In January VOICES members convened at the Monthly Meeting to choose the issues that were most important to them. Through the process of a “dot-o-cracy” attendees chose which issues were most important to them. Our legislative agenda is final product of the process! Next step? Make some noise! Call your legislators! Write letters to the editor! Share your stories! Come to a VOICES meeting! VOICES can help you find ways to make change! Together we can make a difference!
2009 Washington State Legislative Agenda
Protect health and human services funding
Health and human services funding plays a critical role in keeping our families and communities safe, particularly in times of budget crises. VOICES members believe services that provide a safety net for people’s basic needs must be protected. We encourage protecting in particular the following programs that have been identified for reduction or elimination: GAU/GAX, the Basic Health Program, Adult Dental Care, Mental Health Services, Substance Abuse Treatment, and After-school and readiness-to-learn grants.
Repeal TANF Full Family Sanctions and protect children
Research has shown that families under full sanctions often have significant barriers, such as access to reliable transportation or reliable child care. Full family sanctions don’t work as incentives if people don’t have enough resources to overcome their disadvantages.
Restore Voting Rights for Felons Who Have Served Their Time
An estimated 151,000 Washingtonians – 3.7% of the state’s total voting population – are currently disenfranchised from voting because of their status as ex-felons who have served a sentence but are still completing financial responsibilities to the state. VOICES believes those who have served their time deserve to exercise their right to vote and not be discriminated against because of financial status. SB5534
Help Low-Income Families Build Assets and Move Out of Poverty
VOICES supports the Neighborhood Assets Program, THORS, IDA accounts, and housing assistance programs as ways for people of low-income to work toward self-sufficiency.
Protect Consumers by Regulating Predatory Lending
Access to credit is important for people of all classes in American society. VOICES supports offering equal access to credit for low-income people, without being charged criminally high interest rates that take millions of dollars out of our low-income communities.
