The governor focuses on relief, resilience and recovery.
From the Governor's medium page posted 12.17.20
https://medium.com/wagovernor/inslee-releases-2021-2023-budget-proposal-de1be5aa6e07
Gov. Inslee announced the details of his 2021–2023 biennial budget proposal Thursday, which included significant funding for public health, economic supports for workers and businesses, and other services that Washingtonians need to recover from the impacts of the COVID-19.
“We must invest in the relief, recovery and resilience of Washington. We cannot cut the things that we need most during a pandemic,” Inslee said during a press conference Thursday. “In my proposed operating, capital and transportation budgets, I am investing in the people of our state.”
Inslee’s budget proposals would:
Continue an aggressive response to the ongoing pandemic and build more capacity for tackling future public health crises.
Rebuild the state’s economy and continue efforts to support households, students, workers and businesses impacted by the pandemic.
Address racial and economic inequity.
Protect previous investments in areas such as education, childcare and early learning, climate action, behavioral health reform, combating homelessness and access to health care.
Economic supports for workers and businesses
Inslee stressed the need to rebuild the state’s economy and continue efforts to support households, students, workers and businesses impacted by the pandemic. This includes additional protections for workers and funding for the state Labor and Industries (LNI) to investigate issues at businesses and agricultural work sites.
The governor’s budget also includes funding to shore up the state’s unemployment system, which was put under enormous strain due to staggering job losses, especially during the first months of the pandemic.
Inslee is proposing legislation that would ease unemployment insurance rate increases on businesses and increase minimum weekly benefit amounts for unemployed workers. The proposal increases staffing in the division of occupational safety and health, a critical resource for workers and employers to understand safety protocols on the job and ensure timely response.
Additional protections proposed include significant new funding for rent and foreclosure assistance, and other measures to keep people from homelessness.
Read about Inslee’s Safe Start workgroups and how they helped inform his budget decisions.
The governor issued two proclamations Thursday related to the Employment Security Department to help workers impacted by COVID-19. One suspends the requirement of deductions from unemployment benefits for lump sum payments and the other suspends the requirement for the state to charge employers a state unemployment tax solvency surcharge.
The governor also directed LNI to address businesses not compliant with the state’s COVID-19 emergency proclamations.
Public health funding
Inslee laid out policy proposals that build more capacity for tackling future public health crises, including $397 million for the state’s public health system. The programs include investments in data infrastructure for public health for sharing information that turns data into actionable information for decisions and policymaking throughout the state.
Also included in the budget are resources for personal protective equipment, testing supplies and lab costs, contact tracing, and our public health lab and epidemiology work. It will fund planning for rapid response to disease outbreaks and other disasters that require strong relationships between city, county and state emergency management departments.
Sen. June Robinson supports the proposal and joined Inslee for Thursday’s press conference.
“As a public health professional, I’ve seen the challenges with the public health system firsthand throughout the COVID pandemic,” Robinson said. “Now is the time to reimagine the structures of our public health system and infuse the system with a much needed stable funding source.”
As the pandemic has raged across the state, disparities in local health jurisdictions have emerged.
“I believe health districts can be more effective when addressing the needs of multiple adjoining counties and focusing on the best public health outcomes for their communities,” Inslee said. “Therefore, I am putting forward legislation that creates a regional, coordinated approach to local public health through comprehensive public health districts. Combining services across counties in regionalized health districts will lead to a more efficient delivery of services.”
Rep. Marcus Riccelli said that strengthening public health districts is key to ensuring care for all Washingtonians.
“Our current public health system isn’t working for everyone. Rural and underserved communities need help, and we’ve seen what happens when politics is put over public health in a pandemic,” Riccelli said. “It’s time for us to recognize that diseases don’t care where you live or what county you are in. By creating stronger public health districts focused on accountability and effectiveness, this bill will help make sure that our public health system is serving everyone in Washington state.”
Sen. Karen Keiser agreed and pointed out how COVID-19 has highlighted where state systems can be improved.
“In a crisis like this awful pandemic, we have to rely on the strength and resiliency of the safety net we already have in place. Fortunately, Washington state has one of the strongest in the country,” Keiser said. “But the pandemic has also revealed where our systems need improvement. These bills take a big step to strengthen our state’s benefits and protections for workers while helping businesses avoid huge premium increases. We have learned from this experience, and with these bills we plan not just to do better next time, but to do better now.”
