SJM 8004 is a Joint Memorial resolution, so remember, this is essentially a messaging bill. While it doesn’t provide healthcare, it does set intention and gets our legislators working in a coordinated fashion to pass a real universal healthcare bill. This is must-pass legislation this year.

The hearing is slated for next Friday, 3/21 at 8 AM (subject to change), and public testimony is needed! You can testify in-person in Olympia or via Zoom.

Additionally, everyone can provide written comments online. Let’s get in there and show our overwhelming PRO support – click the link below. As of this writing there were 10 PRO sign ins and 1 CON sign in (Elizabeth New, the lobbyist for the Washington Policy Center). How many PROs can we get this weekend? Let’s do this.

If you need guidance or want details, we’ll have updates on our website soon and please join our Slack #team-legislation channel where we’ll coordinate our testimony.

Despite impressive effort, neither SB 5233 nor HB 1445 was granted a hearing this legislative session. However, that’s not the whole story and not the end of the story. Whole Washington is part of a larger coalition still in communication with Health Committee Chairs. There is still hope.

We’re pursuing a joint-committee (meaning both the House and Senate health committees) work session (meaning a hearing with discussion and public testimony but without the pressure of a vote) that would take place in the interim of the legislative session. These bills are alive for two years.

Legislatively, we have to turn up the heat in specific districts. If you live in the districts below and can meet with your elected official, please reach out to andre@wholewashington.org. He will join you!

Want to know more details? Watch our Executive Director, Andre Stackhouse explain further in this month’s All Hands Meeting below. This topic begins around the 18-minute mark, but you’re encouraged to watch the whole presentation. It’s great!

The swagger is real. We have our first LABOR endorsement. Universal Healthcare can’t be won without unions, and now, we can pursue more unions and gain ground rapidly. Thank you, SPEEA!

Our next announcement comes with some legitimate muscle. Thanks to the efforts of our Board Chair, Carey Wallace and others, we’re thrilled to report the endorsement of the Washington State Democratic Party. We can increase the pressure for action from Democratic legislators!

The list of new endorsements goes even further. Three impressive organizations have stepped up to endorse:

We’ve also received backing from Kim Harless, City of Vancouver Councilmember and Susan Soto Palmer, Yakima County Commissioner!

If you or your organizations want to be added to our list of endorsers, please click below.

We’ll announce the entertainment and speaker line-up soon. For now, mark your calendars! This fundraiser will take our organization to a new level of operating, and we can’t wait for this magical evening.

The number of new Whole Washington volunteers is nothing less than astonishing, and there are two chances this month for training. Orientation is the first step, and then a follow-up training will help you go even further. The second training is great for newbies, and not-so-newbies, as it provides fresh perspective on our path to victory.

If you’re unable to attend, we’re posting meeting recordings on our YouTube channel!

Before we close, we want to take a moment to acknowledge the unsettling and tumultuous state of our country. It’s a lot, and we encourage everyone to join forces and participate in ways you may not have before.

Federal programs and funding are gravely threatened. It’s important to call out the threat to Medicare and Medicaid. In Washington, Medicaid takes the form of Apple Care, and half its funding comes from federal dollars. Medicaid cuts will devastate Washingtonians, especially in rural communities.

While there’s staggering upheaval nationally, we’re building something beautiful here at the state level. Something that other states can model. Something we can fight for.  The work we do here has never been more important. Please consider a financial donation. And please consider making it a monthly contribution.

Thank you for giving your time, talents, and treasure to build the healthcare system we need and deserve.

Whole Washington