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 Graduates of a pre-apprenticeship program for people brought inside from homelessness listen to WSDOT Secretary Roger Millar's congratulations.
The state’s Encampment Resolution Program, formerly the Rights of Way Safety Initiative, has transitioned more than 1,000 people living at more than 30 large encampments along state highways into safer housing options where they have access to services.
On Friday, WSDOT celebrated the graduation of a class of seven from a four-week pre-apprenticeship program run by ANEW. Participants were each formerly homeless, and they each received hands-on training towards certificates in safety training, traffic control flagging, and forklift operation.
“We’re giving people chances with this program. An opportunity to start a career. A chance to escape homelessness,” said WSDOT Secretary Roger Millar. “And these graduates are making the most of this opportunity. I think they’ll go far.”
This graduation isn’t WSDOT’s first. Last year, they hosted a similar program for former occupants of Camp Hope in Spokane. After completing their training, graduates visited apprenticeship sites like Cement Masons and Plasters, HVAC Local 82, Inland Empire Electrical, and Iron Workers Local 14 to learn about opportunities to continue their progress towards a new career.
Read more: "Seattle-area job training program for formerly-homeless people graduates 1st class" (KOMO News)
 Washington Native Plant Society volunteers plant urban trees. “Urban greening” efforts like this will increase statewide thanks to a recent Climate Commitment Act-sponsored grant program. (Image courtesy of the Washington Native Plant Society)
Hundreds of tree seedlings will sprout in cities all over Washington thanks to the state’s Climate Commitment Act and the federal Inflation Reduction Act. More than $8 million was awarded to 46 different municipalities and organizations to protect trees, plant new ones, and plan for greener downtowns.
The state Department of Natural Resources' Urban and Community Forestry Grant program has been in effect for years. But this year's prodigious award tripled the sum of all prior awards dating back to 2008. All over the state, new resources provided by the CCA are funding brilliant programs like this one to improve air quality and environmental equity.
The Washington Native Plant Society, for example, is proving that green thumbs are infectious. Using their new grant funds, WNPS will sponsor native plant stewardship training programs for locals in Federal Way and Spokane. Those volunteers will propose restoration projects in their cities, then roll up their sleeves and work with local parks departments to start planting.
Beyond planting trees, the grants will protect the trees already standing in these cities. The cities of Olympia, Stevenson, Kenmore, Mountlake Terrace, Tacoma, Walla Walla, Camas, Ritzville, Renton, Ellensburg, Vancouver, Poulsbo, Millwood will each establish an urban canopy management plan or perform a citywide tree inventory.
As Washington cities grow, their tree canopies are shrinking. Seattle, for example, lost 1.7% of its trees between 2016 and 2022. Most of that tree loss is concentrated in lower-income communities where excessive pollution already soils air quality. And where tailpipes outnumber trees, kids develop asthma more often and adults die 2.4 years sooner.
Through this program, hundreds and hundreds of trees will be planted statewide. Cities and counties will prioritize tree cover in their planning processes. Existing urban forests will be refreshed. And communities now suffering from poor air quality will enjoy a dash of green and a breath of fresh air.
 Gov. Jay Inslee greets Red Cross volunteers operating a shelter for Spokane County residents displaced by wildfires last August.
Federal assistance for victims of last year’s Gray and Oregon Road wildfires continues to roll out in Spokane County.
This week, the U.S. Small Business Administration opened a new recovery center in Spokane. “The center will provide a one-stop location for businesses to access a variety of specialized help. SBA representatives are available to meet individually with business owners,” said Francisco Sánchez, Jr., an associate administrator for SBA. No appointment is necessary and all services are free of charge. The office is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and is located at 4420 E. Eighth Ave, Spokane Valley, WA 99212.
FEMA has also made individual assistance available to residents and homeowners in communities devastated by these fires. To apply for assistance, visit www.disasterassistance.gov. For questions, the FEMA Helpline is 1-800-621-3362. The deadline to apply is April 20.
The Washington Military Department recently published a collection of assistance resources. The department operates two disaster recovery centers, one in Elk and one in Moses Lake, where locals can visit, speak to specialists from FEMA and SBA, and learn about available assistance.
Friday was the last day to consider bills from the opposite house. Bills still standing are in the home stretch now: the 2024 session concludes next Thursday.
E2SSB 6058 would facilitate the linkage of Washington’s carbon market to the larger shared market between California and the Canadian province of Quebec. A larger market would stabilize prices and lower costs while continuing to reduce pollution. It would also invite more states to jump in where the water’s warm, reducing emissions on a broader scale. States like Maryland and New York have been working on their own plans to form or join carbon markets, and Washington’s successful linkage would be an encouraging case study for these and other states.
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For all of Washington’s progressive policies, the core industries of the state’s economy remain male-dominated. Far fewer women than men work in technology, construction, aerospace, engineering, and the trades. The net result is a 55% monthly wage disadvantage for women.
