Our 2013 Legislative Agenda is now ONLINE!

As we close out a month that marks the beginning of a new year and a new legislative session, we’re proud to present our 2013 Legislative Agenda. This time of year brings a sense of hope and excitement; people and families across Washington have made their resolutions and have renewed their aspirations for a bright and prosperous year. As the legislature is now in full swing, Poverty Action also remains hopeful, exited, and above all, resolute in our mission of economic justice.

And resolute we must stay. Our newly elected Governor and our state legislators are once again facing a series of critical choices that will impact the lives of millions of Washingtonians. This year alone, legislators will decide:

• How to fulfill the requirements of the State Supreme Court’s McCleary school funding decision, while keeping our state’s commitment to a safety net of services for our seniors, low-incomes families, people with disabilities, and children;
• How to implement federal health care reform, the Affordable Care Act, to ensure that everyone in our state can access health insurance;
• Whether they will protect Washington consumers from predatory debt products that have cropped up in the wake of the Great Recession;
• And how to build a more robust and stable revenue system that can meet the demands of a 21st century economy.

At Poverty Action, our hopes for the coming year are not any different from the hopes of many families across the state; they are the hopes for a budget and policies that reflect our collective values. We hope for safe and thriving communities. In short, we hope for progress and the opportunity for our state and our families to prosper.

In order to achieve these hopes and aspirations, Poverty Action activists and advocates must take action. The purpose of our Legislative Agenda is to share what policies our 8,000 members across the state believe are essential to ensuring everyone in our state can reach economic security.

Learn more about our priorities by downloading the report. Use it as a tool for conversation with your families, legislators and friends. When we talk our values, leaders talk solutions.