Washingtonians who are victims of police violence face too many barriers to holding officers and departments accountable. Washington communities witness this as evidence of bias in favor of police and against civilians, and trust erodes as a result. The Peace Officer Accountability Act could change this dynamic and begin building trust that law enforcement will be carried out in their communities responsibly and fairly. The bill would remove barriers for victims and their families to sue, like qualified immunity, and hold officers and departments civilly liable for misconduct. It would also authorize the Attorney General’s office to investigate and bring lawsuits against departments where there are patterns of wrongdoing. Removing barriers to civil lawsuits would incentivize departments to improve training and supervision and deter individual officers from engaging in police misconduct. As interactions between police and civilians improve, trust will grow, and communities will become safer.

Fact Sheet [English]
Fact Sheet [Spanish] 


In 2015 the United Nations adopted amendments to the 60-year-old Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners and renamed them the Nelson Mandela Rules to honor the legacy of the late President of South Africa, who spent 27 years in prison in the course of his struggle for justice for indigenous Africans subjugated under the colonial apartheid regime. The amendments included an outright prohibition on “prolonged solitary confinement,” defined as solitary confinement for more than 15 consecutive days. Yet today, many of Washington’s incarcerated population endure longer periods of solitary confinement. This practice perpetuates immoral treatment of prisoners and poses risks to their wellbeing, as isolation exacerbates mental health issues and undermines rehabilitation. House Bill 1756 and its companion bill, Senate Bill 5639, would reform the state’s use of solitary confinement to bring it into compliance with the Mandela Rules.

 

In Washington state, mergers and acquisitions between health care entities like hospitals and provider organizations are prolific and can negatively impact cost, quality, and access to necessary health care services, including reproductive, end-of-life and gender-affirming care. The Keep Our Care Act would hold health entities accountable by requiring Attorney General oversight of health entity consolidations and by requiring that consolidations improve rather than harm communities’ access to affordable quality care.

Resources + Toolkit 

Every Washingtonian should have access to health care, but federal restrictions and state austerity cuts have left many immigrants in our state without critical health services. The 2021 operating budget directed the Health Benefit Exchange to pursue the creation of a health coverage program by 2024 for people who are ineligible for federal assistance. The Health Equity for Immigrants Campaign is calling on the Legislature to fulfill this promise and fund the next steps in this effort to ensure the program is successfully launched in 2024. Meeting the basic health care needs for all Washingtonians will make every community healthier and our economy stronger.



 

This bill creates meaningful, people-centric digital privacy protections for Washingtonians. It gives individuals the right to know what personal information companies and organizations are collecting and puts people in control of whether and how their information is used. It prohibits secret surveillance, installing and using face recognition systems in places of public accommodation, unauthorized sale or use of personal data, and use of data to discriminate. Importantly, it allows people to enforce any violations through the courts. Washington is a technology leader and should be setting a meaningful standard for privacy protections. This bill sets that gold standard and puts Washingtonians in control of their data.

Bills to Support

**Sign in PRO on SSB 5116 (the regulation of automated decision making systems) before Monday, January 31 at 3:00 PM