What should we do with children who commit horrible crimes?

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that mandatory life terms are unconstitutional when applied to children; children sentenced to prison must be given a real opportunity for release at some point in the future; and courts must individually evaluate each child when imposing a criminal sentence.

Does our state comply with these rulings? If not, what steps should we take?

The answers may be in an opinion piece "Give juvenile offenders a chance at redemption," in this weekend's Everett Herald. It was authored by Rev. Paul Benz, Co-Director of Faith Action Network, Sr. Sharon Park, Executive Director of the Washington State Catholic Conference, and State Rep. Mary Helen Roberts, a Lynnwood Democrat who is sponsoring a measure about juveniles sentenced to long terms of incarceration.

Read this story in Spanish.

Improving the system for adopted children

Do you remember the horrific story of Hana Williams, an adopted Ethiopian girl living in Sedro-Woolley? A couple of years ago her adoptive parents starved her, abused her, beat her repeatedly and left her outside on a cold night, which ultimately killed her.

What is wrong with the system and how do we fix it to ensure the safety and well-being of adopted children in our state?

Rep. Mary Helen Roberts believes we can do better, so she's sponsoring a bill to do things right before adoptions go through to ensure children are going to safe and caring homes.

Watch the powerful testimony at the bill's hearing in the Judiciary Committee yesterday:

 

Read the press release here.

Read this story in Spanish.

Caring for animals, we’re into that too

Five bills aimed at protecting and helping animals have been introduced in the House so far this session. Will every dog (and for that matter cat, horse, parakeet, etc…) have his day? Let's see where those bills are:

Making poisonous substances taste nasty

Antifreeze, or rather, Ethylene Glycol, one of its main components, is sweet and tasty to animals and humans but it can also be lethal. According to the Humane Society, anywhere from 10,000 to 90,000 cats and dogs are accidentally poisoned with antifreeze every year across the nation. To protect Washington's residents, both the two and the four-legged kinds, a few years ago the Legislature passed a measure requiring that antifreeze sold, produced or distributed in the state have an aversive agent to make it taste bad. But that law didn't cover wholesale containers of 55 gallons or more. This year Rep. Sherry Appleton is sponsoring HB 1010 to include those large containers. The bill was approved by the Business and Financial Services Committee a couple of weeks ago and is now in the Rules Committee for further consideration.

See something? Say something!

HB 1186 gives immunity to veterinarians who report suspected incidents of animal cruelty from legal liability in any action brought against them. The bill's sponsor, Rep. Kathy Haigh, a vet herself, knows that sometimes veterinarians can tell, better than the average person, if an animal has been mistreated. The risk of liability keeps some veterinarians from reporting incidents they encounter in their practice. The protections under this bill should encourage veterinarians to report suspected cruelty to proper authorities. Haigh's measure was passed out of the Judiciary Committee earlier this week.

When buying a pet, let's make sure it's not a murky transaction

Say you see a guy selling lovely puppies out of his truck in a parking lot. You fall in love with one of them and want to buy it. But how much do you know about this seller? Is he licensed? Does he have a permit to sell animals in that location? What if you're dealing with a disreputable seller who does not provide safe and humane conditions for the puppies, and it turns out your puppy is sick? To prevent the sale of diseased animals to unsuspecting buyers, Rep. Mary Helen Roberts is sponsoring HB 1201, which already had a public hearing in the Judiciary Committee. Under this measure, legitimate and responsible sales of animals and adoption programs for animals are not affected.

Zero tolerance for animal cruelty

People who live or work with animals should treat them well; humans are supposed to care for their animals. Sadly, not everyone seems to be on board with that common-sense notion. Rep. Mary Helen Roberts sponsored another bill, HB 1202, which modifies animal cruelty provisions relating to the crimes of animal cruelty in the first and second degree, animal fighting, and leaving and/or confining an animal in a motor vehicle or certain enclosed spaces. This measure also had a public hearing in Judiciary a few weeks ago.

Spay/Neuter – it's the responsible thing to do!

Thousands of cats and dogs are put down every year in shelters because they can't find a home, or they are old and sickly and nobody wants to take care of them. The most effective and humane way to reduce the number of animals dying in shelters is a targeted, statewide spay/neuter effort. It is also the fiscally responsible solution. Rep. Kathy Haigh sponsored a legislation (HB 1229) that would provide financial assistance to support the costs of pet spay/neuter surgery. It would significantly reduce costs for animal care and control of homeless animals, and fewer animals would be euthanized in Washington shelters. This measure was heard before the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee yesterday. You can find footage of the hearing in TVW.

Read this story in Spanish.

The Town Hall fun continues in the 21st Legislative District!

Last weekend legislators met with constituents all across the state, from Spokane all the way out to Forks. This weekend the fun continues!

