Snow hit the Capitol and much of the state this weekend resulting in the Legislature cancelling all committee meetings for Monday, February 11. This is the first time that most people can recall the Legislature taking that step in the last 25 years or so. However, safety is always the most important consideration. Governor Inslee has also issued a state of emergency as a result of the winter storms hitting the state.
AWC has also taken the unprecedented step of cancelling our City Action Days event on February 13 and 14. We were very much looking forward to the event, but safety is our primary concern. If you were planning to come to Olympia and now will be changing your plans, please be sure to contact your legislators’ offices and let them know you if you need to cancel any in-person meetings. If possible, suggest a phone meeting instead – that way you can still let them know about the important issues facing cities.
In light of the cancellation, we will be hosting a “Talk to your Lobbyist” webinar on Thursday, February 14 at noon. Watch for details on our website. We are also hosting AWC’s Lobby Day on March 25 as another opportunity for you to visit Olympia.
This week and next wrap up the first stage of the session, next Friday, February 22 is the first cutoff date when bills must be voted out of their policy committee or they are considered “dead.” There are always exceptions to this rule – for example bills “necessary to implement the budget” (NTIB) work on a different timeline. That means that this week and next the committees will be hearing and voting on a large number of bills before the deadline. So now is the time for city officials to weigh in with your legislators on bills that are important for cities. AWC has developed a “hot sheet” that lists bills that are of particular importance to cities. This is a good tool to use in talking to your legislators.
While we are disappointed that we will not be hosting City Action Days this week, there are still ways that city officials can engage with your legislators.
- If you had an in-person meeting scheduled this week, you can always turn it into a phone meeting.
- Even if you didn’t have a meeting scheduled with your legislator, reach out to them with a phone call or email and remind them of your city’s and AWC’s priorities.
- Find out when your legislator will be hosting a local town hall meeting and plan to attend.