Reps. Hasegawa and Hudgins host a telephone town hall!

Rep. Zack Hudgins

Attention constituents of the 11th Legislative District!

What are you doing tomorrow night around 6 o’clock in the evening? Answering the phone, of course - Reps. Bob Hasegawa and Zack Hudgins will be hosting a live telephone town hall!

Around 6 o’clock, thousands of phones in the 11th LD will be ringing. When you pick up you’ll hear a recorded message inviting you to stay on the line and join the event. By doing so, you’ll have the opportunity to speak with Reps. Hasegawa and Hudgins.

To ask the representatives the questions that matter most to you, simply press *3 while you're listening to the call.

Rep. Bob Hasegawa

Constituents who do not receive a phone call may participate in the telephone town hall simply by calling 1-877-229-8493 and entering the ID code (PIN) number 18646 when prompted.

Journalists and other interested parties can dial into the town hall from a landline or cell. For that information call 360-786-7811.

To read this post in Spanish, click here.

Washington Investment Trust idea moves ahead

What if there was an institution that could finance public projects that support economic development, create jobs, increase public health, safety and quality of life, improve the environment, promote community vitality, and even offer low-cost loans to struggling students?

Rep. Bob Hasegawa believes such an institution is possible in our state and he’s sponsoring a measure to create it.  He calls it The Washington Investment Trust, and the idea is having its first public hearing this week.

Hasegawa said that although the Washington Investment Trust is modeled after the Bank of North Dakota, this startup legislation is much narrower in approach because it will focus on infrastructure lending to municipal governments and student loans.

HB 2434 is scheduled for a hearing this Thursday, January 26 at 8:00 a.m. before the House Committee on Business & Financial Services, in House Hearing Room B of the John L. O'Brien Building.

The companion bill, SB 6310 will also get a hearing on Wednesday, January 25 at 1:30 p.m. in the Senate Committee on Financial Institutions and Housing & Insurance, Senate Hearing Room 2 of the J.A. Cherberg Building.


“The Washington Investment Trust will keep our money in Washington, working for Washingtonians instead of ending up in Wall Street,” Hasegawa added, referring to taxpayers’ money that goes into an account held in a private bank which makes—and keeps—an interest off that money. 

To read this story in Spanish, click here.

Save the date: Orwall - Hasegawa Joint Town Hall this Saturday!

Reps. Hudgins and Hasegawa's District Office Open House

Reps. Zack Hudgins and Bob Hasegawa recently opened a new district office in the South Park neighborhood of the 11th District, and they invite you to join them as they host an Open House.

Here are the deets:

What: Open House and Sculpture Show
When: Thursday, September 1st 5-7pm
Where: Sparks Building, 8601 8th Ave S, Seattle, WA 98108 (Across the street from the South Park Library)

View Larger Map

This is a great opportunity for constituents to have a little face time with their local legislators, get to know them, ask questions, and share ideas.  

There will also be a fantastic sculpture show opening in their building that night. The art theme is largely focused on issues related to sea life and marine ecosystems, including oil spills and overfishing. It will feature the work of local sculptors Den Fandrich, John Hoge, Don Carver, Sean Nelsen, Rob Hruska and the late Jim L. Acord.

To read this blog post in Spanish, go here.

Lawmakers honor Japanese-American internees

Today, lawmakers in the House recognized the Japanese-American internees and World War II veterans from Washington state for their sacrifice and patriotic loyalty during their relocation and internment sixty-nine years ago.

“We must remember our past,” said Rep. Sharon Tomiko Santos, the only Japanese-American woman in the Washington state Legislature.

Santos spoke about what it means to be an American and the importance of upholding the Constitution. “We must remember that it is our responsibility to ensure each one of us upholds our end of checking unlimited power,” Santos said.

Rep. Bob Hasegawa spoke about the value of community and Americans’ shared belief in liberty and justice for all.

“As we move forward and take this time to reflect, I would like us to think about what happened, the guarantees of liberty and justice for all and the guarantees that we all have inalienable rights,” said Hasegawa. “Let us move forward as a legislative body to try and learn those lessons, that we all are people of good conscience, that we do not judge each other, and that we do our best so that we are all treated equally.”

Please click here to read House Resolution 4627, sponsored by Reps. Santos and Hasegawa.

Seattle lawmaker’s State Investment Trust bill draws national attention

State Rep. Bob Hasegawa’s legislation (HB 1320) to create the Washington State Investment Trust (WIT) is getting attention at the national level.

