Gov. Inslee Press Updates: Mon, Mar 15 at 3:50 PM

Inslee signs emergency proclamation requiring in-person education opportunities for public K-12 schools

Gov. Jay Inslee today signed an emergency proclamation prohibiting all public K-12 schools in Washington from failing to provide opportunities in both remote instruction and on-campus, in-person instruction. The proclamation aims to address the alarming educational inequities and mental health concerns among students as a result of prolonged remote education.

“This has been a long year for our state’s students and their families. They have lived with fear and uncertainty,” Inslee said during a press conference Friday. “The youth mental health crisis has become significantly worse during the COVID-19 pandemic, and it is time to provide an in-person learning option to help students that need it.”

Under the proclamation, schools will be allowed to stagger the reintroduction of students to campus. Schools will be expected to provide an in-person learning option that equates to at least 30% of instructional time by two key deadlines:

April 5: All students in kindergarten through fifth or sixth grade (depending on the school district) must be offered a hybrid option.

April 19: All remaining K-12 students must be offered a hybrid option.

In addition, schools must offer students at least two days per week of on-campus, in-person instruction.

As schools open, they must adhere to physical distancing, masking and environmental cleaning requirements set out by the state Department of Health (DOH) and worker safety requirements issued by the state Department of Labor and Industries.

The proclamation also orders the state Health Care Authority and DOH to immediately begin work on recommendations on how to support the behavioral health needs of our children and youth over the next six to 12 months, and to address and triage the full spectrum of rising pediatric behavioral health needs.

Inslee announces updated school guidance for in-person instruction   Gov. Jay Inslee and Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal today announced an update in the metrics used to inform local school district decisions for in-person learning. They also announced $3 million from set aside funds to be distributed to implement health and safety protocols. The update to the school health and safety toolkit comes after recent data showed limited COVID-19 transmission in school environments when state health and safety protocols are implemented. The Department of Health suggests three categories for re-introducing in-person learning: For schools in counties where COVID-19 cases are “low” (less than 50 residents per 100,000), in-person learning should be made available for all students. In counties where COVID-19 cases are “moderate” (between 50 and 350 residents per 100,000), in-person learning should be phased in, starting with elementary students not already attending in person and middle school students, followed by high school students. Finally, in counties where COVID-19 cases are “high” (over 350,000 per 100,000 residents), it’s recommended that schools should only offer in-person instruction for elementary and high-need students in small groups of 15 students or fewer.  "I have sought the opinions of state and local education administrators, as well as educators, staff, parents and school boards. And today, we are providing them more clarity and confidence in getting students back in the classroom," Inslee said during a press conference Wednesday. "Many people's lives revolve around a regular school schedule and, apart from the academics, schools provide social supports that advance healthy childhood development." Related to safety in schools, the governor will issue an accompanying proclamation requiring schools by law to implement health and safety measures, and mandates staff involvement in health and safety related decisions. Read the rest of the story on the governor's Medium page. Read the full in-person guidance here.

December 27, 2020 Inslee announces state action following Trump’s refusal to sign Pandemic Unemployment Assistance extension

Gov. Jay Inslee announced today the state will provide funding for almost 100,000 Washingtonians who will lose federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) benefits following President Trump’s refusal to act on the federal coronavirus relief package. The president had until midnight on December 26th to sign the sweeping relief bill to avert a lapse in PUA benefits.  “We are providing a bridge for some Washingtonians until the federal government finally acts. It is extremely unfortunate that the president has missed the deadline and allowed much-needed unemployment benefits to lapse for struggling workers and families. The relief bill was negotiated by his own administration, supported by both Republicans and Democrats and passed with overwhelming majorities in the House and Senate. His last-minute demands can and should be dealt with separately, but instead, the president has chosen to hold the entire relief package hostage. “In our state, we prepared for the possibility of a lapse in benefits and in anticipating it, we developed a plan for a one-time payment for those who have been receiving PUA benefits. Because we established a state backup plan, we can take action today to help some of those harmed by the president’s decision. “Today, I am announcing that Washington state will provide $54 million to extend a one-time Pandemic Relief Payment to 94,555 people in our state who have been claiming PUA and will be immediately impacted by the lapse in federal benefits. The Employment Security Department will be issuing this state benefit later this week. This does not solve all the problems caused by the president’s inaction — we are doing what we can, but we simply do not have the ability to replace all of the unemployment supports in the relief package. However, for some people in our state who have been receiving PUA benefits, this will prevent an immediate loss of assistance at a time when they are most in need. “Families and businesses will face devastating consequences if the president continues to block the bipartisan package. Hopefully he does the right thing and ultimately signs the bill. But, even if the legislation is signed in the days ahead, thousands of Washingtonians will lose at least a week of pandemic unemployment assistance — and that is unacceptable to me.” This emergency payment will be issued by the Washington State Employment Security Department (ESD) to all PUA claimants who were in active status the week ending November 21st, and will total $550 per claimant, which equates to roughly two weeks of benefits for most PUA recipients. If signed, the federal relief package would extend federal PUA benefits through March 14, 2021. The PUA program provides federal unemployment benefits for those not eligible for regular Unemployment Insurance, such as independent contractors and self-employed workers. ESD will have more information on their webpage later today at https://esd.wa.gov/ Website link press@updates.gov.wa.gov

