Now that the legislative session is over, the Governor has been signing bills into law and will continue to do so in the weeks ahead. We continue to update our bill tracker with final actions when bills are signed into law, and we will share photos or news of them on social media.
The next important area for our advocacy is implementation, and sometimes there is an important role for faith communities and advocates to play. For example, the Working Families Tax Credit still needs all of us getting the word out for people to apply, and pointing them to the resources to help do that. Last year, only about half of those eligible applied, and we want everyone eligible to be able to access the cash that will help navigate economic challenges. The Bias Incidents Hotline will need all of us to share the news that it is a resource for people, once up and running. Faith communities have been part of the safety net for newly arrived immigrants seeking asylum at Riverton Park United Methodist Church and beyond; your creative ideas are part of the solution for how to best serve and house people throughout the state.
Stay tuned in the months ahead for ways faith communities can inform and help implement the laws you helped pass. Read more at FANWA.org.
Upcoming Events
- Saturday, March 30, 1 pm, Table Turning: In-person, Northwest Detention Center, Tacoma. Come stand with advocates of many traditions to call for a permanent shutdown of the Northwest Detention Center and a release and freedom of every person who is detained and deported in this system. Learn more here.
- Tuesday, April 2, 5 pm, Fear and Loathing on the Way to Leveling the Playing Field: Online. Where are advocates in the fight to preserve Medicare and stop the corporate takeover? What are the next steps they need to take in 2024? National experts will discuss these questions and more. Register here.
- Wednesday, April 3, 7-8:30 pm, Welcoming the Stranger, Past and Present: In-person, Seattle. Join Jewish Coalition for Immigrant Justice to examine how ideas of community and solidarity bridge to immigrant communities today. Hear from local graphic novelist Josh Tuininga, author of We Are Not Strangers, Stan Shikuma from Tsuru for Solidarity Seattle, Marlene Motola, a Sephardic Jewish community member involved in JCIJ, and Andrea Soroko Naar, co-founder of JCIJ. Register here.