WCPA 2023 Legislative Efforts
Some introductory information on the 3 police reform bills I will be working on with the Washington Coalition for Police Accountability (WCPA) in the 2023 legislative session. Access to Fairness Act - Victims of Police Violence Deserve Justice (House Bill) The Pattern or Practice Act - It’s Time to End
The Duwamish Tribe’s Fight for Justice & Recognition
The Duwamish Tribe (literally meaning people of the inside) have been in existence for thousands of years and are the first nations people of the city of Seattle - which was founded in 1865 and named after the world renowned Chief Se'alt (whose mother was Duwamish and father was
Lets Keep Investing in our State’s Economic Well Being
As many of you know Initiative 1929 - which if it had collected the required signatures by July 1st would've been on our November ballot to repeal the newly approved (2021 legislative session) tax on less than one percent of our state's households who receive revenue from a capital
Progress was made in the 2022 Legislative Session
Though during this session there were many supplemental budget victories - here are two that Partners for Social Change (PSC) were involved in: $30 million was appropriated for refugee resettlement that will mostly go to non-profit organizations doing this work. This effort came about during the 60-day session -
Sentencing and Criminal Justice reform bills stall in 2022 legislature
Partners for Social Change has several lobbying partners that worked on many sentencing/criminal justice related bills this past session; it was extremely disappointing (especially for family members and their loved ones who are in our prison system) that none of the bills we advocated for passed. Some of these
Police Reform goes backward in the 2022 legislative session
As director of Partners for Social Change (PSC) Paul lobbied and partnered with the WCPA (WA Coalition for Police Accountability) for the second session in a row. In 2021, we passed some very transformative bills - HB 1310 established de-escalation as a statewide standard for law enforcement officers; HB
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Isaiah 61:1, 2 | John 4:18-19
