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Bills that we are watching that made it past the first cutoff
HB 1015 - Creating the Washington equitable access to credit act
HB 1141 - Increasing access to the death with dignity act
HB 1756 - Concerning solitary confinement
HB 1802 - Increasing access and representation in policy-making processes for individuals with disabilities.
HB 1840 - Improving diversity, equity, and mental health at the community and technical colleges
HB 1851 - Preserving a pregnant individual's ability to access abortion care
HB 1956 - Exempting from public disclosure sensitive records pertaining to current and formerly incarcerated individuals' dignity and safety
HB 1961 - Concerning the authority of the courts to waive auditor's fees for filing and recording name change orders
HB 2057 - Strengthening diversity, equity, and inclusion in the state patrol workforce
HB 2059 - Concerning real estate agency law, but only to clarify that the statutory duties of real estate brokers apply to all parties and prohibiting the delivery of buyer unfair
SB 5129 - Concerning the possession of vapor, vapor products, tobacco, and tobacco products by minors
SB 5161 - Teaching Washington's tribal history, culture, and government
SB 5376 - Promoting awareness of the governor's office of the education ombuds
SB 5532 - Establishing a prescription drug affordability board
SB 5693 - Making 2021-2023 fiscal biennium supplemental operating appropriations
SB 5793 - Concerning stipends for low-income or underrepresented community members of state boards, commissions, councils, committees, and other similar groups.
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Opportunities for the Community
Interested in serving on Commissions and Boards?
Monthly Upcoming Appointment Opportunities
Washington is home to vibrant communities and diverse Washingtonians who all have unique talents, skills and experiences. Governor Inslee places a high priority on boards, commissions, and agencies that are reflective of the diverse make-up of Washington and that utilize the impressive talent of Washingtonians. We are always seeking skilled and experienced individuals from a wide variety of backgrounds to participate in boards and commissions ensuring an effective and representative government.
We are excited to share the highlighted Current and Upcoming Gubernatorial Appointment Opportunities.
As someone with deep roots in your respective communities and organizations, we hope that you will share these opportunities. Anyone interested in being appointed will need to fill out this Application. Please explore the Boards and Commissions Profiles if you are interested in learning more about the many opportunities to get involved!
Thank you for your assistance in helping Governor Inslee find well-rounded candidates with significant talent and diverse experiences. Please feel free to reach out to Boards and Commissions staff with any questions you might have. Thank you for your time.
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Office of Minority and Women Business Enterprises – Equity and Inclusion in Public Contracting Survey
The Capital Projects Advisory Review Board (CPARB) wants to hear from public works stakeholders in Washington state on mitigating barriers to diverse businesses in public construction. The 2021 State Legislature asked CPARB in RCW 39.10 to report back on best practices around diversity, equity, and inclusion in public contracting. CPARB is asking you to complete a simple online survey. Your feedback will guide their Business Equity/Diverse Business Inclusion (BE/DBI) Committee in focusing on which barriers need work and providing solutions.
Please complete the survey by the end of business day on February 28, 2022.
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Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction – Seeking New Members- School Safety and Student Well-Being Advisory Committee -Youth Advisory Council - (SS-SWAC-YAC)
The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) is seeking new members for the School Safety and Student Well-Being Advisory Committee’s Youth Advisory Council (SS-SWAC-YAC).
We are reaching out to community members who may want to participate or who can help us recruit a geographically and culturally diverse group of youth representatives to participate in the SS-SWAC-YAC. If you know of any students, or student organizations, that may be interested in this opportunity, we ask that you forward this invitation to them or please, feel free to submit a nomination.
SS-SWAC-YAC membership is open to youth between the ages of 13–19 who have attended a K-12 school in the past two years, and is comprised of youth with diverse backgrounds and experiences from across Washington state.