Education and child care
The pandemic caused major disruptions for families all across the state. The governor’s budget focuses on equitable student supports, including new funding to provide broadband connections for families who cannot afford internet services.
Following unprecedented investments in education over the previous four years, Inslee’s budget proposal makes major new investments aimed at expanding learning opportunities and increasing equitable support for students to get back on track.
Education funding includes $400 million to improve educational outcomes for all students and to address learning loss and educational opportunity gaps. The governor also proposed increasing staffing levels for counselors in elementary schools to help students who may be falling behind academically and need trusted adults.
As childcare providers have also been hard hit by the pandemic, Inslee approved using nearly $191 million in federal CARES Act funding to support childcare businesses and help low-income families afford childcare this spring — and his 2021–23 budget continues those efforts.
Food assistance and job skills
More than 2 million adults and children in Washington — one in three Washingtonians — have lacked access to adequate food supplies during the pandemic.
The governor proposes $31 million to:
Expand the capacity of the state Emergency Food Assistance Program.
Provide grants to food banks and school districts for purchasing fresh products directly from Washington farms.
Distribute vouchers for low-income families to purchase fruits and vegetables.
Inslee also proposes growing the state’s Job Skills Program, specifically for technology training for businesses and workers displaced by the pandemic. Funding is included for the Career Connect learning program that connects more students to high-demand careers and paid learning opportunities.
Revenue
While the budget picture has improved since spring, the state still faces significant fiscal challenges.
In addition to dipping into reserves, Inslee’s budget relies on savings in a number of areas. But the state needs additional revenue to continue and strengthen the state’s pandemic response and recovery effort, while also protecting previous investments in other state services.
As in previous budgets, the governor proposes a new capital gains tax on the sale of stocks, bonds and other assets. This would not apply to sole proprietor businesses, retirement accounts, homes, farms and forestry. Earned income from salaries and wages are not capital gains, and would not be taxed at all.
The proposed tax change — which will not go into effect until the second year of the 2021–23 biennium — would raise more than $3.5 billion over the next four years.
With the tax geared to very large capital gains, only a tiny fraction of the state’s wealthiest taxpayers would be affected.
Creating jobs with the capital budget
“We must create jobs and stimulate economic growth throughout the state. Therefore, I am proposing a large capital budget,” Inslee said. “One way to do that is tap future bond capacity now to help stimulate the economy and retain construction jobs. I am proposing we start work on projects earlier than projected. This will support an estimate 36,000 jobs per year statewide over the biennium.”
To help address the state’s homelessness crisis, which has been compounded by the pandemic, the budget includes nearly $400 million to build more affordable housing units and preserve the state’s existing housing stock.
The budget sends $150 million to the state’s Public Works Assistance Program, which provides low- or no-interest loans that local governments can use to repair everything from bridges and roads to water and sewer systems.
The capital budget also includes money for school projects; funds to expand broadband access for underserved homes and businesses; money to fund design work and site demolition for a new 350-bed forensic psychiatric hospital at Western State Hospital; and funds to design and construct a new 120-bed nursing facility to care for clients with intellectual and physical disabilities.
Transportation budget
In the proposed transportation budget, the state will make major progress toward meeting a federal court injunction to remove culverts that block habitat for migrating salmon and steelhead. The budget provides $724 million that will help the department design 136 barrier-removal projects and construct an additional 114 projects.
The transportation budget also includes $400 million for preservation work on the state’s transportation infrastructure, and continues efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by investing in clean transportation.
“My focus is on helping our state recover from the health and economic impacts of the pandemic,” Inslee said. “I also want to continue to make investments in all the programs that people need to help them through these times. This is not the time for budget cuts — this is a time for investing in Washington.”
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Inslee issues proclamation on prison commitments.
Press release issued 12.17.20
https://www.governor.wa.gov/news-media/inslee-issues-proclamation-prison-commitments
Gov. Jay Inslee issued a proclamation today prohibiting unapproved transportation of individuals to state correctional facilities.
DOC – Prison Commitments (20-80):
This proclamation prohibits all public agencies from transporting any individual to a state correctional facility without the advance permission of the Department of Corrections, and waives relevant statutory obligations for DOC to accept those transfers. This effort will assist the DOC in mitigating the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
This order is effective immediately and expires January 3, 2021.
