Capitol Ideas: The Washington State House Democratic Caucus Podcast

Despite a tenure of just three years in the House, Rep. Jesse Johnson has been one of the Legislature's busiest and most respected members almost from the day he was first sworn in to fill a vacancy in the 30th district in January 2020. He's leaving the House at the end of his current term to play a bigger role in the life of his newborn son. In this special Capitol Ideas, Jesse reflects on his brief time as a lawmaker, the accomplishments he's most proud of, and work yet to be done.

Rep. Lisa Callan co-chairs the Legislature's Children and Youth Behavioral Health Work Group. She sits on the House Children, Youth, and Families Committee. Are you seeing a pattern here? If you're a child, a youth, or a member of a family, chances are excellent Lisa has sponsored successful legislation during her time in the House that makes your life better. Stick around for a half hour and get acquainted with someone who plays an important role in your life, whether you know it or not.

Rep. Tina Orwall, today's guest, is a powerhouse of a legislator. She has a tendency to sponsor successful bills, and a look at those bills reveals where her priorities lie: justice for those who have suffered sexual assault or trafficking, veterans' issues, suicide prevention, jobs and economic development, safety for persons experiencing behavioral health crises, foster youth, and adoptee rights, to name just a few. Tina is also Speaker Pro Tem of the Washington State House, handling the gavel and guiding debate during most floor sessions. She makes a return visit to Capitol Ideas today.

For this week's Capitol Ideas we're heading up to the Olympic Peninsula to hear from Rep. Mike Chapman, the six-year veteran of the House who chairs the House Rural Development, Agriculture, and Natural Resources Committee. Mike is a former law-enforcement professional, served four terms as a Clallam County commissioner, and lives in Port Angeles when he's not in Olympia. Today's topics range from the college-loan crisis to the origins of Washington's short legislative sessions to getting things by forging bipartisan alliances.

What's it like to occupy the highest office in the Washington state House of Representatives? Speaker of the House Laurie Jinkins knows. What's that job entail? And how is she committed to making Washington a better, healthier, safer, and more equitable home for everyone in the state? You'll find out in today's special Capitol Ideas.

It's always a good day when House Majority Leader Pat Sullivan drops by the Capitol Ideas HQ. Now in his 12th year as Majority Leader, Rep. Sullivan is busy with budget negotiations and countless other duties, but high on his priority list is getting his one-percent college-loan program approved in the Senate and signed by Gov. Inslee. It's been a multi-year effort and this looks like the year.

If you know what doulas are and the valuable services they provide, you'll enjoy this conversation with Rep. Kirsten Harris-Talley. If doula is a new word for you, you just might get even more out of today's episode. Rep. Harris-Talley (D-Seattle) is sponsor of the Doulas for All Act, legislation that could transform the birthing process for countless families. To keep up with progress on the bill, visit https://bit.ly/3H1AMdb.

This is your chance to get to know Rep. Brandy Donaghy. Brandy, who lives in Everett and represents Washington's 44th legislative district, is a Navy vet, community educator, and emergency-preparedness expert who was appointed in December to the House seat vacated when Rep. John Lovick accepted an appointment to the state Senate.

Current estimates put Washington's housing shortage at about 250,000 units, and today's guests, Rep. Jessica Bateman and Sen. Mona Das, are sponsoring legislation that would open the door for construction of tens of thousands of affordable homes -- duplexes, triplexes, quads and sixplexes -- in neighborhoods currently zoned for single-family homes only. Bateman and Das explain how HB 1782 and SB 5670 could begin to reverse decades of sprawl, housing inequity, and greenhouse gas pollution, and the homelessness crisis that has mushroomed in recent years. To keep up with progress on the bills, visit https://bit.ly/3B0VXKY or https://bit.ly/3GwU8GC, respectively.

The first Capitol Ideas guest of 2022 is Rep. Tana Senn. Tana is from Bellevue, is a Democrat, of course, and is one of the state's leading advocates for kids, young adults, and families. She's sponsoring an important bill about preventing youth homelessness this session, and we'll talk about it today. If you want to see the bill and track its progress, visit https://bit.ly/32pDTNQ.

Long before joining the House Democratic Caucus in 2021, Jessica Bateman, both as a private citizen and as a member of the Olympia city council, was a fighter -- for climate action, affordable housing, and affordable and accessible health care, for social justice, equity, and kids at risk. Now that she's representing the 22nd legislative district as a state representative, Jess fights for those same issues, but in a larger arena. We'll talk about all this and more in today's special edition of Capitol Ideas.

Growing up in Marysville, Rep. Emily Wicks knew that somehow, someday, she wanted to work for her friends and neighbors. Since her appointment to fill a vacant seat in the state House in 2020, and her subsequent election victory, she’s been doing just that as a state representative. In this edition of Capitol Ideas we’ll hear about those premonitions, what she’s been doing since they came true, and what her plans are for 2022 and beyond.

Meet Rep. April Berg of Mill Creek, in the heart of Washington's 44th legislative district. She hasn't learned her way around the Capitol, because her first session was conducted remotely. But she's learned how to succeed as a legislator, and how to be an effective voice for her constituents. Give her 18 minutes today, and she'll give you a fresh look at the future of your Legislature.

Rep. My-Linh Thai is many things: a pharmacist, a mother, a PTA leader, a former school board director, a state representative, and an American citizen who came to the U.S. as a refugee from her native Vietnam at age 15. We'll talk about how all those experiences helped shape her philosophy of compassionate legislating, and how that approach to lawmaking makes her an effective member of the Legislature.

Rep. Melanie Morgan makes an encore appearance in today's Capitol Ideas, and we'll talk about racial equity, the new Juneteenth state holiday, why passing bills is sometimes overrated, and reaching across the Cascades to make Washington's supposed east-west divide irrelevant.

Brand-new state Rep. Tarra Simmons is an attorney, a former nurse, and a familiar face at the Capitol from her years of advocacy for laws designed to extend the American dream to communities that haven’t always been at the front of the line, including but not limited to persons formerly or currently incarcerated. There's a reason for that, but if you want to learn more you'll just have to listen.

In a tragic and tumultuous year, relations between law enforcement and the communities they are sworn to serve have frayed beyond the breaking point. Police killings, brutally excessive uses of force, and militarization to the point where police officers resemble occupying forces...they've taken a toll. Rep. Johnson brought together citizens affected by police violence, law enforcement groups, lawmakers, and other interested parties to forge a solution. We'll talk about the results of his efforts today.

It's been a little over a year since Rep. Shelley Kloba sat down for a conversation on Capitol Ideas. A lot has changed in that time, including the pandemic that forced us to record today's episode remotely. Something that hasn't changed is her commitment to the idea that you own your personal data, and it should be up to you how it's used and who uses it. We'll talk about that today.

Of the thousands of farms in Washington, an agriculture-intensive state, fewer than 100 are owned by Black farmers. Rep. Melanie Morgan points to generations of systemic racism as a key reason for this underrepresentation, and is sponsoring legislation this year to enlist the state Department of Agriculture, schools, and other allies to help facilitate an increase in Black-owned family farms.

Rep. Alex Ramel introduced the Healthy Homes and Clean Buildings Act this session to put Washington on track to meet its carbon goals by mid-century. It's a key piece in a package of legislation designed to turn the tide on climate change and reduce the staggering quantities of carbon belched out into Washington skies by countless thousands of buildings using natural gas, mostly for heating that could be done almost carbon-free by electricity. We're kicking off the 2021 season of Capitol Ideas by letting Ramel, a Democratic lawmaker from the 40th legislative district, tell us how the HHCB Act works, and why it needs to.