Spokane People of Color List of Legislative Concerns 2019

Racial and Criminal Justice:

  • End cash bail
  • SB 5819-community Review Boards
  • Decriminalize driving with 3rd degree suspend license
  • Decriminalize poverty
    • Trespassing
    • Failure to appear
    • Sit and lie
  • Increase victim services
  • Enhance training (re: I-940)
  • Ban use of facial recognition
  • Algorithm fairness (address racial bias)
  • Ban auto license plate readers
  • Data privacy
    • Collaborate between IcE/CBP and criminal justice system
  • I-1000 (pro) affirmative action (ref. 88 on ballot)
  • Voting rights for incarcerated
  • Expedition of voting rights restoration of people with felonies
  • HB 1517: Risk assessment, etc. for DV and IPV (need racial equity lens plus broader rep from impacted population)
  • Emergent adult bill
  • “geriatric bill”-elderly early release
  • Rights and education for women who enter prison while pregnant
  • True blood legislation
    • Equity lens for people in competency hearings
    • Emphasis on race and disability
  • Equal access to healthcare regardless of race, justice involvement while incarcerated

Housing, Homelessness, Displacement, & Human Services:

  • Statewide rent control
    • Remove statewide preemption for municipal rent control
  • Just cause eviction statewide
  • Incremental payments for move-in cost (6 monthly payment)
  • Universal background check
  • Fair chance housing
  • Access TIP $ for affordable housing
  • Reevaluate risk assessment tools
    • Transparency
    • Do not limit HMIS $ to city-funded or local funded agencies
  • Enhance reentry housing
  • More State $ for supportive housing
    • Safe supportive houses
  • More $ for permanent affordable housing
  • More homeless prevention $$
  • Business licenses for landlords including mobile homes
  • Rental inspection
  • Landlord registry
  • Tenant side enforcement of landlord responsibilities
  • Civil-legal aid/right to council for eviction court
  • Relocation assistance for economic displacement
  • State $ plus Statewide spread of Rising Strong model
  • Statewide mandated minimum of affordable mixed unit housing for projects taking State $$
  • Tenants rights of 1st refusal for building sales
  • Redefine “homelessness” to broaden services access
  • Increase penalties for sources of income discrimination
  • Build in rent grace period or remove 3 notice protection revocation
  • Decriminalizing public camping
  • Day centers and low barrier shelters need State $$$
  • Allow longer treatment terms (in-patient)
  • Increase detox beds
  • Increase access to MAT
  • Increase access to public transit
  • Raise poverty level for State human services so more people qualify

Education:

  • Loan forgiveness
  • Universal voluntary access to ECAP
    • Full day ECAP
  • Full day kindergarten, Headstart
  • Teach kids how they learn
    • Increase access to alternative learning environment
  • Raise ECAP poverty threshold so more people qualify
  • Pay pre-K, ECAP teachers more
  • End use of seclusion, restraints, child arrest
  • Cultural competence for Pre-K teachers
  • Increase support for teachers plus families for accessing development resources
  • Year-round school
  • Education for ten parenting
  • Include white privilege in cultural competency training, encourage justice dialogue
  • Fund to provide disciplinary diversion to keep kids in classroom
  • Fair chance parent volunteering and school hiring
  • ESL more and earlier
  • More teachers/authority figures of color
  • Pay equity for paraprofessionals
  • Race pay equity-equal pay
  • Student loans funded at same interest rate as banks
  • IEP and 504 support (equitable)
    • More access to transition programs post-grade 12
    • More $ for higher education
    • Pay student athletes
  • More $ plus support for women and students of color and 1st generation at State level or community college, four-year and technical colleges

Other:

  • Racial health equity (tied for first priority)
  • Consideration of voting rights/participation in underrepresented communities (tied for first priority)
    • Reservation addresses
    • Rights formerly incarcerated
    • Translation of ballots and voter’s information
  • Ask for expulsion of Matt Shea (tied for second priority)
  • Tax reform
    • Tax capital gains on 2nd homes and on $250K
  • More $ resources towards impact of nuclear industry on communities of color (tied for second priority)