PROCLAMATION BY THE GOVERNOR
AMENDING PROCLAMATION 20-05
20-80
DOC – Prison Commitments
WHEREAS, on February 29, 2020, I issued Proclamation 20-05, proclaiming a State of
Emergency for all counties throughout Washington State as a result of the coronavirus disease 2019
(COVID-19) outbreak in the United States and confirmed person-to-person spread of COVID-19 in
Washington State; and
WHEREAS, as a result of the continued worldwide spread of COVID-19, its significant
progression in Washington State, and the high risk it poses to our most vulnerable populations, I
have subsequently issued several amendatory proclamations, exercising my emergency powers
under RCW 43.06.220 by prohibiting certain activities and waiving and suspending specified laws
and regulations; and
WHEREAS, the COVID-19 disease, caused by a virus that spreads easily from person to person
which may result in serious illness or death and has been classified by the World Health
Organization as a worldwide pandemic, continues to broadly spread throughout Washington State,
significantly increasing the threat of serious associated health risks statewide; and
WHEREAS, I issued Proclamations 20-25, et seq., first entitled “Stay Home – Stay Healthy,” in
which I initially prohibited all people in Washington State from leaving their homes except under
certain circumstances, which I later amended to “Safe Start – Stay Healthy” County-By-County
Phased Reopening, gradually relaxing those limitations based on county-by-county phasing, and on
November 16, 2020, again amended 20-25, et seq., to “Stay Safe – Stay Healthy – Rollback of
County-By-County Phased Reopening Responding to a COVID-19 Outbreak Surge,” in response to
a large surge of new cases of COVID-19, increased hospitalizations and ongoing COVID-19 related
deaths in Washington State; and
WHEREAS, despite this guidance, positive COVID-19-related cases and hospitalizations have
been on a steady rise since early September; and, most alarmingly, since the latter part of October
through the first two weeks of December, 2020, COVID-19 cases have significantly increased in
Washington, and COVID-19-related hospitalizations have risen sharply, putting our people, our
health system, and our economy in as dangerous a position as we faced in March 2020; and
WHEREAS, the Department of Corrections is currently experiencing a significant spike in
COVID-19 cases, including at the intake and reception center for new incarcerations at the
Washington Corrections Center, where the COVID-19 pandemic protocols require that newly
committed individuals be isolated for 14 days upon arrival; and
WHEREAS, given that there are COVID-19 outbreaks at nearly all major correctional facilities
across the state, transfers between facilities have essentially been halted to help mitigate the spread
of the virus, resulting in overpopulation at the Washington Corrections Center, which is
significantly complicating efforts to combat the pandemic; and
WHEREAS, language in RCW 72.02, RCW 70.48, and RCW 36.63 require counties to transfer,
and the Department of Corrections to receive, newly committed individuals from the county jails in
which they reside prior to commitment to a state correctional facility, despite the inability to safely
house such individuals, making it is necessary to waive and suspend portions of those statutes to
allow the Department of Corrections to control the current outbreak; and
WHEREAS, the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic and its progression in Washington State
continue to threaten the life and health of our people as well as the economy of Washington State,
and remain a public disaster affecting life, health, property or the public peace; and
WHEREAS, the Washington State Department of Health continues to maintain a Public Health
Incident Management Team in coordination with the State Emergency Operations Center and other
supporting state agencies to manage the public health aspects of the incident; and
WHEREAS, the Washington State Military Department Emergency Management Division,
through the State Emergency Operations Center, continues coordinating resources across state
government to support the Department of Health and local health officials in alleviating the impacts
to people, property, and infrastructure, and continues coordinating with the Department of Health in
assessing the impacts and long-term effects of the incident on Washington State and its people.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Jay Inslee, Governor of the state of Washington, as a result of the abovenoted situation, and under Chapters 38.08, 38.52 and 43.06 RCW, do hereby proclaim that a State
of Emergency continues to exist in all counties of Washington State, that Proclamation 20-05 and
all amendments thereto remain in effect, and that Proclamation 20-05 is amended to waive or
suspend specified statutes that prevent, hinder or delay necessary action in coping with the
unprecedented demands being placed on our health care system by the COVID-19 pandemic and to
prohibit certain activities to help preserve and maintain life, health, property or the public peace by
retaining individuals recently committed to a state correctional facility in a county jail to allow for a
temporary suspension of new intakes at the two state prison receptions centers.
