2014

Dear Friends, It's just two weeks until your ballot will be mailed to your home. FCWPP supports a "Yes" vote on Initiative 594, which would require criminal and public safety background checks on all firearms sales and transfers including gun shows, online sales, and private sales with certain exceptions. These background checks would be the same as are currently required for sales from licensed gun dealers and are intended to keep guns out of the hands of felons, persons convicted of domestic violence crimes, and persons dangerously mentally ill as determined by a court. FCWPP supports a "No" vote on Initiative 591, which, among other things, would prohibit Washington state from having background checks on firearms that are more stringent than those of the federal government. In particular, given current federal law, approval of this Initiative would prevent Washington state from universal background checks, the very thing I-594 would do.…

Dear Friends of FCWPP, You are invited to participate in the fall meeting of the Steering Committee of Friends Committee on Washington Public Policy (FCWPP). The meeting will be at 7 pm on Friday September 26 at Pacific Northwest Quarterly Meeting (PNQM), at Lazy F camp near Ellensburg. We'll be meeting at 7 pm in the dining hall. So, if you're coming for the wonderful opportunity for worship, enjoyment of nature, and renewal of friendships at Quarterly Meeting, consider coming to the FCWPP meeting on Friday night as we discuss plans for supporting legislation -- in the areas of criminal justice, economic justice, and the environment. In addition to planning for the upcoming legislative session, we want to get more Friends more involved in public policy efforts ... like, perhaps, you! As part of the agenda for this meeting, we will discuss how best to communicate about the work of…

Your elected representatives say they want you to meet with them before the 2015 legislative session begins in January. Many organizations are already firming up their work plans for the 2015 legislative session. Groups are finding legislators who will take lead roles advocating for the bills their constituents want passed, and they are continuing to nurture activists’ relationships with the three people who represent each one in Olympia by arranging opportunities for advocacy and conversation. Many actions have occurred since the 2014 session ended. A few are listed below: • Governor Inslee formed a carbon emissions reduction taskforce to work through the spring, summer, and fall to prepare for legislative action in the 2015 session. • Representatives from organizations hoping to abolish the death penalty, including FCWPP, have met three times to develop strategies and identify key legislators to contact during the interim between legislative sessions. • The Adult Behavioral…

  Dear Friends of FCWPP,You are invited to participate in the spring meeting of the Steering Committee of Friends Committee on Washington Public Policy (FCWPP).  The meeting will be at 7 pm on Friday April 25 at Pacific Northwest Quarterly Meeting (PNQM), at Lazy F camp near Ellensburg.As part of the agenda for this meeting, we'll hear what members of Monthly Meeting or Worship Group are doing relating to FCWPP (such as responding to FCWPP Alerts to make contacts with legislators, discussing FCWPP legislation on criminal and economic justice and environmental matters at meeting events, participating in Quaker Lobby Day, etc.).   So, if you are coming to worship, enjoy nature, and renew friendships at Quarterly Meeting, consider coming to the FCWPP Steering Committee meeting on Friday night as we review the legislative session and discuss other items related to FCWPP's work, including getting more Friends involved in public policy efforts…

This post "Challenging session ends with several significant successes" is also available as a PDF file: 2014 End of Session Report-1. The importance of your voice to the Washington state legislature’s decision making process increases as the Senate’s majority caucus becomes increasingly dominated by other voices that advocate most strongly for reduced government and increased individual control. Friends can frequently tap into shared values of compassion, forgiveness, and community—supported by our Testimonies and the belief there is that of God in everything and every person—to remind legislators we need government as a moderator that preserves or improves our environment, reduces immoral disparities of wealth and opportunity, and creates a better balance between nurturing and coercion to enhance public safety while helping those who committed crimes to create better options for the future. Your efforts and contributions helped pass some important new laws, helped block a few that would have done…