Earthquakes are possible in Washington state – be prepared

Tens of thousands of people have died after devastating earthquakes in Syria and Türkiye. Washington state faces a similar threat – the state sits atop fault lines and has the second highest risk in the U.S. of large and damaging earthquakes. Most populated areas 40–80% likely to observe an earthquake within 50 years. There is currently no way to predict when an earthquake might hit nor its intensity. Preparation is vital.

While the state has upgraded bridges, infrastructure, and building codes to be more earthquake resilient, large-scale exercises have shown that Washingtonians should stock supplies and medication in case of a catastrophic event. The Washington Emergency Management Division (EMD) recommends keeping a two-week supply ready for events like snowstorms, tsunamis, or earthquakes.

EMD also recommends downloading the MyShake App (Android / iOS) and activating Wireless Emergency Alerts at https://mil.wa.gov/alerts. ShakeAlert provides a few seconds of warning ahead of an earthquake – perhaps enough time for collect a child or pet and drop, cover and hold on before the shaking begins.

Small steps each month can help you prepare. Learn more at: https://mil.wa.gov/preparedness

Biden Administration urged to begin "Act Two" of climate action strategy

Inslee co-signed a letter by the U.S. Climate Alliance to encourage President Joe Biden to sustain efforts to reduce emissions and improve national resilience to climate change. The recent Inflation Reduction Act invested substantially in clean energy infrastructure – Inslee and other members of the alliance hope for even more ambitious legislation in the future.

“We loved Act One, it was marvelous – standing ovation,” said Inslee during an interview with Politico. “And now we want to keep going on Act Two.”

The letter recommended improved vehicle emissions standards and building code reforms similar to Washington state's leading efforts. The letter also called for the president to order a national strategy for climate resilience encompassing every region.

Inslee co-founded the U.S. Climate Alliance, which currently includes 24 governors.

Investing in affordable housing carries “a steep price worth paying”

Washington state, like many other states across the nation, is experiencing a housing crisis. State officials estimate about 25,000 people are currently experiencing homelessness, a housing shortage of more than 81,000 units, and a need to build one million more housing units in the next 20 years to accommodate population growth. The lack of affordable housing is spurring an increase in homelessness and rising rents are becoming an increasing challenge in smaller cities and rural communities.

This has led legislators to focus unprecedented attention on building more housing at a far greater speed and scale.

In the lead-up to the legislative session, Gov. Jay Inslee put forward a $4 billion bond referendum that would support the creation of thousands new emergency and permanent shelter and housing units, as well as bills to streamline local permit processes that would promote more housing development near transit. Legislators have also put numerous other proposals into the mix.

The Seattle Times reported last week that legislators have introduced more than a dozen bills meant to boost housing supply in Washington state. The proposals range from making it easier to build so-called “mother-in-law” units to zoning reforms that require cities to allow for more types of housing on residential lots. Among those is the bipartisan bill sponsored by Reps. Jessica Bateman and Andrew Barkis. Their “middle housing” bill passed out of committee this week. The Spokesman Review reports that in its current form, the bill would require certain cities to “allow fourplexes on all residential lots, sixplexes on all lots within a half mile of transit stop or community amenity, and sixplexes on all lots if at least two are considered affordable housing.” The companion bill in the Senate, sponsored by Sen. Yasmin Trudeau, also passed out of committee.

Many other bills remain in play including proposals for a standardized permitting process to help accelerate construction and a new homeownership account to help first-time homebuyers and help heal a long history of housing discrimination.

Governors convene in DC for discussions on workforce, energy and more/ urges continued climate action

Gov. Jay Inslee visited the nation’s capitol with fellow governors for a meeting of the National Governors Association (NGA). The group was received by President Joe Biden in the White House Friday morning

“Great meeting talking about the fact he’s helped create 12 million jobs already, another 9 million jobs coming in clean energy,” said Inslee on Instagram. “Good things are happening, both federally and in our state, creating jobs.”

During its weekend meetings, NGA membership discussed state responses to contemporary issues like youth mental health, labor market challenges, grid resiliency, clean energy, and disaster preparedness, and more.

On Friday, the governor met with President Joe Biden's senior advisor on clean energy John Podesta. Podesta is responsible to administer $370 billion in clean energy investments under the Inflation Reduction Act. The law will help Americans drive cleaner cars and efficiently warm and cool their homes while reducing greenhouse gas emissions nationwide.

On Saturday, Inslee met with other governors to discuss energy transmission and workforce shortages. Executives from Microsoft, Cognizant, and AECOM shared their thoughts on the future of work and addressing workforce shortages.

Legislative session – week 5 in review

In addition to housing, legislators are also working on various proposals regarding illegal drug possession following the state Supreme Court’s “Blake decision.” The ruling in 2021 deemed Washington’s felony drug possession law to be unconstitutional, so legislators are now trying to determine what the next era of enforcement looks like for drug possession. One of the emerging proposals passed out of committee this week comes from Sen. June Robinson. SB 5536 would make possession a gross misdemeanor with an option for the arrested individual to enter a pre-trial diversion program that, once completed, would result in vacating of their conviction.

Among the bills to be voted on in committee next week is the Keep Our Care Act which would address hospital mergers and consolidation of health care services that has led to half of the state’s hospital beds to be religiously affiliated. Catholic health institutions prohibit certain kinds of care, such as medical aid in dying, abortion care, and more.

This week, the Legislature also passed its first bill of the session. HB 1103 passed unanimously out the House and Senate. As Sen. Marko Liias said, “it’s a good little bill” that provides an accounting fix in the transportation budget. Once bills are formally delivered to the governor’s office, the governor has 20 days to act on the bill. The governor can sign, veto or take no action and let it go into effect without signature.

News you might have missed:

Washington needs more Black teachers

Black teachers comprise just 1.3% of all educators in the state, far below the national average. Representation matters, and educational outcomes improve when Black students have Black teachers. Gov. Jay Inslee’s proposed budget includes huge investments to attract new teachers and reduce barriers to the profession. The governor’s proposal to expand the Beginning Educator Support Team (BEST) program and paid residencies would help attract new, diverse educators and pay them as they work towards certification.

36 counties now offering or testing Text-to-911

Washingtonians can text 911 during an emergency in 34 of Washington’s 39 counties, and two more counties are now testing the feature. For emergencies when it might not be safe to call, and to better accommodate individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, emergency dispatch can accept text-only text messages and begin to coordinate a response. “Call if you can, text if you can’t," said Jonathan Brock, Deputy State 911 Coordinator.

Seattle mother, daughter attend President Biden's State of the Union

A Seattle-area mother and daughter were invited by President Joe Biden to personally attend his Tuesday State of the Union address. Kristen Christensen is a caregiver for her veteran husband who suffered combat-related injuries during his Navy service. She is also a fellow at a local foundation supporting military caregivers. Kristen was joined by her daughter and fellow advocate Avarie Kollmar.

Washington leads in aerospace engineering, manufacturing

Washington state's business environment for aerospace engineering and manufacturing is unrivaled, according to a new study published this week. The state enjoys an experienced labor pool of more than 78,000 aerospace workers and a pipeline of young talent coming from excellent training programs and research universities.

Last week, the last of more than 1,500 Boeing 747s ever made took off from Everett. This week, the Federal Aviation Administration cleared a first-of-its-kind, hydrogen-powered Dash-8-300 test airplane to take off from Moses Lake. The story of Washington aerospace innovation is ongoing, and the next chapter shows great promise.