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Inslee inks police accountability legislative package

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Gov. Jay Inslee signed a dozen bills last Tuesday that will improve accountability for law enforcement in Washington state, and will create the nation's strongest police accountability system. The governor, joined by community members and families of those impacted, signed the bills at the Eastside Community Center in Tacoma.

The governor signed legislation that will create an Office of Independent Investigations that reports to the governor, prohibit certain uses of force and will require more thorough oversight requirements for hiring and for reporting misconduct.

"The crises of the past year have unmasked long-standing inequities in our society. The consciousness of our state and nation has been raised against inequity in many forms," Inslee said. "Our moral mandate to acknowledge these hard truths crystallized in the fallout from the killing of George Floyd in Minnesota, and the killing of Manny Ellis in Tacoma. The bills I am signing today respect these truths and lay a solid foundation to halt inequity's pernicious influence in our systems of government."

Katrina Johnson --  cousin of Charleena Lyles, who was killed in Seattle in June of 2017 --  praised the legislation being signed and thanked the governor and state for allowing impacted families to lead in policy discussions, as they are "experts of [their] experience."

"To the impacted families, take a bow knowing your loved ones death is not in vain," Johnson said Tuesday. "Today, we stand united in strength and bonded together in pain and blood. We celebrate this bill signing day, and tomorrow it is back to work on implementation."

Inslee Signs Climate

Change Legislative

Gov. Jay Inslee signed a historic climate change legislative package last Monday (May 17) during a three-stop tour through King County.

The governor signed the Climate Commitment Act, environmental justice legislation, a clean fuels standard and bills related to reducing Washington's single-use plastic waste and hydrofluorocarbon pollution. The governor also vetoed sections

"We've got a heck of a job to do in the years to come. Our climate commitment, made by our legislature in 2020, is to cut climate pollution by over 50 percent in the next nine years, on our pathway to net-zero climate pollution by 2050. It won't be easy, but these bills go a long ways to getting us there," Inslee said."Today we commit to our kids and grandkids to do the hard work, so that they will have good jobs and a safe, healthy future, here in our beautiful home state."

Inslee was joined by legislators, tribal members, community members and organizations, and other stakeholders as he signed legislation that secured Washington's top position in the country battling the climate change crisis.

The governor also issued partial vetoes for HB 1091 and SB 5126.

Healthy Washington, Safe

Workers Proclamations

Gov. Jay Inslee issued an extension of the Healthy Washington - Roadmap to Recovery emergency proclamation, Proclamation 20-25.13. Additionally, the governor issued new worker protections that safeguard employees who wish to get vaccinated, or who are in isolation or quarantine, from adverse action by their employer.

This extension provides that all counties are in Phase 3 as of May 18, 2021. It also incorporates the new CDC face covering guidance, adopted by the Governor on May 13, 2021, which generally provides that fully vaccinated individuals are not required to wear a mask inside or outside, except in certain locations (health care settings, correctional facilities, homeless shelters, schools and public transportation).

The proclamation clarifies that business owners may adopt an "honor system" and may assume that any customer who is not wearing a face covering has been fully vaccinated. It further clarifies that business owners and local authorities have the option to require that customers wear a face covering, and that local authorities may not prohibit business owners from requiring that their customers wear a face covering.

The proclamation also addresses the application of this new rule to employees and employers, and requires that employers must obtain proof of vaccination or obtain a self-attestation from the employee, attesting to their fully vaccinated status, before an employee may work at a worksite without wearing a mask. It further permits employers to continue to require that employees wear a face covering, regardless of vaccination status.

In addition to protecting workers who wish to get vaccinated, or who are in isolation or quarantine, from adverse actions by their employer, Proclamation 21-08 will also align with the CDC recommendation that employers provide flexible options for worker vaccinations.

"We call on Washington employers to remain vigilant in their promotion of employee vaccinations, and this proclamation will alleviate another barrier to vaccine access," Inslee said.






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