December 23, 2020  

Inslee announces eviction moratorium extension 

Gov. Jay Inslee today announced he will extend the eviction moratorium to March 31, 2021. The current eviction moratorium was set to expire on December 31.

"COVID-19 has had a significant financial impact on Washingtonians over the last nine months," Inslee said. "I know this moratorium has been critical for many families and individuals as they cope with the impacts of this virus. People need certainty about whether the moratorium will be extended, and it is important that I provide that certainty today while we work out the final details of the moratorium."

Additional details and a full announcement will come next week. 

December 21, 2020

Proclamation 20-83: COVID-19 Prohibitions on Travel from Countries with 501Y.V Variant Circulation

Today Gov. Jay Inslee issued a 14-day quarantine requirement for anyone returning to Washington state after visiting the United Kingdom, South Africa and other countries where a new variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, 501Y.V, has been circulating.

Health experts believe this new variant may be more transmissible than other variants. The order applies to anyone who has been present in these countries within the prior 14 days. An individual is permitted to leave quarantine to perform certain essential activities (for example, seek medical treatment), provided that they avoid public transportation and ride-share services, wear a facial covering, separate themselves from other people to the greatest extent reasonably possible, and follow other appropriate social distancing measures. All individuals who are impacted by this order are strongly encouraged to be tested within seven days of returning to Washington.

The full proclamation is available here.

Proclamation 20-25.10: Stay Safe, Stay Healthy

Gov. Inslee also updated Proclamation 20-25 and related guidance for houses of worship, weddings, and funerals. Currently, houses of worship are permitted to hold indoor services with up to 25% room capacity or 200 people, whichever is fewer.

The 200 person maximum attendance cap is being removed in response to the December 15, 2020 decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in Calvary Chapel Dayton Valley v. Sisolak, which struck down Nevada’s 50-person attendance caps, interpreting the Supreme Court’s decision in Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn v. Cuomo to represent a ‘seismic shift in Free Exercise law.’ 

Because the Governor believes the attendance cap will help save lives, he is converting the required 200-person cap to a recommended cap. The Governor recognizes and respects that it is the role of the courts to say what the law is. The Governor does not intend to re-impose mandatory numerical caps specific to religious services unless the Ninth Circuit or the Supreme Court clarifies the state of the law. Other minor modifications are made to align the guidance documents and the proclamation related to music and singing.

The full proclamation is available here.

December 20, 2020

Inslee announces authorization of Moderna vaccine by Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup

Gov. Jay Inslee today announced the authorization of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine by the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup.

The announcement comes after the FDA and CDC granted their initial authorization of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. The Western States Workgroup, comprised of vaccine experts from Washington, California, Oregon and Nevada, have been meeting to review the data and analysis to ensure the safety and efficacy of both the Pfizer BioNTech and Moderna vaccines federally authorized. The Pfizer vaccine was authorized last week and is already being administered throughout Washington state. 

“I’m pleased that the Western States Workgroup gave their unanimous recommendation to the Moderna vaccine today and encourages immediate use of the vaccine in our states,” Inslee said. “Having two vaccines to combat COVID-19 will help us begin to recover from this destructive pandemic.”

Workgroup members hope that their independent review inspires confidence in Washingtonians around the vaccine’s safety and efficacy. 