HB 2266, sponsored by Rep. Monica Stonier, would help by making the construction field a little more gender-inclusive. The bill prescribes slightly longer bathroom breaks so women can get through layers of clothing, defined and sanitary spaces for expressing milk, and other accommodations. Washington has one of the highest percentages of women construction workers in the nation. Improved conditions might boost that ratio even further.
HB 1905, sponsored by Rep. Sharlett Mena, expands the state’s Equal Pay & Opportunities Act to cover all protected classes. This would prevent wage discrimination based on age, race, marital status, sexual orientation, religion, disability, and more. The bill combats discrimination at large and improves protections for people with more than one marginalized identity. For example, a married younger woman might be discriminated against or paid less by an employer who fears they might get pregnant and miss time. Women of color often face acute discrimination from a cocktail of sexism and racism. Black women earn just 81% of what white women make. Hispanic women earn just 72%.
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SB 5972 sponsored by Sen. Marko Liias passed the House. The bill regulates pesticides to protect the state’s population of pollinators. Bees and butterflies are essential to a healthy ecosystem and food production: animal-based pollination contributes to 30% of global food production. First Spouse Trudi Inslee testified in support of the bill in January,.
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Two proposals responsive to the national fentanyl crisis are approaching the finish line with strong bipartisan support. SB 6109 sponsored by Sen. Claire Wilson clarifies state guidelines to protect children when they are in imminent danger of exposure to dangerous synthetic opioids in the home. The bill strives to keep families together, while conceding that synthetic opioids are a wholly new and incredibly lethal scourge. “The increasing epidemic posed by synthetic opioids requires we balance two colliding needs,” said Wilson. “We need to protect children from a new and growing threat, but it’s equally important to avoid the serious and lasting damage we know a child suffers if removed from their family for reasons not related to child safety.” The bill awaits a concurrence vote in the Senate.
And HB 1956 passed the Senate floor on Thursday. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Mari Leavitt, incorporates fentanyl education into the school curriculum. Fentanyl is a frightening threat to young people. It is extremely potent, it’s cheap and available, and it’s now found laced into lesser drugs. Maria Trujillo Petty has been instrumental to the bill’s passage. She lost her teenage son after he smoked a marijuana joint he didn’t know was laced with fentanyl. HB 1956 bears her son’s name: the Lucas Petty Act.
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On Wednesday, Rep. J.T. Wilcox from the 2nd District announced his retirement after 14 years of legislative service. He served as House Minority Leader between 2018 and 2023. “The people of the 2nd LD were well served by a leader who respected democracy & the principle that civility promotes success,” said Inslee.
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Keep your eyes peeled for invasive species
This week was Invasive Species Week in Washington,. Invasive species are destructive, and they threaten beloved native wildlife. Zebra mussels tend to wander into utility pipes and could cause hundreds of millions of dollars in damage if they establish themselves here. Northern Pike are hungry freshwater predators starting to appear in the Pend Oreille River. If they multiply and reach the Columbia, they may devour threatened salmon and steelhead.
“The role of the public can’t be understated,” said Justin Bush, executive coordinator of the Washington Invasive Species Council. “We have lots of examples where the public was first to discover a new problem species. Many organizations work together to perform surveillance and trapping to detect invasive species, but they can’t be everywhere. People playing active roles in their communities to protect the resources we value is very important.”
Washingtonians might recall reports of invasive "Murder Hornets" from Whatcom County in mid-2020. Thanks to the diligence of the state Department of Agriculture and sharp-eyed locals, the Asian Giant Hornet has hopefully been eradicated in Washington state... but you never know.
Report sightings of suspected invasive species to https://invasivespecies.wa.gov/.
March proclaimed “Women Making History Month”
For a brief time in the late 1800’s, the “Wild West” was the first and the only place a woman could vote in America. The Washington Territorial Legislature considered America’s first proposal for women’s suffrage in 1854. It failed. But in 1883, the Washington became the third territory to codify a woman’s right to vote, joining Wyoming (1869) and Utah (1870). The U.S. Supreme Court soured that victory just a few years later, saying territories had no authority to permit women to vote. Washington became a state in 1889, but it would take another 11 years for suffragettes to succeed again and permanently regain their vote in 1910. Despite devastating setbacks and stubborn opposition, determined women would prevail.
From Emma Smith DeVoe to Yet Si Blue to Susie Revels Cayton, the annals of Washington history are decked with the faces of powerful women. But there is room for more heroes. This week the Washington State Women’s Commission and Gov. Jay Inslee proclaimed March as “Women Making History Month,” so named because the leadership and advocacy of Washington women today will one day be celebrated as important history.
Hydrogen will fuel Washington’s clean energy economy, per report
A new report by the state Department of Commerce urges decisive action to fuel green hydrogen innovation statewide. The state must work quickly to accelerate permitting and siting, production, and transmission to achieve state decarbonization goals and build competitive advantage. To that end, the state successfully bid to become a federal Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub, a title with a $1 billion attachment of federal funds. Funding from the state’s Climate Commitment Act supported state efforts to compete. And in Douglas County, the local utility district is building a green hydrogen project that will churn out two tons of clean fuel every day. It may one day expand to produce up to 32 tons daily.
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