The Washington State Grange held their Annual Legislative Day on January 29. More than forty Grangers gathered at the State Grange Office in Olympia for orientation and a presentation by National Grange Communications Director Amanda Brozana-Rios on utilizing Grange advocacy and legislative activities to create publicity for your Grange.

Grangers then made the trek to the State Capitol Building for tours, legislative meetings, and additional speakers. The State Grange made appointments for each attendee to meet with their State Representatives and Senator. Time between appointments was filled with attending hearings of the Senate and House Committees. Following a tour and meeting with his State Senator, Darrell Myers, the Master of Mossyrock Grange #355, remarked “It was a great experience to be able to go down on the senate floor for a picture with Senator Braun”.

This year's lunch speakers included State Senator Judy Warnick, a member of Moses Lake Grange #1151, who discussed her work on rural and agricultural issues currently under consideration by the Senate. We also heard from Jim Jesernig, former State Senator and State Director of Agriculture who is currently lobbying for Washington State University. Jim discussed the funding proposals for agricultural projects at WSU and issues facing the shellfish industry, which was discussed at the 2018 State Grange Convention.

Following lunch and additional meetings, Grange members made their way back to the State Grange Office where State Grange Master Tom Gwin led the group in a discussion on the resolution writing process and the grassroots development of Grange policy. Resolutions for consideration at this year’s State Grange Convention are due by May 25 to the State Grange Office. All policies can be found in the Washington State Grange Legislative Policy Handbook, available on the State Grange website.

State Grange Lobbyist Heather Hansen completed the day with a debriefing session. It was a great day for the Grange and agriculture in the State of Washington!

First time attendee Rodger Lance of Washington Grange #82 stated, “Going to legislative days can indeed be a rewarding experience. Doing it on a day with the weather in January being so favorable made it even better. It was such a busy day on the hill. You could feel the intensity as we travelled from office to office getting as much out of the day as we could. Without the help of Sophia and Heather I would have truly been lost. Thank you for an outstanding experience.”

Following the direction of the National Grange, the Washington State Grange Executive Committee adopted a Child Protection Policy at their January meeting. The policy goes into effect on February 1, 2019 and applies to all Granges in the State of Washington. The policy, as adopted by the committee, is as follows:

POLICY: The Washington State Grange (WSG) is herewith establishing a policy to effectively eliminate opportunities for abuse within the Youth and Junior Grange (JG) programs. This policy will focus on placing barriers to abuse within these programs.

The quality of our youth and junior programs and the safety of these young members are directly linked to the high-quality youth and junior leadership we have in place. Leaders should always remember that leading these programs is a privilege, not a right. We as leaders within the WSG need to recruit and train the best possible leaders we can on the state level.

WSG needs to conduct a background check on individuals who will have a supervisory or any other leadership role within these programs. While there is no fool-proof screening process that will identify a possible child abuser, we need to learn as much as possible about a potential leader through an application process. This will, at a minimum, reduce the risk of accepting a child abuser. Some simple questions about why they want to be a Youth or JG leader and what discipline techniques they would utilize should be included on the application.

It is also important that current Youth and Junior Grange leaders realize the importance of conducting these background checks, even on present leaders. These checks will serve as a form of protection to our leaders from false accusations.

PROCEDURES: The following are procedures that will be followed by all Junior and Youth Granges within the WSG. If these are not followed, it could be cause for the Charter of said youth or Junior Grange to be suspended.

Background Checks

1. All current members of the WSG Youth and Junior Committees will have a background check performed within three months. This applies even if the individual has had a background check performed for their present or previous position.

2. All future WSG Youth and Junior committee members will have a background check performed prior to being appointed to the committee. This applies even if the individual has had a background check performed for their present or previous position.

3. All JG and youth program leaders for all Granges in the State of Washington shall be Grange members and will have a background check performed. This will include all JG Camp board members and staff 18 years of age and older. If this is not followed, it could be cause for the Charter of said youth or junior Grange to be suspended.

4. JG Camp Counselors, under 18 years of age, must complete the Washington State Patrol Background Check at least two weeks prior to attending camp.

