January 23, 2017

NEWS

1/23/17 – An Inspiring Weekend

WOW – we knew that there was going to be a big turnout at the marches this Saturday, but we didn’t expect it to be the largest demonstration in US history nationwide! Turnout was huge across Washington – more than 120,000 in Seattle, 10,000 in Olympia, 8,000 in Spokane, 6,000 in Bellingham, and thousands in cities like Walla Walla, Wenatchee, Friday Harbor, Langley, Richland, and more.

We loved this aerial video of the Seattle march.

This is a truly inspiring moment. This isn’t just limited to a few isolated spots on the map – people across our state in areas urban and rural are marching alike, working together to speak as a strong voice for progressive values.

We have been heard, but we must continue our work. Here are some ideas for next steps you can take:

Sign up to volunteer in the important special elections coming up this year! The Republican-controlled Senate is only a 25-24 margin, and with special elections this year in the 45th and 31st legislative districts, we can flip a seat and win back Democratic control of the Senate – with your help!

Share a story on social media about why you marched and the issues that motivate you to stand up and fight back against Trump and the Republican Congress.

Commit to making one phone call per day to a Republican member of the Senate asking them to not repeal the Affordable Care Act. It just takes a few minutes and is an easy way to get your opinion registered. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office says that repealing the ACA would take health care away from 32 million Americans (including 750,000 Washingtonians) and would double the insurance premiums people pay. Here is the contact info for every member of the Senate: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm?OrderBy=state

Send us a photo from a march you attended at communications@wa-democrats.org! We’d love to put together a photo album on Facebook of some of Democrats’ favorite photos from the marches.

Sign up to be a Forever Voter – pledge to vote in every election.

Together, we can keep up the fight for a fairer, more just America.

House Passed Education Funding!

We’ve talked about the “levy cliff” bill in these emails before – the bill is HB 1059, legislation to protect Washington schools from $358 million in funding cuts that will happen next year if the legislature doesn’t act. If HB 1059 doesn’t pass and the legislature doesn’t act to fully fund schools, districts could be forced to lay off thousands of teachers, raise class sizes, and hurt the kids who rely on a great education for a bright future in life.

This morning, the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives brought the bill to the floor for a vote and it passed, 62-35. All of the no votes were Republicans, who voted to cut funding for the students and schools they represent.

We’re so glad that Democrats in the House acted on this bill, but now it goes to the Republican Senate. Last year Democrats in the House passed this same bill and Senate Republicans killed it. Killing the bill was so unpopular that it played a major role in the defeat of Steve Litzow in the election this past November, who was the Senate education lead for the Republicans at the time. Now, Senate Republicans will have to decide if they want to stand with the voters and do the right thing for students, or if they’ll stick with their extreme conservative agenda.

Republican Sen. Hans Zeiger is the chair of the Senate Education Committee. He represents the Puyallup area, where the Puyallup School District would see cuts of $8.8 million if the legislature doesn’t act. Call Zeiger at 360-786-7648 and tell him to pass the levy cliff bill, HB 1059, and prevent funding cuts for schools in his district and across the state!

Thanks for reading – you can reach us at communications@wa-democrats.org with your thoughts and feedback. Let’s keep a spotlight on the legislature this year and we’ll stay in touch with you about how we can work together to fight back, beat the Republicans, and deliver wins for the people of Washington!

The WA Democrats Communications Team

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