21st Legislative District Representatives Mary Helen Roberts and Marko Liias, along with Senator Paul Shin, will be holding two town halls on Saturday. The details for those events are as follows:

Mukilteo Town Hall

Time: 10:30 AM

Place: Mukilteo Library

           4675 Harbour Pointe Boulevard

           Mukilteo, WA

Edmonds Town Hall

Time: 1:30 PM

Place: Edmonds Council Chambers

          250 Fifth Avenue North

          Edmonds, WA

The legislators encourage constituents to show up with their questions on education, the budget, and any other issues pertaining to state government. Not sure if you’re a resident of the 21st? You can find out here!

To read this story in Spanish, click here. 

New Opportunities for Foster Kids in WA

The House marked Youth Advocacy Day in Olympia by passing House Bill 2592, which opens the doors of higher education for foster care children in Washington State. The bill, prime-sponsored by Representative Mary Helen Roberts, extends foster care services for youth aged 18-21 that are enrolled in a postsecondary or vocational education program.

The legislation builds upon the successful Foster Care to 21 program established in 2006. In 2008, lawmakers at the federal level passed the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act which provides federal matching funds for similar programs at the state level. HB 2592 makes necessary changes to Foster Care to 21 in order for our state to be eligible for these federal dollars.

The bill now heads over to the Senate for their consideration.

To read this story in Spanish, click here.

Rep. Roberts is on the phone!

Tomorrow night State Representative Mary Helen Roberts will be calling residents of the 21st Legislative District to discuss what she’s been up to in Olympia, as well as to take questions from constituents.

This isn’t the first telephone town hall for Rep. Roberts, but if you’ve never participated before, here’s how it works:

1. At around 6:00 PM your home phone should receive a call from Rep. Roberts.

2. Pick up the phone and follow the prompts.

3.Stay on the line for as long as your schedule allows, and feel free to press *3 if you have a question for Rep. Roberts.

Easy as 1-2-3!

Please keep in mind that you must be a resident of the 21st LD to participate. If you are a resident of the 21st and don’t receive a call, you can dial into 1-877-229-8493, and then enter PIN code No. 18646 when prompted.

In addition to the telephone town hall tomorrow evening, Rep. Roberts will be holding two in-person town halls on February 18th with seatmates Rep. Marko Liias and Sen. Paul Shin. The first will be at the Mukilteo City Hall at 10:00 AM, and the second will be at the Edmonds City Council Chambers at 1:30 PM.  

To read this story in Spanish, click here.

Activists of all ages take Olympia!

Citizen activists come in all shapes, sizes, and ages! Yesterday afternoon, Representative Mary Helen Roberts had the pleasure of meeting with some very young and equally adorable elementary school students.

Students from King’s Elementary in Seattle sat down with Rep. Roberts and asked hard-hitting questions, such as “What bill is your favorite?”

For those who can’t make the trip to Olympia, Rep. Roberts often visits classrooms throughout her district.

In fact, just last November, Rep. Roberts visited Meadowdale Elementary in Lynnwood to see first-hand how budget cuts are affecting classrooms. KING 5’s Mimi Jung covered Rep. Roberts’ trip, and the segment is available here.

To read this story in Spanish, click here.

Rep. Mary Helen Roberts is NAMI-WA Legislator of the Year

Snohomish County lawmaker, Mary Helen Roberts, was recently presented the Legislator of the Year Award for 2011 by the National Alliance on Mental Illness - Washington at their annual conference in Ellensburg.

“This award is given in recognition of Rep. Roberts’ continuous and tireless advocacy for mental health issues and support of those living with mental illnesses in Washington state,” said Jim Bloss, President of the Snohomish County affiliate of NAMI WA, during the presentation ceremony. “We are particularly grateful for her sponsorship of the Triage Facility legislation which created a humane, cost-effective alternative to the incarceration of suspects thought to be experiencing symptoms of a mental illness.”

Here is the complete press release and more information about HB 1170.

Another round of bills safely out of the House

House Democrats continued their work to improve public safety and the criminal justice system on Saturday night by passing another package of reforms to protect lives and rights—including:

• A measure by Rep. Jeannie Darneille that aims to ban the shackling of women inmates as they give birth.

• House Bill 3124 by Rep. Mary Helen Roberts to prevent children from injury and death by requiring law enforcement officers to notify child protective services when a child is in the car of a driver who is arrested for a drug- or alcohol-related driving offense. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported that 68 percent of all child deaths from vehicle collisions between 1997 to 2002 involved drunken driving when children were in the car.

• House Bill 2739 by Rep. Geoff Simpson increases safety in school safety zones by doubling penalties for several traffic violations related to school crosswalks and speed zones. Half the funds collected would go to the School Zone Safety Account.