I again direct that the plans and procedures of the Washington State Comprehensive Emergency
Management Plan be implemented throughout state government. State agencies and departments
are directed to continue utilizing state resources and doing everything reasonably possible to
support implementation of the Washington State Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan and
to assist affected political subdivisions in an effort to respond to and recover from the COVID-19
pandemic.
I continue to order into active state service the organized militia of Washington State to include the
National Guard and the State Guard, or such part thereof as may be necessary in the opinion of The
Adjutant General to address the circumstances described above, to perform such duties as directed
by competent authority of the Washington State Military Department in addressing the outbreak.
Additionally, I continue to direct the Department of Health, the Washington State Military
Department Emergency Management Division, and other agencies to identify and provide
appropriate personnel for conducting necessary and ongoing incident related assessments.
FURTHERMORE, based on the above situation and under the provisions of RCW
43.06.220(2)(g), I also find that strict compliance with the following statutory and regulatory
obligations or limitations will risk reducing the availability of essential services and prevent,
hinder, or delay the response to the COVID-19 pandemic State of Emergency under Proclamation
20-05, and that the portion or language of each statutory and regulatory provision specified below is
hereby waived and suspended, until 11:59 PM on January 3, 2021:
1. RCW 72.02.230 – in its entirety;
2. RCW 70.48.240 – in its entirety;
3. RCW 36.63.255 – in its entirety;
4. RCW 72.02.200 - only the words: “receiving and”; and
FURTHERMORE, in recognition of the above findings, and to help preserve and maintain life,
health, property or the public peace under RCW 43.06.220(1)(h), I prohibit, until 11:59 PM on
January 3, 2021:
1) All public agencies from transporting any individual to a state correctional facility without
the advance permission of the Department of Corrections, and
2) The Department of Corrections from receiving any individual from any public agency
without receiving advance notice and providing advance permission for the transport of that
individual to a state correctional facility.
Nothing in this proclamation is intended or may be relied upon to create a right or benefit,
substantive or procedural, enforceable at law by any person.
Violators of this of this order may be subject to criminal penalties pursuant to RCW 43.06.220(5).
Signed and sealed with the official seal of the state of Washington on this 17th day of December,
A.D., Two Thousand and Twenty at Olympia, Washington.
IN OTHER STATE HEADLINES:
AG FERGUSON FILES FEDERAL ANTITRUST LAWSUIT AGAINST TECHNOLOGY GIANT GOOGLE.
OLYMPIA — Attorney General Bob Ferguson today partnered with a bipartisan coalition of 38 attorneys general to file a federal antitrust lawsuit against Google. The lawsuit asserts that the technology giant illegally leverages its dominance in the online search and search advertising markets to stifle competing platforms, drive advertisers away from rival search engines, and limit competing specialized sellers’ ability to bring customers directly to their sites from general Google search results.
STATEWIDE STOP SALE ORDER ISSUED FOR AGRO GOLD WS
OLYMPIA – The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) yesterday issued a statewide Stop Sale, Use and Removal Order for “Agro Gold WS,” a product sold for use in organic agriculture but found to contain active pesticide ingredients. Any organic operation that continues to use the product risks losing its organic certification.
https://agr.wa.gov/about-wsda/news-and-media-relations/news-releases?article=31973
Catching hope: Possible ally in fight against harmful fruit fly discovered in Asian giant hornet trap.
The benefits of the Washington State Department of Agriculture’s Asian giant hornet program just keep coming. Not only did they find and eradicate the first Asian giant hornet nest this fall, but now entomologists have found a very promising sign in the hornet traps: the first-known detection of Leptopilina japonica in the United States.--WSDA press release dated 12.14.20
https://wastatedeptag.blogspot.com/2020/12/wasp.html
Commerce awards $9.8 million for electric vehicle charging infrastructure throughout the state.
OLYMPIA, WA – The Washington State Department of Commerce today announced $9.8 million in Electrification of Transportation Systems (ETS) grants for 14 projects in communities across the state. Priority was given to projects designed to close gaps in availability of EV charging infrastructure and aid communities disproportionately impacted by climate change and pollution from transportation systems.
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IN TODAY'S HEADLINE NEWS.
WORLD NEWS HEADLINES:
Integral to societies, migrants are central to COVID-19 recovery: Guterres
The UN marks International Migrants Day on Friday, highlighting their essential contribution to societies everywhere, and underlining migrants' central role in recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. --UN NEWS CENTER
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/12/1080362
Thailand: UN rights office deeply troubled by treason charges for protestors.
