Buy Clean Buy Fair WA- Bill hearing tomorrow

This Tuesday (1/26) will be the first hearing for a Buy Clean, Buy Fair bill in the Washington state legislature (HB 1103)

The BlueGreen Alliance and members of labor, industry, and environmental NGOs have been involved in shaping the bill, sponsored by Rep. Duerr. Due to the remote nature of this year’s legislative session, it’s particularly easy for individuals and organizations to sign-in pro to support the bill in advance of the hearing, and also watch the hearing. No testimony is required to comment, although written comments are also an option. The link to comment is here, which closes at 12:30pm PST on 1/26/21. If anyone is inclined to support, it would help move this bill out of committee.

I’ve attached a two-pager about the bill, and you can find the full text in the link above. In brief, the bill would establish disclosure and reporting requirements for structural building materials in state-funded projects. Disclosure requirements would include elements related to both global warming potential of materials (via EPDs) and health and working conditions of facilities. Concrete, steel, and engineered wood are the structural materials in scope. Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions or comments! Buy Clean Buy Fair 2021 2-Pager v2.pdf (193.8 KB)

At last Thursday’s CLF Seattle webinar, Kirsten Smith at AIA also shared some resources on how to interact with the legislative process.

Here are notes on the paths she laid out for contributing your comments or concerns about the bill:

  • 5 minutes: submit your position (i.e. a quick Yes/No) to the Capital Budget Committee. (see pg. 12-13 of the AIA’s 2021 Legislative Session Cheat Sheet). Due 12:30pm PST, Tuesday January 26.
  • <30 minutes: Submit written testimony. Allows you to submit a document that will go in the committee’s briefing materials (5,000 character limit). Due Wednesday January 27.
  • <30 minutes: Reaching out to legislators if your legislator is on the Capital Budget committee to let them know you support the bill and why. See pg. 3-6 of the AIA’s cheat sheet.
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