Emergencies don’t usually have anniversaries, but we are fast approaching one. Last year on Feb. 29, Gov. Jay Inslee acted within his responsibilities to declare a state of emergency to protect “life, health, property or public peace” in Washington when a novel virus emerged in the U.S. For a while, we really were all in it together.
That was so 2020. Little sense of shared sacrifice remains. The burdens have fallen on those who can least afford it as executive branch proclamations continue to dictate how to live with a newly endemic and contagious disease. So who declares an emergency when executive branch proclamations endanger life, health, property and public peace? That responsibility falls to the people’s branch of government, the Legislature, now in session.
Until last March and the first round of shutdowns, the Department of Health happily promoted the Healthy People 2020 campaign on the importance of the social determinants of health, which include economic stability and education. Unemployment and lack of social cohesion are symptoms of another kind of public health emergency.
With the temporary and permanent closure of so many Washington businesses, we’ve split our communities into the privileged with a paycheck and those whose worlds have been upended. Their life, health and property are in danger. They’ve lost businesses, jobs and homes. They’ve watched children sink into depression, struggling with school despite the many dedicated teachers who are struggling along with them.
Our government is predicated on checks and balances between the three branches of government. The Legislature is now stepping up, or at least has the opportunity to step up if enough legislators agree. Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia, is the prime sponsor of SB 5114. According to the bill summary, it would immediately move Washington into Phase 2 of the governor’s latest revision of a reopening plan and put the Legislature back in the loop “to regularly review the best available public health data to determine whether additional actions should be taken until January 10, 2022.”
It brings the people’s voices back into critical decisions for community health through their duly elected legislators from both parties. The bill has a choir of co-sponsors, including Sen. Jeff Holy, R-Spokane Valley, Sen. Shelly Short, R-Addy, and Sen. Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville. It shouldn’t be a partisan issue.
When asked for a comment on the bill, Holy said:
“Restarting our state’s economy and reopening our state’s businesses should have been accomplished by a simple common sense revision to the governor’s mandate forcing businesses to close. Inexplicably, the Legislature has allowed itself to be placed in a position where having to pass a bill is necessary to allow Washington state businesses to reopen. At this point, the issue is so critical to Washington state business survival and our state’s economy that I co-sponsored SB 5114 to allow for the Healthy Washington Road to Recovery Plan’s providing for the safe resumption of Washington state’s economy.”
Schoesler was succinct: “This was long overdue. Let the people know where you stand.”
To continue to treat what is now a chronic situation under executive branch emergency authority is like using the ER as your primary care physician for chronic high blood pressure. The legislative branch needs back into the loop.
Wednesday ’s hearing on the bill before the Senate State Government and Elections Committee was my first opportunity to watch remote testimony in operation. People’s voices were being heard in a way never possible when the Legislature is cloistered in Olympia. According to Braun, there were 1,642 people signed in and nearly 300 wishing to testify on the Zoom platform. It was a history-making level of participation. With one minute per person, not everyone would literally be heard, but all had an opportunity to submit a written statement through the system.
It’s a wonderful unintended consequence of the governor’s edicts. Testifying from Eastern Washington no longer requires two days off work, something few but the privileged can afford to do. Some of the most powerful voices came from small business owners sitting in their native habitat. Not only did legislators get to hear their words, but they had glimpses into their world.
Maybe we can once more all be in it together if a diversity of voices across Washington is both seen and heard. And listened to.
Contact Sue Lani Madsen at rulingpen@gmail.com.
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Sue Lani Madsen: When the emergency creates an emergency . . . - The Spokesman-Review
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