Youth center and shelters in Longview offer fresh starts for locals

Frank Morrison directs the ASCENT Youth Center and the Community House on Broadway in Longview. The former is a youth recreation and support center, and the latter is a supportive housing program.

Morrison welcomes nearly 600 youths every year to the youth center and offers them a place to hang out, have fun, exercise, and even access treatment and counseling to overcome trauma and addiction.

The Community House on Broadway offers supportive housing to people experiencing homelessness. During his visit Tuesday, Gov. Jay Inslee met a former resident of the shelter who had overcome a 42-year battle with alcoholism. Now four years sober, independent, and employed, James Robbins credits housing as the catalyst in his recovery.

"Without a place to live, there's no way I would have made it," said James.

The governor also visited HOPE Village, a tiny home village now housing 50 people formerly camped out across the city. A warm, safe place to sleep at night means the world to HOPE Village's residents, including Tasha Krakenberg. Krakenberg had been unhoused and unemployed for several years, and she found a job at a sandwich shop within just weeks of moving into a tiny home.

The governor concluded his visit to Longview with a stop at the historic Monticello Hotel to convene local leaders to discuss behavioral health. Cowlitz County municipal officials, prosecutors and public defenders, judges, police officers, outreach workers, and behavioral health and housing experts each lent the governor their perspectives about behavioral health challenges.

Inslee has made housing and homelessness a top priority for the legislative session. Several policies are moving forward to make it easier to build more affordable housing, and legislators are discussing funding options to build more supportive housing and shelters such as Community House and HOPE Village.

Washington pays tribute to a decade of marriage equality

Marriage equality became law in Washington state in 2012. The Legislature, and the people, had voted in favor of allowing same-sex couples to marry and to "Love, Equally" at last.

"Love, Equally: The Journey to Marriage Equality" is the title of a new book published by Legacy Washington, the Secretary of State’s oral history program. It chronicles the lawmakers and trailblazers who fought for the law’s passage, and prior figures who kept hope alive for equality.

On Tuesday in the State Reception Room at the capitol, hundreds of people gathered to celebrate the occasion of the book's release and the law's anniversary. Speakers included Gov. Jay Inslee, Former Gov. Chris Gregoire, Secretary of State Steve Hobbs, Speaker of the House Laurie Jinkins, and Sen. Jamie Pedersen.

Since 2012, more than 26,000 Washington marriages have wed same-sex couples.

Legislative session – week 6 in review

Friday, Feb. 17 is the first major cut-off deadline in the legislative session. Nearly 2,000 bills were dropped this session and “policy cutoff” is the deadline for passing most bills out of a policy committee in order to keep them moving forward. Bills that have a fiscal impact must now go to a fiscal or budget committee; fiscal committee cutoff is next Friday, Feb. 24. Other bills will be routed to rules committees that determine which bills can be considered for a full vote on the floor.

Among the bills that cleared the policy cutoff deadline are bills to update vehicle pursuit laws, to offer free breakfast and lunch for all Washington students, to update drug possession laws in the wake of the 2021 Blake court ruling that struck down the state’s felony possession law, to limit insulin costs, and to further bolster Washington’s already generous college financial aid system. A package of gun safety bills is also moving forward, along with a package of bills to strengthen access and protections for abortion care and gender-affirming care. Housing remains a top-tier priority for legislators. Several policies are advancing that would increase development of affordable housing, including a bipartisan “middle housing” policy and the governor’s requested transit-oriented development legislation.

The governor also signed the first bill of the session on Thursday. HB 1103 is a technical bill that will save some money from interest arbitrage charges related to replacing state ferry vessels. It passed unanimously in both the House and Senate.

News you might have missed:

Early filers already benefit from new Working Families Tax Credit

Tax season has begun, and 65,000 early filers have applied for the state's new Working Families Tax Credit. As many as 400,000 low- to moderate-income Washingtonians may be eligible for credit up to $1,200. The deadline to file federal taxes is Tuesday Apr. 18.

Trudi Inslee testifies to support hunger relief for Washingtonians in need

Food bank inventories are just 20-30% of their stock from just a year ago. First Spouse Trudi Inslee testified this week in favor of HB 1103, a bill to expand funding for food banks, nutrition programs for seniors and other emergency food programs. The House Committee on Appropriations advanced the bill for House consideration on Thursday.

Washington recognizes Invasive Species Awareness Week

Gov. Jay Inslee declared the week of Feb. 20 as "Invasive Species Awareness Week" to educate Washingtonians about the threat of non-native species. Invasive plants, animals, and organisms can be exceptionally dangerous to native ecosystems. The Asian Giant Hornet and European Green Crab, for example, are two recent unwelcome entrants to Washington state. The state Recreation and Conservation Office offers advice for Washingtonians who wish to do their part to halt invasive species.

Lewis County to become proving ground for massive hydrogen-powered mining trucks

Zero-emission trucks the height of three-story buildings may soon begin rolling around Lewis County's new First Mode Proving Grounds. First Mode, a global carbon reduction company, developed the world’s first integrated battery and hydrogen fuel cell powerplants for massive mining trucks. The company established proving grounds in Centralia thanks in part to a $250,000 grant from the state economic development strategic reserve fund.