevention” for students. The work group will inform development of the grant program. | Commissioner Tam Dinh | Health & Human Services | |
| Task Force on the Use of Body Worn Cameras | The Task Force will examine the use of body worn cameras by law enforcement and corrections agencies. | Sokha Danh Joanne Alcantara |
Civil Rights | Task Force on the Use of Body Worn Cameras: Committee Report and Recommendations |
| WA Counts 2020 | Governor Inslee asked all state agencies to help promote the 2020 U.S. census.
The U.S. Constitution requires a count of the population every 10 years. It’s important to count every resident in Washington because having accurate information ensures we receive our fair share of federal dollars. The census also determines the number of representatives we have in Congress. |
Project Manager Rosa Mai | Ad Hoc Census 2020 Needs Assessment | |
| Universal Basic Income Feasibility Study Strategic Advisory Team | Funding is provided to conduct a study to assess the feasibility of implementing a universal basic income pilot program, including research, costs, operational impacts, and recommendations. | Tam Dinh | Health & Human Services | Final Study |
| Working Families Tax Credit Work Group | Starting in 2023, the Working Families Tax Credit is a new tax refund that helps Washington workers and their families get more money back at tax time. The refund returns a portion of sales tax paid each year and is modeled after the federal Earned Income Tax Credit program. | Lori Wada | Economic Development | Working Families Tax Credit Website |
| Keeping Washington Working Work Group | E2SSB 5497 creates a work group to address statewide policy on supporting Washington’s economy and immigrants’ role in the workplace. | Commissioner Sam Cho | Economic Development |