The legislature tasked the Dept of Commerce through Section 129(169) of Senate Bill 5693, Laws of 2022, to determine what changes in statute or practice would be necessary to align provisions governing school director compensation with those governing the compensation of other elected officials with comparable duties and responsibilities.
Commerce is publishing draft work products as part of its goal to balance the interests and obligations to the Council, the Legislature and the people of Washington. These products will undergo further review by the Council, tribes and the public throughout 2023. Provisional Community Engagement Plan (PDF) – Draft Agency Strategic Plan and Environmental Justice Implementation Plan – Draft
The last two months have seen so much progress in the Community Reinvestment Plan. This progress will be highlighted in the Interim Legislative Report (published and shared here by the end of the calendar year), but I would like to highlight one aspect of the great work our contractor, the Harriet Tubman Foundation for Safe Passage (HTFFSP) is doing: their public engagement and collaboration. The HTFFSP model of gathering community…
The Washington State Public Works Board, Washington State Broadband Office, and Community Economic Revitalization Board encourage the public to review and verify or challenge the information for their location on the recently published FCC National Broadband Map. The accuracy of this map is critical for future broadband funding allocations. Step by step guidance for FCC Broadband Mapping has been made available.
What is it? The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has published a new National Broadband Map. This map attempts to show where internet service is and is not available for every location in the country. The accuracy of this information is critical to the future of broadband in the state. Why does it matter to me? Verification of services Does the map show that broadband service is available at your location,…
Funding awards support vital community infrastructure projects across Washington state OLYMPIA, Wash. – The Washington State Public Works Board (PWB) approved over $118 million in funding for local community infrastructure projects at its Friday, Nov. 4 meeting. Loans from the PWB’s traditional pre-construction and construction programs will fund vital public infrastructure across six different systems: streets and roads, bridges, domestic water, stormwater, sanitary sewers, and solid waste and recycling. Pre-Construction…
A forensic nurse examiner (FNE) is a Registered or Advanced Practice Nurse with specialty training to provide specialized care to survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence and/or nonfatal strangulation. The Legislature’s 2021 bill to support victims of nonfatal strangulation (Chapter 269, Laws of 2021 (SSB 5183), Section 3 (3)) directed the Department of Commerce’s Office of Crime Victims Advocacy (OCVA) to “develop strategies to make [FNE] training available to nurses…
The Department of Commerce is excited to announce it has finalized a contract for the Harriet Tubman Foundation for Safe Passage to manage the Community Reinvestment Account Plan! HTFFSP has proven expertise in BIPOC-led community engagement and academic leadership that will serve to connect us with the communities most affected by the war on drugs. Their founder, Ms. Jesse Miller leads with heart as a person of lived experience with…
The Washington State Broadband Office (WSBO) is preparing for the second and final round of funding under monies made available by the American Recovery Plan Act. While the second round will not be released until sometime in November of 2022, with this notice, WSBO is soliciting comments on important issues that will inform WSBO in crafting scoring requirements for the Fall Notice of Funding Opportunity (NoFO) as well as certain…
The Department of Commerce, in partnership with the Office of Equity and community partners, is responsible for building a plan by July 2023 to describe how funds will be invested to address racial, economic, and social disparities in communities across the state created by the historical design and enforcement of state and federal criminal laws and penalties for drug possession. These dollars will be distributed by Commerce as $100 million…