Youth Advisory Council
Youth are our largest stakeholders in school safety and student well-being. To ensure the inclusion of youth voice, the SS-SWAC-YAC was created in the fall of 2019 to convene youth perspective and voice from students across the state and demographic groups. SS-SWAC-YAC members are also considered members of the School Safety and Student Well-Being Advisory Committee (SS-SWAC) as established by the legislature in the 2019 session. Under HB 1216, the legislature directed OSPI to establish the SS-SWAC. “The purpose of this committee is to advise on all matters related to comprehensive school safety and student well-being” (SSHB 1216). In addition to the stakeholders from agencies and organizations across the state, youth led organizations were specified as members.
The SS-SWAC-YAC convenings provide a platform for youth to discuss school safety and student well-being topics that are important to them. Members of the SS-SWAC-YAC can look forward to the following involvement and activities:
- Attendance at monthly SS-SWAC-YAC meetings.
- The opportunity to share their voice and perspective with both their peers and stakeholders from numerous state agencies and organizations.
- Working with other members on the creation of a presentation to be provided at the quarterly SS-SWAC Meetings.
- Membership on the SS-SWAC
- Prior to the quarterly SS-SWAC meetings, at least two youth representatives are chosen to attend and represent their peers from the SS-SWAC-YAC through the provision of the group presentation.
- All members are welcome to attend quarterly SS-SWAC meetings regardless of whether or not they are presenting.
- Occasional opportunities to take part in youth panels or sessions at conferences and convenings as representatives of the SS-SWAC-YAC.
- Members can serve on the SS-SWAC-YAC for up to 3 years. After 3 years, if still eligible, members may reapply for membership.
2021/2022 School Year
All meetings are scheduled based on youth availability and held on evenings and weekends to accommodate academic schedules.
A Zoom option will be available for identified youth representatives for all SS-SWAC-YAC and SS-SWAC meetings.
Nomination Process
To nominate yourself, or someone else*, please complete the SS-SWAC-YAC Membership Recruitment Survey. The SS-SWAC-YAC operates on a rolling admissions timeline, nominations are welcome at any point during the calendar year.
*Please note: if you are nominating someone other than yourself, please notify the person you are nominating to gauge interest. You must have current contact information for the nominee to submit the nomination.
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Health Equity Listening Sessions
Last year the legislature passed Senate Bill 5529 which added health equity training to the continuing education requirements for health care providers. This does not increase the number of CME needed. The Department of Health (DOH), in conjunction with boards and commissions, is the rule-making authority that determines if a course fulfills existing continuing education requirements.
To best understand what should be included, the DOH is reaching out to anyone who may have experienced health inequities or racism in the health care system to participate in listening sessions. This is an effort to learn how people are harmed due to inequities in the health care system. Listening sessions will be held via Microsoft Teams on:
- Tuesday, February 1, 2022, from 5pm to 6pm
- Thursday, February 10, 2022, from 10am to 11am
- Tuesday, February 15, 2022, from 5pm to 6pm
- Thursday, February 24, 2022, from 10am to 11am
Sharing your story will help create rules for health equity continuing education that has input from individuals, communities, and health care workers. Advocacy groups and health care professional associations are also invited. More Information
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RAIN – Resources for Inclusion
Adding Pronouns to Your Signature Line FAQ
We're proud to announce that the RAIN Best Practices subcommittee has completed an FAQ for Adding Pronouns to Your Signature Line. State employees have worked to create more inclusive workplaces for each other and the general public. Using pronouns in email signatures sends a message that state agencies are inclusive of everyone in Washington state and acknowledges gender diversity. As this practice becomes more commonplace, many people have raised questions about its use. The Rainbow Alliance and Inclusion Network (RAIN), developed an FAQ document to attach to pronouns in your signature line for reference. Please feel free to share this resource with your agency and workgroups.
Example:
Your Name
Pronouns: they/them
Agency
Contact Info
You can find more recommendations from our Best Practices subcommittee on our website https://lgbtq.wa.gov/rain/rain-subcommittees.
