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Biden’s Accomplishments

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Information to share!

During the Jefferson County Fair Aug. 12-4, this chart was displayed at the front of the Jefferson County Democrats booth. It attracted the attention of passersby!

If you would like to download, copy, and share a PDF of this chart with family members, friends, and acquaintances, follow this link. You also can Save the adjacent JPG of the chart.

 

Bills to watch

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A couple of key bills making their way through the state Legislature

JCD Elections Chair Diane Jones provided this information about legislation affecting internet service and health care in Washington state. The state Legislature is holding hearings on both bills the week of March 15, 2021.

HB 1336 would create and expand unrestricted authority for public entities to provide telecommunications services to end-users. HB 1336 has passed through the state House of Representatives and is waiting to be voted out of a state Senate committee.

SB 5383 is a watered-down version of this bill in the state Senate, but it would at least move us in the right direction. SB 5383 has made it through the Senate and will have a hearing in the House committee at 10 a.m. this Wednesday, March 17. You can watch the hearing here.

The pandemic has made it abundantly clear that having internet access is a necessity like water and electricity. Yet for decades, the internet service providers lobby has blocked even public utility districts from doing so in much of Washington.

If this bill were to become law, PUDs and others could apply for federal money to lay fiber and either directly connect end-users or attract and create competition for service providers to provide the service, which they do not want.

SB 5399 has passed through the state Senate and is now working its way through the House. It has a hearing at 10 a.m. this Thursday, March 18. You can watch it here.

Health Care For All - WA endorses SB 5399, stating that the legislation “builds on the actuarial work done for the UHC Work Group and begins the implementation of the plan favored by a majority of the Work Group: a unified plan for universal health coverage run through a state agency.”

Another organization supporting SB 5399 is Health Care is a Human Right, a coalition of 54 sponsor and allied organizations

JCD Elections Chair Diane Jones, who also serves on the Advocacy Committee for Washington State Democrats, urged people to go here to see these bills and many other key bills making their way through the state Legislature.

Federal Climate Legislation – 2021

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MARCH 10 @ 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Learn about climate action in the 2021 Legislative Session from:

  • Derek Kilmer, U.S. Representative, 6th District
  • Maria Cantwell, U.S. Senator, Washington State (invited)
Video Meeting Link: 

By phone:  253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
Meeting ID: 996 9626 4468

Organized by Climate Action Bainbridge, Sustainable Bainbridge, Citizen’s Climate Lobby Bainbridge, EcoAdapt, Olympic Climate Action, Local 2020.

State Bills page keeps us informed!

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The Washington State Legislature convenes on January 14, 2019. Bills will be introduced and hearings scheduled through most of the session. On our State Bills page we: 1. Track bills that reflect Democratic values or impact Jefferson County. 2. Let you know when important hearings occur. 3. Show you how to watch remotely if you don’t want to drive all the way to Olympia. 4. Show you how to comment on and influence bills that you have an interest in.

Check it out at: https://jeffcodemocrats.com/state-bills/

March 9th Comments Deadline: Marbled Murrelet Conservation

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*Deadline for comments: 5PM on Thursday, March 9th.  Below are two links to download template language, with instructions on where to e-mail your comments. Sustainable Harvest Calculation DIES Comment Draft Individual Letter

 Individual Support Letter for Conservation Alternative for Marbled Murrelet

A coalition of Peninsula and WA state conservation groups has been working on marbled murrelet conservation for 3 decades - and it has come down to the next few days on two important policies. The State has finally released its Long Term Conservation Strategy and its DEIS analysis. Related and paired to this strategy is the Sustainable Harvest Calculation, a decadal limit for cutting timber on state public lands, and its DEIS. Both will likely significantly contribute to the extirpation of the species.

