Inclusive education can preempt hate, says Spokane org
As hate crimes and bias motivated incidents rise across the U.S., according to FBI data, one group in Spokane wants to approach the issue through the schools.
"I think right now is the time more than ever to try and implement more policies and programs related to increasing inclusive education," political organizer Tia Moua said.
Moua works with Asians for Collective Action, which is advocating for a bill in the Washington legislature to increase public school education requirements about Asian American and Pacific Islander history — including the history of anti-Asian bigotry in the United States.
Ideas like the “perpetual foreigner” and “model minority myth” are still pervasive, Moua said.
"If people knew these stereotypes, then they'd be able to dismantle them more easily and be able to see that we do have a rich diversity in our Asian cultures," she told SPR News
Moua said examples like a Spokane Valley state senator’s recent Facebook post — which said a bank sign having English and Chinese translations was “wrong” — show there’s still a need for education on this issue.
"We know that education is the best way to combating racism and discrimination," Moua said. When people are more aware of other cultures and experiences, they're a lot less likely to discriminate and they're a lot more empathetic and understanding."
WA bill would add new requirements to address bullying of trans students
Republican lawmakers in Washington are pushing back against a Democratic-led effort to roll back parts of the “Parents Bill of Rights.” That initiative passed last year and became law in June.
A new House bill, HB 1296, is aimed at protecting transgender students. State Rep. Joel McEntire from Cathlamet said the legislation goes against Donald Trump’s executive order that recognizes only two sexes.
“Does this legislation bring us closer or further away from the federal direction where they're rightly ridding themselves of the gender expansive nonsense?” McEntire said.
Democrats want to repeal the parts of the "Parents' Bill of Rights" that allow parents to let their kids skip assignments about sexual orientation, religious beliefs, or political affiliation. They also want to repeal parental access to kids’ school medical and mental health records – an ACLU lawsuit is temporarily halting those parts of the law.
Rep. Monica Stonier, the primary sponsor of HB 1296, sent a message to Washington’s students:
“Whether you identify as straight, gay, trans, however you show up, your success is our responsibility,” she said.
Albert, a trans high school senior from Medical Lake, testified in favor of the rollback, saying, “In schools, focusing on education is far more important than focusing, than requiring educators to out their students. For many trans youth, it's a matter of safety.”
The bill would also add new requirements for school districts to address bullying against transgender students.
GOP proposals would repeal ID’s expanded Medicaid program, cut income taxes
Idaho’s voter-approved Medicaid expansion program is on the chopping block under a new bill submitted in the state House.
If passed into law, the bill would completely repeal Medicaid expansion in Idaho, which serves about 85,000 people.
The program is estimated to cost the state nearly $98 million under Gov. Brad Little’s budget plan next fiscal year, or 10% of its Medicaid share.
Republican Rep. John Vander Woude introduced the repeal bill.
“We’re on a trajectory that I just don’t think that we can afford to continue and I do think we need to take a closer look on how this is funded, what the programs are,” Vander Woude said.
House Minority Leader Ilana Rubel said cutting Medicaid expansion entirely would actually cost Idaho more in the long run.
“There have been huge savings throughout the system in corrections and behavioral health. Certainly in terms of all those funds we had to [pay for] before to ensure we don’t lose all our rural hospitals,” Rubel said.
Vander Woude’s bill would not replace Medicaid expansion with indigent care programs Idaho previously had in place.
Idaho lawmakers are also continuing to push for a lower state income tax. The latest effort would cut state revenues by a quarter-billion dollars.
Under the bill from House Speaker Mike Moyle, Idaho’s personal and corporate income taxes would drop to 5.3%. That would be down nearly four-tenths of a point from current rates. It would also give certain veterans a tax break on their retirement benefits.
"If you’re younger and you want to come back and continue to work, we’ll give you an exemption on your retirement also," Moyle said.
House Assistant Minority Leader Steve Berch said he likes the proposed cut for veterans. But he thinks the legislature should put the bill on ice until they have a better sense of the state budget.
"We can talk about how much money we want to take off the table," Berch said. "But first, to make a decision, I’d like to understand what our fiscal obligations are to know if we can afford this."
Moyle said other proposals to cut the state sales tax and lower county property taxes will be introduced soon.
WA lawmakers consider bill inspired by ballot drop box attacks
Following an arson attack ahead of last November’s election that torched hundreds of ballots in a southwest Washington drop box, state lawmakers are looking at modest ways to better secure the boxes.
On Friday, a state Senate panel advanced a bill to include messaging on drop boxes about criminal penalties for tampering with them.
Senate Bill 5011 would require each visible side of ballot boxes to display two messages. One would note the box is the property of the county that bought the box. The other would state tampering with the box may violate state and federal law.
The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Jeff Wilson, R-Longview, said the deliberately set fire in Vancouver before the election inspired the legislation.
“What is contained in those boxes is the most precious thing I can certainly think of, which is everybody’s vote,” Wilson told the Senate’s State Government, Tribal Affairs and Elections Committee. “That individual’s vote is to be protected and guarded.”
Another measure Wilson has proposed, Senate Bill 5010, would create a grant program in the secretary of state’s office for counties to install cameras around ballot boxes. That bill hasn’t been scheduled for a public hearing.
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Reporting was contributed by Owen Henderson, Murrow Fellowship reporter Laura Isaza, James Dawson, and Jake Goldstein-Street.