Our Legislative Agenda

While we are celebrating new investments in community capacity, participation, and resiliency, we are questioning some of the decisions made by budget leaders to leave environmental justice out of the picture and are frustrated by the lack of action around critical community needs despite the availability of significant new revenues.

Key Achievements of the 2023 Legislative Session:

• Climate Planning in the Growth Management Act: Our biggest policy win this session is HB 1181, which incorporates environmental justice in Washington State’s Growth Management Act to address both the growing impacts of climate change and the state’s contribution to greenhouse gas pollution, with a focus on transportation. The budget included $40 million to implement this bill, including grants to community-based organizations for which Front and Centered advocated.
• Community Participatory Solutions: The final budget reflects one core environmental justice principle — community participation — by including investments in participatory budgeting ($36.6 million) and community capacity grants ($26.3 million) to help boost the participation of our frontline communities in the implementation of HEAL and application of the Environmental Health Disparities (EHD) Map. This wouldn’t have happened without pressure from our frontline communities!
• Disproportionately Impacted Workers: Front and Centered and Community to Community led efforts to achieve a $10 million investment supporting a workplace health and safety program for workers affected by climate impacts, including extreme heat and cold, wildfire smoke, drought, and flooding. This program aims to support farmworkers, construction workers, and others who are most risk from climate-related environmental impacts.

We achieved these wins through strategic advocacy including staff and members joining our Legislative Advocate Guillermo Rogel Jr. in Olympia to lobby, testify, and host public events such as our inaugural reception for legislators of color and a press conference with the BIPOC Mobility Action Coalition to highlight just transportation – watch our short video. We also reached growing audiences via email, social media, media coverage including The Seattle Times, The Urbanist, and The White House, as well as through calls to action, resulting in thousands of people signing in PRO for our priority bills and sending 500 budget-related emails to legislators.

Our ongoing, day-to-day work on the ground creating real change with our frontline communities continues throughout the year. Join us as we continue to organize, mobilize, celebrate, and build a Just Transition in Washington State!