The 2022 Washington State legislative session will begin a short-session (60 days) in January 2022. In preparation for the legislative session, the District has an opportunity to approve a legislative agenda in alignment with our values and priorities. In years past, the District has informally followed the Washington State Association of Local Public Health Officials (WSALPHO) legislative agenda with the Board of Health adopting resolutions in support of specific legislative actions. The WSALPHO has not yet released their draft priorities. WA Department of Health funding and legislative priorities are in Exhibit B.
Based on discussions with the Public Health Advisory Council and all three Board of Health Committees in September, a draft 2022 WA legislative agenda has been developed (Exhibit A). One change from previous years is the addition of a policy statements section. Policy statements are less specific and not as high a priority as those items in the funding and policy priority sections.
In addition to COVID and FPHS funding, requests from members include:
- Climate and Health
- Equity
- Oral Health
- Auditory Health
- Mental Health
- Homelessness and Housing affordability
- Marijuana tax revenue for substance abuse education
Once approved, the 2022 Snohomish Health District WA Legislative Priorities will be shared with cities, the County, community partners, and our state legislators.