Welcome to 2022! There’s been some social media humor around the fact that 2022 sounds an awful lot like “2020 too” and surely no one wants to revisit that year, but I caution you to reject everything that came out of 2020.

In 2022 the topics of small business resiliency and recovery are still relevant, the conversation about access to affordable childcare is now heard statewide and no one is exempt from full-volume bellow for a qualified workforce.  All these issues were exposed and rallied behind in part because of the consequences of 2020. More decision and change makers were educated on the unique issues facing rural communities and many came to appreciate the resource divide. By no means am I implying that 2020 was good, because I know of the ongoing challenges. However, if we are going to put a silver lining on something, it just might be that these conversations around issues relevant to our business and resident community are being heard at a volume that is making an impact. Federal and state funding for economic recovery isn’t going away any time soon and relief and recovery packages are being developed as we speak.

Next week the Washington State Legislature will convene for what is termed a “short” session. Early estimations are that this session will focus on the transportation budget, basic infrastructure funding, a “fix” to the Washington Long Term Care Act (Washington Cares) and tax relief.  There will be more, there always is, but these are going to be some of the most talked about issues.

While the work in Olympia sometimes feels far away everyone should understand how to access state lawmakers and participate in the process. I’ve outlined different ways to be engaged in the grassroots advocacy process below. We highly recommend engaging with the GGHI team for grassroots efforts.

  1. Register for GGHI Annual Legislative Send Off – This one-of-a-kind event allows attendees to engage with the legislators from the 19th and 24th legislative districts. Attendees will hear about our district’s legislative priorities and be able to directly ask questions to our legislators. We have updated this event to a virtual format and registration doesn’t close until Thursday, January 6th at 5pm.  All community members are welcome to register for this event.
  2. Attend the GGHI Legislative Affairs Weekly Briefings – A benefit of GGHI membership is access to these weekly briefings providing insight and access to policy leaders in elected office, agency leadership and industry associations. The briefings take place at 7:30am every Wednesday throughout legislative session.  Attendees can be as engaged as they like as there is no pressure to participate, but questions and discussions are welcome. These weekly briefings are free to attend and exclusive to GGHI members. Registration is required each week and featured speakers will be noted on social media.
  3. Sign up for Legislative Updates by contacting Lynnette Buffington and asking to be put on the Legislative Affairs distribution list.
  4. Register for the AWB Hill Climb on January 18th and 19th. This hybrid event will put you in breakout rooms with your legislators and conclude with an in-person reception.  Chances are I’ll be there too, so please join me! There is a special registration page and rate for members of GGHI. Please contact Lynnette Buffington at lbuffington@graysharbor.org to access the rate. The deadline for the special rate is January 10th.
  5. Watch TVW – Legislative committee hearings and meetings are broadcast and recorded on the TVW network. Viewing or listening to these meetings is a great way to understand issues and lawmaker perspectives.
  6. Reach Out – All residents of Washington state can engage with their lawmakers. Sometimes it is hard to find a way to contact legislators and I’ve outlined the different ways to make effective contact:
    1. Email your legislators directly. You can visit this page and complete a web-based form to contact your legislators. This form allows you to send an email on a general topic or on a specific bill or piece of legislation.
    2. To contact legislators regarding a specific bill, use this link. You’ll have to know the bill number or endure a lengthy search process, but it is a way to directly comment on active legislation.
    3. Not sure what district represents you? Check out this link.  Enter your address and you’ll be matched with the Representatives and Senators that represent you!
  7. Participate – While the 2022 legislative session will be remote you can still participate in committee hearings. The process used in 2021 is outlined here and it is my guess the 2022 process will be the same. You can submit testimony that can be read out loud into record or simply documented as part of the bill record.

GGHI is compiling some key policy priorities from around the county and will be sharing those with our legislators throughout session. Stay tuned to our Facebook pages for updates on session and issues for our county.