The Public Banking Institute (PBI), a non-partisan think-tank and research organization that explores and disseminates information on publicly-owned banks, stated that Hasegawa’s bill is similar to measures currently studied or proposed in other states such as Massachusetts, Vermont, Maryland, Virginia, Illinois, Michigan, Oregon and Hawaii.

Ellen Brown, PBI president, said that the effort in Washington State, which is modeled after the 100-year old public Bank of North Dakota, is part of a growing nation-wide effort to “rescue state and municipal finances from a growing budget disaster.”

Go here to read PBI’s press release: Washington State joins Groundswell for Public Banking

Go here to read an op-ed by Ellen Brown: Washington State joins movement for public banking

Public hearings for Hasegawa’s measure, as well as its companion Senate bill, are scheduled for tomorrow, Tuesday, January 25:

Senate Financial Institutions, Housing & Insurance Committee

Tuesday, January 25^th, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Senate Hearing Room 2

House Business & Financial Services Committee

Tuesday, January 25^th, 1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

House Hearing Room B

Revenue conference report will be released at 1:30 today

The long-awaited revenue conference report will be signed and presented today at 1:30 pm in the Senate Rules room. Revenue Committee chair Ross Hunter, vice-chair Bob Hasegawa, and ranking minority member Ed Orcutt were appointed to the conference committee from the House. The Senate also appointed three members.

We will post details of the report here as soon as possible.

The House will convene at 2:00 pm for the final few days of the 2010 session. We'll keep you posted as we progress.

Governor signs website transparency bill

Ever want to look up basic information about your legislator?

It's tough to do when your legislator's website is down for seven months , which is currently what happens every other year to House members.

Starting this summer, however, constituents will have full year-round access to information related to their legislators’ work thanks to HB 1761. Authored by Rep. Bob Hasegawa, the measure keeps official legislative websites up and running without alteration throughout the year, regardless of pending elections.

Since, rightfully, legislators may not use public resources to assist their campaigns, when the internet took off and state lawmakers began maintaining web pages, the Legislative Ethics Board ruled that those websites had to be stripped of all but very basic information during campaign season, which is every other year for House members and every four years for the Senate. This meant all material prepared by staff for legislators in the course of their duties, including legislative press releases and newsletters, had to be removed from the websites, leaving only contact information and bill sponsorship.

“In previous election years I’ve had people coming up to me or calling my office asking why there was nothing on my website, going as far as saying that we must be trying to hide something,” said Hasegawa. “This bill is about government transparency. Constituents deserve to know what we’ve been doing for the past two years.”

House members board the Bus for a ride down the Infobahn

What happens when you combine some higher ed legislative leaders in Olympia with the tech-savvy next-generationers at the Washington Bus?

Synergistic videoconferencing political-forum magic.

The Bus is hosting a video conference tonight with state reps. Deb Wallace, Bob Hasegawa, and Scott White, all boarding the bus to talk public Higher Ed from 6 to 8 pm. Fans of the Bus, the legislators, or technological marvel in general can join in at Grey Gallery and Lounge on Capitol Hill.

The festivities start with a viewing of President Obama's State of the Union address followed by the 2-D legislators talking about your future.

Grey. SOTU. Bus. Good times.

Want to give your legislators a piece of your mind?

You read the news. You know the state is facing enormous challenges. You have opinions and you want to share them with people who can use them, right? Many of our legislators are hosting meetings in the next week and they'd love to hear from you.

Tonight
Town Hall at 6:30 with the 48th LD delegation (Senator Rodney Tom and Reps. Ross Hunter and Deb Eddy) at Kirkland City Hall (123 5th Avenue)

Town Hall at 6:30 with Rep. Tim Probst of the 17th LD at the Creekside Estates Clubhouse (5101 NE 121st Ave, Vancouver)

Tele-town hall at 6 with Rep. Marko Liias from the 21st LD


Saturday
Town Hall at 10 a.m. with the 49th LD delegation (Senator Craig Pridemore and Reps. Jim Moeller and Jim Jacks) at the Public Service Center, 6th floor commissioners hearing room (1300 Franklin Street, Vancouver)

Coffee hour at 10 a.m. with Rep. Bob Hasegawa from the 11th LD at Renton Village Starbucks (601 S. Grady Way, Renton)

Town Hall at 11 a.m. with Rep. Deb Wallace from the 17th LD at Fisher's Landing Transit Center (3510 SE 164th Ave, Vancouver)

Town Hall at 10 a.m. with Rep. Steve Conway from the 29th LD at Bates Community College South Campus (2201 S 178th St., Tacoma)


Tuesday, January 12
Tele-town hall at 6:30 with Rep. Pat Sullivan from the 47th LD


Thursday, January 14
Tele-town hall at 6:30 with Rep. Ruth Kagi from the 32nd LD

Hasegawa, McIntire Jumpstart Business-Loan Program for Veterans, Minorities and Women

Historically, minority and women owned businesses have been denied access to capital, and that lack of capital is a key barrier to the development of minority and women owned businesses.