The two "asks", which must be submitted separately to DNR:

  1. Marbled Murrelet Long Term Conservation Strategy DEIS comment instructions are specific and found about a third of the way down on this page: http://www.dnr.wa.gov/mmltcsThe Ask: Issue a revised / supplemental DEIS on the Long Term Conservation Strategy considering "The Conservation Alternative" that we are proposing; ask the Commissioner of Public Lands to convene a Task Force that will study and make recommendations on alternative, sustainable, sources of funding for timber counties (trustees) and communities for essential services (school, fire, emergency, health/hospital funding);
  2. Sustainable Harvest Calculation DEIS comment instructions are specific and also are found about a third of the way down on this page: http://www.dnr.wa.gov/shc.The Ask: Issue a revised / supplemental DEIS on the Sustainable Harvest Calculation that implements the "The Conservation Alternative"; and ask the Commissioner of Public Lands to convene a Task Force that will study and make recommendations on alternative, sustainable, sources of funding for timber counties (trustees) and communities or essential services (school, fire, emergency, health/hospital funding).
RESOURCES:
  • Dr Kara Whitaker gave a webinar on The Conservation Alternative if you would like to see it here.
  • SHC Talking Points for public meetings 1_11_2017 (1) (1)
  • 1-24-17 Conservation Alternatives Summary (1)
  • Murrelet-Resolution-as-passed
  • http://olympicforest.org/

Urgent Actions

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Some things you can do today:

  • Click here to visit the "5 Calls, 5 Minutes" site for an ongoing, updated list of issues and contact numbers.
 
  •  Call Reichert On ACA   (Again!) (An Action Request from WA State Dems)
    So the Rs are trying again to repeal ACA ... let's figure out a plan to get Dave Reichert to vote No ... He is one of the 23 Rs in Congressional Districts that voted for Clinton.
    There are 193 Ds in the House; plus these 23 Rs that potentially could be persuaded to vote No = 216, so the Ds would still need to find 2 more to vote No to defeat what's likely to happen in the next day or two or next week, that is, the Rs attempt to once again repeal ACA and replace with an awful bill.
    The 8th CD is: Kent, Renton, Issaquah, East Wenatchee, Leavenworth, Redmond, Ellensburg, Auburn. If anyone knows anyone living in these towns or nearby they need to hound Dave Reichert's office so that he votes No.
    If you go to Daily Kos and look for article dated Feb 6, 2017 "These 23 Republicans hold congressional districts that voted for Hillary Clinton" you will get the scoop on 23 Rs who must vote No on repealing ACA; the Freedom Caucus is now on Board with Trump to Repeal and so the ball is now in the "moderate" Republican camp.

    U.S. Congressman Dave Reichert had previously vowed that “no one will lose coverage” under the Republican health care proposal. But as we know, that’s false. Reichert is lying about Trumpcare and the millions of people who would lose health care or see their premiums rise sky high. And while he’s already voted once to pass Trumpcare out of the House Ways & Means Committee, we need to hold him accountable in advance of a vote of the full House of Representatives.

    Reichert’s office phone numbers are:

  • Washington D.C. 202-225-7761

  • Issaquah 425-677-7414

  • Wenatchee 509-885-6615

    Call Reichert’s office and let him know that Washingtonians expect Congress to expand health care coverage, not cut it! The ACA is the most popular it has been in years, it’s provided health care to 750,000 people in our state, and Republicans are going in the wrong direction.

  • Add Your Name To Our Health Care Petition (An Action Request from WA State Dems)

    We’re collecting a petition of names people across our state who want to see health care preserved. If you’ve already contacted the office of Congressman Reichert or taken another action, the next step is to click here to add your name to our petition telling Republicans in Congress: Hands off our healthcare! Or forward this email to a friend, and encourage them to add their name as well. Not only can we report to Congress how many thousands of people are signing these petitions, but we can rally our grassroots base around this important issue.

  • Senator Elizabeth Warren has introduced legislation, the Presidential Conflicts of Interest Act, to require the President and Vice-President to divulge and resolve all conflicts of interest in the Dakota Access Pipeline. MoveOn is coordinating petition delivery to each congressperson, asking each congressperson to pass Senator Warren's bill, and then enforce it. Click here to read the Presidential Conflict of Interests Act. If you would like Jefferson County Democrats to take an official position on the Presidential Conflict of Interests Act, consider submitting a resolution. Click here to read about our resolutions process.
  • Look under our Committees section to find Issues Action Groups that may be working on issues you want to follow and work on. Click here to reach our Committees home page.
  • Volunteer with Jefferson County Democrats to help us provide better, faster coverage on how to fight back! Contact your PCO or e-mail info@jeffcodemocrats.com. Your PCO's contact information can be found by clicking here.
  • Follow us on twitter: @JeffersonCoDems. Click here to be taken to our twitter page.
  • Like our facebook page to read posts there: Click here to be taken to our facebook page.
  • Contact information for your elected officials can be found by clicking here.