The first of the Moderna vaccine doses are expected to start arriving from the federal government this week. The storage and handling of this vaccine is logistically easier and should help get the vaccine to all areas of the state.

“We still need to be extremely vigilant in taking care of each other until the vaccine is widely available, which will still be several months from now,” Inslee said. “We must continue masking, physical distancing and not gathering with friends and family, especially during this holiday season. Our disease activity remains high, and we must work together to keep each other safe.”

Website link

press@updates.gov.wa.gov 

December 17, 2020

Inslee releases 2021 – 2023 budget proposal

Gov. Inslee announced the details of his 2021 – 2023 biennial budget proposal Thursday, which included significant funding for public health, economic supports for workers and businesses, and other services that Washingtonians need to recover from the impacts of the COVID-19.

"We must invest in the relief, recovery and resilience of Washington. We cannot cut the things that we need most during a pandemic," Inslee said during a press conference Thursday. "In my proposed operating, capital and transportation budgets, I am investing in the people of our state."

Inslee’s budget proposals would:

• Continue an aggressive response to the ongoing pandemic and build more capacity for tackling future public health crises.

• Rebuild the state’s economy and continue efforts to support households, students, workers and businesses impacted by the pandemic.

• Address racial and economic inequity.

• Protect previous investments in areas such as education, childcare and early learning, climate action, behavioral health reform, combating homelessness and access to health care.

Read the rest of the story on the governor's Medium page.

Read the proposed 2021 – 2023 Budget and Policy Highlights.

Read the Health and Economy policy brief.

 

Website link

press@updates.gov.wa.gov

Please submit comments or position statements to the WA Supreme Court about their decision to sunset the LLLT Program in Washington state.  

 supreme@courts.wa.gov

Here's a link to the WA state bar association's LLLT webpage to read their updates on the situation.

If you'd like to submit your comments as an addendum to the WSPA position statement, please email info@wspaonline.org

Let our voices be heard! And may we be the voice for those that need us most.

We are co-sponsor for the CLE program put on by the Seattle University Law School on October 7, 2016 from 8:15 am to 4:30 pm.  

Information on the program and how to register can be found here.

SPRING CLE SEMINAR &

ANNUAL AWARDS LUNCHEON

May 21, 2016 from 8:00 am to 2:30 pm

First Floor Conference Room, 901 5th Avenue, Seattle

The CLE schedule includes:

• Deposition and Technology: Changes Impacting the Practice of Law, Steve Crandall, CEO, Prolumina
• Litigation Dynamics: How Paralegals and Attorneys Can Work Better Together, Boyoon Choi, Choi Capital Law, PLLC
• Ethics in Discovery for Paralegal, Rachel Saimons, Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP

The luncheon program will feature:

• Introduction of new WSPA Officers and Directors
• Paralegal Awards
• Introduction of the newest LLLT, RP, CRPs

Also during the seminar:

• Legal service providers with products and information
• Silent Auction with proceeds going to WSPA CLE seminars
• Delicious lunch included with registration fee

Registration is only $50 for members and $75 for non-members.

Register here.  

Space is limited, so register early!

Save the Date

Call for Speakers and Topics

Do you know a dynamic speaker? Is there a topic you have been waiting to learn more about? We would love to hear your suggestions! Email ideas for speakers and/or topics for the spring CLE to Brenda Cothary. Send your ideas by April 10.

We look forward to seeing you at the Spring CLE on May 21! Registration details will follow soon.

The public is invited to bring their legal questions to the 22nd annual Law Day – Free Legal Advice Clinic on Thursday, April 28, 2016, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Skagit Transit Station in downtown Mount Vernon. 

A free divorce seminar will also be hosted at 2:00 p.m. at the Skagit County Superior Court, Hearing Room C.  Law Day is celebrated nationally each year to promote the importance of the rule of law to a free society.

This event is a walk-in clinic. All patrons will be served on a first come first serve basis.  For more information please call, (360) 416-7585 (se habla espanol).

Event Sponsors:

Community Action of Skagit County -Volunteer Lawyer Program, the Washington State Paralegal Association- Northwest Chapter, and the Skagit County Law Library.

We are currently recruiting legal assistants, paralegals, paralegal students and attorneys for Law Day. If you are interested in volunteering please contact Alicia Engstrom at (360)540-459 or by email at alicia.engstrom@yahoo.com.  Thank you.