Thailand’s decision to charge protestors with treason is deeply troubling, the UN Human Rights Office, OHCHR, said on Friday following the arrest of at least 35 activists, including a teenager, in recent weeks. --UN NEWS CWNTER
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/12/1080382
Fighting displaces over 500,000 in northern Mozambique, reports UN refuge agency.
Attacks by armed groups in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado, Nampula, Zambezia and Niassa provinces have displaced more than 530,000 people, many of whom have been forced to move multiple times, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said on Friday. ---UN NEWS CENTER
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/12/1080392
NATIONAL NEWS HEADLINES.
Remarks by Vice President Pence at a Safe and Effective Vaccine Confidence Event--WH
Three Additional States Ask Court To Join Justice Department Antitrust Suit Against Google
Today, the Attorneys General of Michigan and Wisconsin filed for permission to join the antitrust lawsuit filed by the United States and eleven other state Attorneys General against monopolist Google. This follows a similar recent motion by the California Attorney General to join the lawsuit on December 11, 2020.
We welcome the efforts by the States of Michigan, Wisconsin, and California to join the Justice Department’s complaint,” said Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey A. Rosen. “Their proposed joinder, along with the separate complaint filed today by a coalition of state Attorneys General, underscores the broad and bipartisan consensus that Google’s practices in search and search advertising need antitrust redress. These antitrust actions aim to open the door to the next wave of innovation in digital markets.”
“We look forward to litigating alongside our state partners for the benefit of American consumers,” said Deputy Assistant Attorney General Alexander Okuliar of the Antitrust Division.
In addition, today, a coalition of State Attorneys General filed an antitrust lawsuit against Google in the District of Columbia also alleging that Google unlawfully maintained monopolies in search and search advertising. These States have asked the court to consolidate the proceedings in their lawsuit with the United States’ pending antitrust case against Google.
The motions for joinder and for consolidation submitted by the States are currently pending.--DOJ
Tobacco Product Use Down Among Youths in 2020
But nearly 4.5 million still used tobacco products; e-cigarette use most common--CDC
https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2020/p1217-tobacco-product-use-down.html
Acting Secretary Chad F. Wolf Approves Appointments to the Faith-Based Security Advisory Council.--DHS
BUSINESS & FINANCE:
USDA, NASA Sign Agreement to Improve Agricultural, Earth Science Research.
(Washington, D.C., December 17, 2020) - The U.S. Department of Agriculture and NASA have signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at strengthening their longstanding partnership on space-based assets benefitting life on Earth.
D.C. Tax Return Preparer Sentenced to Prison for Preparing False Tax Return
Prepared False Tax Returns for Clients that She Filed Using Another Person’s Name
A D.C. tax return preparer was sentenced to 24 months in prison today following her guilty plea in February 2020 for aiding and assisting in the preparation of a false tax return, announced Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Richard E. Zuckerman of the Justice Department’s Tax Division.---DOJ
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/dc-tax-return-preparer-sentenced-prison-preparing-false-tax-return
Home Depot to Pay $20,750,000 Penalty for Nationwide Failure to Follow Rules for Conducting Renovations Involving Lead Paint
Home Depot to Improve Public Health Protections during Home Renovations
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Justice today announced a proposed nationwide settlement with Home Depot U.S.A. Inc. resolving alleged violations of the EPA’s Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) Rule at home renovations performed by Home Depot’s contractors across the country. The States of Utah, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island, which have EPA-authorized RRP programs, are joining the United States in this action.--DOJ
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR’S OSHA ANNOUNCES $3,646,228 IN CORONAVIRUS VIOLATIONS
WASHINGTON, DC – Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic through Dec. 10, 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued citations arising from 273 inspections for violations relating to coronavirus, resulting in proposed penalties totaling $3,646,228.
https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/osha/osha20201218
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NEWS STORY COMMENTARY
For Tyrants, It's Always Winter but Never Christmas.--By Jerry Newcombe/NEWSMAX
In C. S. Lewis’ book, "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," he describes a beautiful place (Narnia) under the spell of an evil character (the White Witch) — who symbolizes the devil. Lewis writes of her that it was she who has made it ''always winter, but never Christmas.''
https://www.newsmax.com/jerrynewcombe/founding-jay-lewis/2020/12/16/id/1001882/
BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY
Luke 1:68-70 (New King James Version)
“Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited and redeemed His people, And has raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of His servant David, As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets, Who have been since the world began,
