Legislative Priorities for Week 8
Both the House and Senate spent the past week in floor debates. March 12 is the last day for a bill to pass out of the house of origin and floor debates will continue until that deadline. Bills that may be voted on in the House or Senate and need Catholic advocacy include:
HB 1195 Concerning compliance with siting, development permit processes and standards, and requirements for permanent supportive housing, transitional housing, indoor emergency housing, or indoor emergency shelters. This bill promotes the dignity of life and a preferential option for the poor by ensuring that shelter and housing options exist in all cities and counties for people experiencing homelessness. The bill establishes processes to address city ordinances that add needless barriers to the development of housing options for people experiencing homelessness. Please contact your Representatives and urge them to vote yes on the bill.
HB 1380 Allowing objectively reasonable regulation of the utilization of public property. This bill would protect the dignity and sanctity of life by ensuring a city considers the time, place and manner of restrictions on camping, sitting, and lying on public property, such as sidewalks, to protect individuals seeking to stay warm and dry when temperatures drop and atmospheric rivers come through the state and no emergency shelter is available. Please contact your Representatives and urge them to vote yes on the bill.
HB 1648 Modifying child care provider qualifications. High-quality child care is critical, particularly for low-income parents who have to work just to meet their basic needs. Childcare is also notoriously understaffed. This bill would help address staffing issues by giving childcare workers additional time to complete education requirements for licensing and reducing the requirement for competency-based licensing from seven years of continuous work to five years. These changes will help childcare providers, such as Catholic Charities, hire and retain sufficient staff to provide high-quality care to children whose parents have limited means, promoting a preferential option for the poor. Please contact your Representatives and urge them to vote yes on the bill.
SB 5375 concerning the duty of clergy to report child abuse and neglect passed out of the Senate without exception for the confessional. The bill moved to the House and will be heard in the Early Learning and Human Services committee on March 14 at 8:00 AM. Please sign in con and send written testimony advocating for including clergy as mandatory reporters with a limited exception for information learned within the Sacrament of Confession.
UPDATES
HB 1483 and SB 5423 Supporting the servicing and right to repair of certain products with digital electronics in a secure and reliable manner. Many thanks to advocates who sent messages of support to their Representatives. HB 1483 passed the House and SB 5423 should be heard on the Senate floor before the March 12 deadline.
SB 5023 Providing labor market protections for domestic workers. Many thanks also to those who sent messages to their Senators asking for this bill to move to the Senate floor for debate. The bill passed the Senate on March 5.