5. All approved JG leaders will be 18 years of age or older.

6. Actions to be taken on all background check forms returned from the agency performing the check:

a. The forms will be maintained on file by the Master of the Washington State Grange, or other properly designated person, in a well-marked, secure file.

b. If a background check reveals a possible area of concern, the State Master shall send appropriate notification to the individual.

c. The individual in question will then have an opportunity to remove their name (in writing) from consideration or explain (in writing) the basis of the finding of the background check.

d. Explanations received (paragraph 6.c) will be reviewed by the Master of the WSG possibly in conjunction with the Executive Committee and Legal Counsel of the same, to determine any or all actions to be taken by the WSG on the explanation. The Master of the WSG will provide the results of this review in writing to the individual. Failure to receive a positive review will result in immediate termination of consideration, with the individual in question notified of the same in writing.

7. Junior and Youth Events (WSG function)

a. Any Individual who will have a supervisory or leadership position will have a background check conducted if a member of the State Committee is not physically present 100% of the time.

b. At each event, there will be a minimum of two individuals present, with at least one of them having a completed background check.

8. Junior and Youth Events (non-WSG function)

a. All Junior Granges in this state will have a minimum of two individuals present, with at least one having a completed background check.

9. Payment for Background Checks

a. With the approval of the State Master and through the adopted budget of the WSG, all background checks will be paid for by the WSG.

10. Abuse Prevention Standards

a. Two Deep Leadership: A minimum of two approved adult leaders or one registered leader and a parent or legal guardian of a participant, are required on all trips and outings.

b. No One-on-One Contact: One-on-One contact between adults and junior/youth members is not permitted. In situations that require personal counseling, the meeting is to be conducted in view of other adults and youth/juniors.

c. Respect of Privacy: Adult leaders must respect the privacy of junior/youth members in situations such as changing clothes and taking showers and intrude ONLY to the extent that health and safety require. Adults must protect their own privacy in similar situations.

d. Separate Accommodations for Camp: Separate sleeping, shower and toilet facilities are optimal for males and females. If separate shower and toilet facilities are not accessible, then separate times for use shall be prominently posted.

e. Accommodations for Other Events: There are occasions when adults and youth will be sharing hotel rooms for various reasons. The adult shall have a completed background check. The parents/guardians of the youth member will be required to sign a written permission form allowing the sharing of a hotel room between their child and a non-family member adult.

f. Appropriate Attire: Proper clothing for activities is required. For example, skinny-dipping is never appropriate as part of a Grange event.

11. Other Prevention Standards (Camping Programs)

a. Closed Camp: except for emergencies, campers are not permitted to leave camp, except for camp approved events. By no means is an individual counselor (under 18 years of age) to leave camp with an individual camper. A parent can, however, pick up a child and later return them to the camp, provided the camp leader is aware of this situation in advance.

b. Camp Security: ALL VISITORS (including parents/guardians) are required to check in at pre-designated locations.

c. Releasing Campers: Campers who are minors will only be released to their parent or guardian or someone authorized by them, as indicated in writing.

12. Reporting

a. It is important that any reported case of abuse, whether they occurred at camp or not, be reported to the proper authorities. It will be the responsibility of the WSG Junior and Youth Committees or other person in charge of the activity to determine whether the action was inappropriate behavior or abuse.

b. Law enforcement should be notified immediately of any criminal activity.

Thank you to the multitude of Grange members who took time out of their busy schedules to attend one of our Grange Leadership Conferences. With a theme of “Making A Difference”, the conferences were an opportunity for myself and the State Grange Department directors to present you with new and creative tools to utilize at the local level. We hope you will take those tools back to your Granges and to use them make a difference in your Grange and community.

We also took the time at these conferences to listen to your concerns and to provide answers to your questions regarding the activities of the State Grange. We will continue to listen to our members and to respond by creating inventive projects and activities that you can continue to build your Grange.

Thank you to our Grange hosts of the leadership conference series: Skookumchuck, Sharon, Catlin, Barberton, Edgewood, Tualco, Fredonia, Orcas Island, Sequim Prairie, Crystal, Terrace Heights, Brewster, Moses Lake, and Kennewick Valley. Your hospitality was wonderful and greatly appreciated.