In response, the legislature passed the 1993 Minority and Women Owned Business Assistance Act, which created the Linked Deposit Program.

The program links the deposit of state funds to loans made by participating financial institutions to qualified veteran, minority and women-owned businesses. The deposit of state funds is made at below market rates. The savings are then passed on by the bank to the Linked Deposit borrowers in the form of an interest rate reduction.

The Linked Deposit Program has provided access to more than $340 million in bank loans for hundreds of small businesses. But the program became untenable for participating banks because of historically low interest rates.

Rep. Bob Hasegawa and State Treasure James McIntire led an effort to restart the program.

Current statute requires banks to pay at least 2 percent interest on the state’s certificates of deposits while also requiring them to issue loans at lower-than market rates. The low-interest rate environment has forced many banks to drop out of the program because they were required to pay the state an above-market rate on the deposits.

Hasegawa's bill removes the 2 percent minimum-interest requirement and adds flexibility for the treasurer so the linked deposit program overall can work in the current market environment.

Photo: Gov. Gregoire signs HB 1167 on May 7, 2009. Front: Gov. Chris Gregoire, Rep. Bob Hasegawa. Back: Philip Brady, Senate Staff; Marissa Chavez, Legislative Assistant to Rep. Hasegawa; Diane Smith, Senate Staff Coordinator and Counsel.

Speech of the Week: Rep. Bob Hasegawa

Rep. Bob Hasegawa’s colleagues were deeply moved by his heartfelt remarks on the Day of Remembrance, February 18, 2009, which made him deserving of this accolade.

Watch Rep. Bob Hasegawa's winner speech on House Resolution 4617, recognizing the Japanese-American internees and WWII veterans from Washington state here.

Legislators reflect on what MLK Day means to them

Always a significant and somber day of reflection at the Capital, legislators on the House Floor marked MLK Day by passing a resolution honoring the civil rights leader, and celebrating his legacy.

Rep. Bob Hasegawa, who represents the 11th LD, spoke to us about the struggles still ahead in reaching true equality for all:

"Kids in elementary school today are learning
about Martin Luther King, Jr., his life and struggle are in books all over the world. When I was that age we didn’t have an African American hero anywhere in the school curriculum. We’ve certainly come a long way even though it really hasn’t been that long. Some folks take for granted the lessons of the Civil Rights movement and see it as a done deal, but I believe there’s a lot of work still to be done. Equality and justice have not yet reached everybody. Race and poverty are still intertwined; that’s an undeniable reality. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a fighter who never gave up. Let us honor his memory emulating his example; let’s continue fighting relentlessly to make sure his dream is not forgotten or left to collect dust in the pages of a book."

Rep. Phyllis Gutiérrez-Kenney from Seattle also reflects on the victories, and victories yet to be won:

"As we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. today, may his life serve as a reminder to all of us that we must continue fighting oppression, intolerance and violence to become a nation whose citizens truly care for each other. Let our commitment to his ideals of equality, justice and freedom not falter. We cannot afford to become complacent. Whether one is African American, Latino, White, Asian, or other, it is important to build on Dr. King’s dream by working together. The fact that tomorrow is the inauguration of our first African American president is yet another piece of evidence that Dr. King’s struggle was not in vain. We still have a ways to go in order to reach his dream but I am hopeful that together we will get there."

When asked what the work of Martin Luther King Jr. meant to them, Rep. Flannigan from Tacoma had this to say:

"It was Dr. King and those who inspired him and were inspired by him that expanded the American heart to include all colors in America’s rainbow. President Obama is Dr. King's legacy. Wow."

And Rep. Larry Springer from Kirkland:

"Dr. King inspired a nation to recognize and listen to the better angels present in us all, which even today continues to change the face of America."

Watch the entire day's floor action, including the resolution commemorating Martin Luther King Jr. here.