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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
We have only two more weeks until the policy cutoff where bills are either passed from their original policy committee or are considered “dead” for the rest of session. Longtime legislative observers know there are no truly “dead” bills if the majority party so deems. But for the most part, legislators are beginning the final push to get their bills a public hearing and through this first hurdle of the legislative session.
Protecting women’s sports in WA schools
I am a cosponsor of House Bill 1699 which will protect women’s sports by allowing school boards to adopt policies prohibiting biologically male students from competing with and against female students and provides procedures for the determinization of student biological sex.
President Trump’s recent Executive Order, and the NCAA saying they will comply at the collegiate level, paves the way for us to address this at the state level. We need a path forward to protect all of our female student-athletes in K-12. Biological males have been competing against women throughout the collegiate and international competitions, setting unheard of “women’s” records, denying female athletes fair competition, and even causing physical harm. This dangerous and oftentimes humiliating practice must end.
Banning Woodstoves?
Many of you have already contacted me about Senate Bill 5174 which would essentially eliminate most wood stoves as a way of heating homes. I want you to know that I am strongly against this bill and will fight against it if it reaches the House.
For many rural residents, a wood stove is the only efficient way to heat their homes. And even when alternative heat sources are available, wood heat is often the only way to ensure families can stay warm during power outages that are common in remote areas of our district.
If you want to leave comments for members of the Senate Environment, Energy and Technology Committee, click the bolded bill number above and look for the green boxes on the righthand side of the page. Let your voice be heard on this one, folks! It has been proposed before and we’ve been able to fight it. But we need your help!
Thank you for reading my email update. Please continue to contact my office with questions or concerns about state government issues. It is a privilege to serve you.
Sincerely,
Joe Schmick
