On February 13th, Sage’s Aretha Basu and Eliana Horn along with Yordanos Teferi of Multicultural Community Coalition (MCC) and Chelsea Lee from Eastside for All, traveled to Olympia representing the King County Equitable Development Initiative Coalition to talk with legislators about Sage’s first bill in Olympia, SB 5138 which would change the uses of AIRBNB tax, otherwise known as short term lodging tax, to include equitable development in King County.
Seattle already has the ability to use the AIRBNB tax for equitable development and it is a consistent portion of funding for the Seattle Equitable Development Initiative (EDI). With an EDI starting up in King County, we are fighting to make sure the County has the same ability as the City of Seattle. And great news, the day before arriving in Olympia, our bill passed the Senate because of your support! We spoke with seven legislators about this bill and are looking forward to continuing to move it through the House in the coming month!
Our Senior Climate Policy Manager Debolina Banerjee also joined Front and Centered’s Advocacy Day this past month to lobby for HB 1903, which calls for a statewide energy assistance program. No one should have to choose between energy and their other basic needs. While there are a variety of energy assistance programs out there, according to Washington State Department of Commerce only about one in five low-income households who qualify were being served by such programs as of 2023.
Make sure to follow our partners at Front and Centered to get updates on this important bill!