We completed our Legislative Day on January 29. Thank you to more than forty Grange members who came to Olympia to meet with their legislators and participate in this outstanding event. We hope more of you will join us at the 2020 Grange legislative event.

In March, we will hold the Grange Deputy, State Officers, and Pomona Masters Conference in Moses Lake. On Friday, March 22 we will be exemplifying the first four degrees. This activity will begin with a potluck dinner at 6 p.m., followed by the degrees at 7 p.m. Any Grange member wishing to observe the degrees is invited to attend. Other activities at the conference will be focused on the future of our organization.

The State Grange Convention will be here before we know it! The Convention Kick Off Meeting will be held on February 9. We will start with a tour of the Okanogan County Fairgrounds at 11 a.m., followed by a potluck and meeting at the Brewster Grange Hall. State Officers and Directors will be meeting with local committee chairs, providing direction for the planning of this year’s convention. There will be minor schedule adjustments for this year’s convention. The biggest change is that the Sixth Degree will be exemplified in the afternoon on Saturday, June 23. We hope the change to a weekend time slot will allow additional candidates the opportunity to observe this beautiful degree.

We will work to provide other opportunities to assist you in making a difference in your Grange and community. We can and will make a difference!

By Heather Hansen

Legislative Lobbyist

Washington voters were clear about one thing, they do not like new taxes. Initiative 1631 which would have created a carbon tax resulting in higher fuel and energy prices failed decisively. This is not the first time. In 2016, Initiative 732, another carbon tax, failed. Earlier this year, the legislature tried to pass a carbon tax, but didn’t have enough votes. One would think that after three failed attempts in as many years, supporters might accept that the people of Washington do not want this tax. That does not appear to be the case. Supporters are already talking of going to the legislature with another try in 2019.

The legislature hit the ground running with 745 bills introduced the first week. Clean energy and creating new taxes appear to be reoccurring themes. Expect to hear more about these as the session moves along.

Our newest legislator, Alex Ybarra from Quincy, was sworn into office this week. He replaces Rep. Matt Manweller from Cle Elum who resigned. Ybarra is an employee of the Grant County PUD, a Quincy School Board member and vice president of the Washington State School Board Association. He will sit on the House Appropriations Committee.

We will soon have another new legislator when Senator Kevin Ranker’s replacement is named.

The 2019 legislature is unique in many ways. There are 27 newly elected members who have never served in Olympia. That includes almost a full quarter of the House of Representatives. This is one of the more diverse legislatures Washington has ever had. There are four more women serving than in 2018, six additional members of color, three additional first or second-generation Americans, including new members who were refugees in their past.

Governor Inslee’s proposed budget would, for the first time in history, spend more than $50 billion over the next two years. To generate that much revenue, he’s proposing an increase in the business and occupation tax for service industries, an increase in the real estate excise tax rate and instituting a capital gains tax. A capital gains tax is a form of an income tax, which is prohibited by Washington’s constitution. If it passes, a lawsuit is almost guaranteed. Other legislators are saying there is no need for new or higher taxes. The revenue forecast is up, meaning the state will collect more money without increasing taxes.

One of the Governor’s spending proposals would benefit Grangers. He hopes to spend $25 million to bring high speed internet to some underserved rural areas of the state. More than 99% of Washington's 6 million urban residents have access to high speed internet, but that holds true for only 92% of the state's 1.2 million rural residents.

The legislature kicked off the new session by hearing multiple clean energy bills. The House heard HB 1110, sponsored by Joe Fitzgibbon. It would enact a low carbon fuel standard similar to the one adapted in British Columbia, but in its effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation fuels, it would increase the cost of fuel. For people who live in rural areas, the cost of fuel adds up quickly. Sen. Reuven Carlyle, who chairs the Senate Committee on Environment, Energy and Technology has committed to fast-track the governor's clean energy bills.

At some point during this session, there will likely be hearings about Snake River dams and other recommendations from the Orca task force.

There is also energy behind increasing access to affordable housing by modifying the state’s Growth Management Act.

This is only week one. There’s lots more to come.