Against Hoarding and Hate? WA Vote No on 645 and anti Trans Initiatives

Poverty Action endorses a NO vote on three harmful initiatives

Just like last year, multi-millionaire Brian Heywood is funding three harmful initiatives that will be on Washington's ballot in November. The Statewide Poverty Action Network officially endorses a NO vote on all three initiatives. Read on to learn more about how these initiatives would harm Washingtonians:

• I-645 would repeal the Millionaire's Tax, leaving a huge hole in our state's budget and removing funding for crucial programs that support children and working families. The Millionaire's Tax is a tax on the less than 1% of households in WA who bring home more than a million dollars each year. This common-sense tax would bring in billions of dollars which would support free school lunches for kids, the expansion of the Working Families Tax Credit, and tax cuts for small businesses. Now, the ultra-wealthy want to repeal it to avoid paying their fair share. VOTE NO ON I-645!

• I-638 is a transphobic initiative aimed at preventing young transgender girls from playing on girls sports teams. It is a statewide ban excluding trans girls from participating on any teams at any level, and would force invasive genital exams on girls just to participate in elementary, middle or high school sports. Meanwhile, boys would be exempt from any similar restrictions or exams. VOTE NO ON I-638!

• I-001 weakens confidentiality between school counselors and students. This could force schools to hand over sensitive information about child abuse victims to their parental abusers, or forcibly out queer kids to parents who wouldn't support them. This will worsen the teen mental health crisis by cutting off another confidential route to talk to a trusted adult. VOTE NO ON I-001!

The passage of any of these initiatives would be incredibly harmful to the majority of residents in our state, who benefit from well-funded social programs and robust civil rights protections. Vote NO on all three initiatives this November!

ACTION: Tell the Governor to protect healthcare coverage for immigrants

On October 1, thousands of immigrants in Washington state lost eligibility for Medicaid as a result of the Federal Government's HR1 policies. This means that elderly people are losing their caregivers,  children are losing access to medications, and nearly 14,000 immigrants who rely on Medicaid for their healthcare will be completely cut off. While the legislature has taken steps to try and mitigate the impacts of these devastating cuts, we need more support. We are calling on the Governor to use emergency funds to fill the gap and prevent any immigrants in Washington from losing care.

Send an email using the link below to add your voice to the call for support:

Tell the Governor: Use Emergency Funds to Support Healthcare for Immigrants!