This year, during CAIRWA’s annual lobbying day, participants advocated for three bills: improving language access in schools, improving language access for prescription drugs, raising the age in the juvenile legal system, and advocated against one bad policing bill.
Every year CAIR Washington holds Muslim Day at the Capitol (MDAC) during Washington state’s legislative session. In 2022, the short session runs from mid-January to mid-March.
Washington's 2022 legislative session has wrapped up, and the CAIR-WA policy team shared some updates on the bills that we've been watching:
Good News: HB 1153 passed both chambers: Language Access for K-12 Schools will be a reality!
Nearly 30% of the parents of Washington public school students speak a language other than English. Now, thanks to the passage of HB 1153, language access to these families will be a reality. All public schools will implement a culturally responsive language access program, with essential training, tools, and other technical assistance provided to support the development, implementation, and evaluation of their language access programs.
Schools are the pillar of a community and with HB 1153 we will build a critical foundation for our families to succeed and connect within the education system and our larger society, making positive futures possible.
See bill details here: HB 1153: Language Access in K-12 Schools
Disappointing News: HB 2037 was passed by the WA Legislature
Washington state WAS leading the nation on policing reforms. Last year’s reforms were calculated to address discriminatory policing and reduce violence–and they were working. For the first time since the data had been collected, police killings in Washington declined by 60%, the largest decline in the US.
Now, thanks to the passage of HB 2037 which authorizes more force, the legislators who voted for this bill have sacrificed important gains in changing harmful police practices and lost trust with thousands of members of the public who are working to change police culture for the better, particularly those individuals who are victims of police misconduct and violence, and families directly impacted by police killing their loved ones. Thank you to all the legislators who tried, unsuccessfully, to amend the bill to protect civil rights, and those who voted “no”. We see you and applaud you for standing with impacted communities and standing for justice.
See bill details here: HB 2037: Modifying the standard for use of force by peace officers
Another policing bill we were watching along with our partner Washington Coalition for Policy Accountability, SB 5919, passed one chamber but ultimately died at the last minute. Thank you to legislators who stood against these bad policing bills, standing with impacted families and communities impacted by discriminatory policing. As WCPA said in a recent communication, “of the 12 bad policing bills introduced this year, only one is on its way to the Governor’s desk. That is a big deal and a testament to the strength of all of us working together!” Next year, we hope to expand on the reforms fought for in 2021.
Future advocacy needed: Two bills we were advocating for died in session: SB 5840 Language Access on Prescription Drugs & HB 5122 Raise the Age Act
HB 1852: Concerning language requirements for prescription drug labels
Washington state is one of the most linguistically diverse states in the country, home to well over 100 different languages. Language access is critical to families across Washington, especially in health care.
HB 1852 aims to reduce harmful and costly medication errors by requiring that pharmacies provide prescription container labels in both English and a readable language for patients with limited English proficiency (LEP) for 15 major languages. As of now, prescription labels are only provided in English, even though medication translation software is readily available and many families across Washington struggle to understand their prescription labels including directions. We hope to see this bill again in 2023.
SB 5122 is imperative to the health of our communities and reducing racial disparities. It modernizes Washington’s criminal legal system – making it consistent with discoveries in developmental brain science – by raising the starting age of juvenile court jurisdiction from 8 to 13 and establishes a task force to study including 18 and 19-year-olds in the juvenile system and not the adult system. Involving young children in the juvenile legal system and teenagers in the adult system is harmful to the entire community and negatively impacts children for the rest of their lives in the areas of education, health, and employment.
This is a racial justice issue which we hope to see action on in the future: major racial disparities exist within these criminal legal systems due to over policing, racial bias, and other factors. Modernizing Washington’s court jurisdiction age limits will advance racial equity by providing youth with developmentally appropriate interventions and opportunities for meaningful change.
Najma Osman is the Policy Associate at CAIR Washington, and Katie Walker is the Senior Communications and Marketing Strategist.