• House Bill 1317 by Rep. Lynn Kessler protects police officers and other criminal justice employees by exempting their photographs and birth dates from public disclosure requests.

• House Bill 2492, also by Rep. Simpson, would allow members of the Law Enforcement Officers' and Fire Fighters' Retirement System (LEOFF) Plan II to include shared leave when calculating retirement benefits. This reform would give nearly 16,000 local law enforcement officers and firefighters a shared leave right that is similar to what state employees currently enjoy.

Snohomish County legislators urge Congressman Larsen to support strong public option for health care

Four Snohomish County legislators sent a letter to Congressman Rick Larsen last week, expressing their support for a strong public option in federal health care legislation.

Representatives Marko Liias (D - Mukilteo), Mary Helen Roberts (D - Lynnwood), John McCoy (D - Tulalip) and Mike Sells (D - Everett) wrote on October 28: "We cannot continue to allow hardworking Americans to be ruined by the high cost of health care. Hundreds of our constituents are forced to declare bankruptcy every year due to unpaid medical bills."

The purpose of the letter was to let Congressman Larsen know how important a public option is for constituents of Snohomish County, because it would serve as a fallback option for those who have no other coverage. As the health care debate continues in Washington DC, state legislators are hearing from people in their districts about lack of coverage or coverage that is too expensive for them to afford.

The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that 47 million Americans are currently uninsured. The Washington State Insurance Commissioner announced in June that 876,000 Washingtonians lacked health care coverage, a 21 percent increase over the previous year.

House focuses attention on foster kids

On any given day, there are 11,000 children in foster care in Washington State. Many of these children have parents who are working very hard to reunite with them, but thousands are awaiting adoption and thousands more are in foster care awaiting a permanent home.

With these numbers on their minds, the House of Representatives have passed a group of bills intended to protect and nurture our state’s most vulnerable residents – its foster children.

· Rep. Mary Helen Roberts’ HB 1961 extends a pilot program that will allow up to 50 foster youth per year to remain in foster care after the turn age 18. Current law considers foster kids to be adults and cuts them off the day of their 18th birthday, even if they are still in high school or enrolled in a higher ed program.

· Rep. Ruth Kagi’s HB 2106 launches a new strategy for using performance-based contracts to deliver child-welfare services. Experience in other states has proven that performance-based contracting can help keep children safely out of foster care and hasten reunification with their families when they are removed from home.

· Rep. Roberts HB 1938 encourages continued post-adoption contact among siblings who are not adopted together out of foster care.

· Rep. Eric Pettigrew’s HB 2164 continues past legislative efforts to find solutions to racial disproportionality in Washington’s child welfare system. A recent study showed that African American, Native American and Hispanic children are more likely to be referred to Child Protective Services than white children.

· Rep. Tina Orwall’s HB 1769, which passed the House on Friday, helps reunite families who have had children in the state’s foster care program by offering referrals to appropriate agencies or organizations and assistance with forms that will aid these families in attaining adequate, safe housing.

It's that time again... legislative town hall meetings underway

The town meeting is one of those distinctly American traditions.

Without a doubt, public involvement must play a central role in government’s decision-making process. And that holds true whether you’re talking citizen participation in the tradition of Norman Rockwell’s famous Freedom of Speech painting or in the manner of modern-day political blogs so popular these days.

In fact, members of the House Democratic Caucus highlight public involvement in their regular community meetings. Legislators want to make sure their work in the state capital reflects what constituents in the real world are really thinking.

So if you want to share what's on your mind, here are some upcoming town hall meetings with legislators who would love to hear from you. Please do come. And be part of that public involvement thing that's so important.

• Thursday, January 8 in Redmond with Rep. Ross Hunter and Sen. Rodney Tom. 7 p.m. at Redmond City Hall (15670 NE 85th Street).

• Saturday, January 10 in Vancouver with Rep. Jim Moeller, Rep.-elect Jim Jacks and Sen. Craig Pridemore. 10 a.m. to noon in the 6^th floor hearing room of the Clark County Public Service Center (1300 Franklin St, Vancouver).

Update:

• Here's another meeting to note: Thursday, January 8 with Rep. Marko Liias, Rep. Mary Helen Roberts and Sen. Paull Shin. 6-8 p.m. at Mukilteo City Hall Council Chambers (11930 Cyrus Way, Mukilteo). Topic is about Paine Field.
• Rep. Steve Conway will also be hosting two town halls. They are:
  Jan. 31, 2009 at Bates Technical College – South Campus Cafeteria (2201 South 78th Street, Tacoma, WA)
  10:00 am – Noon
  &
  February 5, 2009 at Lakeview Elementary School Multi-Purpose Room (10501 47th Ave. SW Lakewood, WA)
  6:00 pm – 8:00 pm