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Washington State Parks Survey
Washington State Parks is collecting personal opinions, memories and stories to help agency staff better understand how they can meet the needs of visitors, community members and all Washingtonians.
Please take a few minutes to fill out the survey and share your thoughts! The survey closes February 15.
Take survey
Please contact Washington State Parks; brand manager, Stephanie McDermott (stephanie.mcdermott@parks.wa.gov) if you have any questions.
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Washington Courts – Proposed Rule Changes to the Code of Judicial
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Department of Health Youth Advisory Council
Youth Advisory Council (compensated)
DOH’s Adolescent and Young Adult Health team is seeking Washingtonians ages 13-21 to apply to be a member of a new Youth Advisory Council. The council is a community engagement group comprised of young people to discuss thoughts, opinions, and ideas about public health topics relevant to adolescents and young adults and make recommendations to Department of Health staff on adolescent and young adult public health programming. See flyer and additional details in English and Spanish
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Say It Out Loud Conference
We ARE Family
Honoring and recognizing the many structures and diverse expressions of families, biological and chosen.
The 2022 Annual SIOL Conference will be Virtual
Thursday, May 26
 The Saying It Out Loud (SIOL) Conference focuses on information sharing and networking to improve behavioral health services and decrease disparities faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ+) individuals. The conference strives to provide space to educate and share knowledge with attendees to better serve and support LGBTQ+ individuals and their families. Find out more about the SIOL conference by visiting this link.
Legislative Session Updates
The LGBTQ Commission identifies legislative priorities annually and works with our Legislative Advisors and other legislators to advance bills that expand the rights of the community.
The current bills being monitored for 2022-23 so far are:
- Prescription drug affordability board
- Medicaid coverage of HIV drugs
- Possession of vapor, vapor products, tobacco, and tobacco products by minors (large percentage of LGBTQ+ youth affected)
- Keeping Department of Children, Youth, and Families working through an equity lens
- Decriminalization of sex work
- Increasing access to infertility treatment
- Increasing diversity, equity, and mental health at community and technical colleges
- Preserving abortion care rights
You can find a full list of the bills we are watching in the 2022 session through this link.
The LGBTQ and ally community in Washington has several ways to be involved in advocating for issues that are important to us. Here are some tools you can use:
Washington State LGBTQ Legislative Caucus
Contact Your Legislator
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Find Your Legislator: Enter your address to find your current legislative and congressional district.
- Legislative Hotline: 1-800-562-6000 (TTY for Hearing Impaired 1-800-635-9993). Callers to the Hotline can leave a brief message for their district legislators, Governor or Lt. Governor on issues of concern or on questions they may have about bills or laws. For non-English speaking callers, the Hotline offers interpreter services for many languages.
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E-mail: Click a legislator’s name to go to the e-mail form for that legislator
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Visiting the Legislature: Information about directions, parking, Capitol Campus activities and events, and tours.
Bill Information
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Bill Information: Find out the latest information on a piece of legislation.
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Legislative Process: Learn how a bill becomes a law.
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How to Testify in Committee: Your opportunity to testify comes at the committee hearings. If you cannot appear before a committee, contact your legislator making your position on a bill known.
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TVW: Washington’s public affairs network, providing gavel-to-gavel coverage of Washington State Legislature sessions and coverage of the Washington State Supreme Court and public affairs events.
Jobs Opportunities for LGBTQ Washingtonians
Check out the list of job opportunities for the community on our Careers Opportunities page by visiting this link.
We are excited to share job postings sent to the LGBTQ Commission. There are three requirements to be included on our page:
- The job needs to be able to be done in Washington State (virtual works)
- The business must have an inclusivity and/or equal opportunity statement
- The job posting must include a salary range.
Please send any job opportunity to share with the community to our Program Manager, Tracey Carlos (she/her) to tracey.carlos@lgbtq.wa.gov
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