A big thanks to the more than 30 pedestrians and bicyclists who came to Olympia yesterday to share their stories. The most moving testimony came from Alice Hilbert, who was struck in a crosswalk on Rainier Avenue and was later discharged from the military because of the seriousness of her injuries. Although only a few people had a chance to speak because of time constraints, many followed with personal visits to their representatives after the hearing.
The good news is that the committee chair, Sen. Kline, chose only a few to speak because he felt the committee would pass the bill with ease. Now, the committee must take executive action in a separate session and vote to move the bill forward by next week.
The bill is now undergoing markup by legislative staff and other stakeholders. These tweaks are to help the legal process, and are much smaller than the difference between this year's bill language and last year's.
This brings us to the next challenge -- only eight senators sit on the Judiciary Committee, and there are 41 more who haven't yet seen the new bill but will vote on the Senate floor when the bill makes it there. So far 2,100 people have emailed to educate their senators on SB 5838. A lot of these folks are emailing people who already support the bill, so please spread the word to your friends from Pullman to Puyallup. Our voices need to be heard by every senator in every district.
If you haven't yet, please use our online form to send a quick message or to share your personal story. Thanks for passing this along and keeping the momentum going.
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