House passes Pettigrew reforms

Juneteenth, housing and racial disparities

March 19, 2007

OLYMPIA – The House passed three bills championed by Rep. Eric Pettigrew (D-Seattle), including a bill to encourage the construction of affordable housing, another measure dealing with foster children and a third bill recognizing Juneteenth.

“Affordable housing and foster children are big issues back home in the 37th District,” said Pettigrew. “So I’m happy we could get these bills passed and into the Senate so we can make progress on these issues.”

More affordable housing

House Bill 1401 creates a program to buy land to encourage more affordable housing. It’s designed to help non-profits compete in the marketplace to buy land if they intend to build affordable housing.

“It’s becoming impossible for working-class and middle-class families to buy a home in King County,” Pettigrew said. “It’s just common-sense to do a reform like this to help the non-profits have a shot at buying the land they need to build houses that working people can afford to buy. I believe a key part of the American Dream is owning your own home in a safe neighborhood with good schools, and this bill will help people achieve that dream.”

By creating a land pool for affordable home construction, low income residents should get more housing choices, particularly in three Washington counties -- Snohomish, King, and Pierce -- where rents are expected to increase by 22 percent between 2006 and 2009.

House Bill 1401 passed 96-1.

Foster children

Michigan reduced the number of foster children in the system by 2 percent since it started focusing on why there’s a disproportionate number of children of color in the state’s foster-care system.

“We need to figure this out so we can do a better job of protecting these kids,” Pettigrew said.

House Bill 1472 is aimed at fixing that inequality here in Washington state’s system to care for foster children.

After investigating the causes of this disproportionality, a state agency will issue annual progress reports to the Legislature and develop a remediation plan to reduce those numbers.

House Bill 1472 passed 95-2

Establishing Juneteenth

House Bill 1870 establishes June 19 as Juneteenth, a day of remembrance in Washington state for the date the former slaves in America learned of their freedom.

Juneteenth celebrations date back to June 19, 1865 when on Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and the slaves were free. This was two and a half years after President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation became official on January 1, 1863.

Juneteenth not only marks the day slaves actually knew of their freedom but is recognized as a day of celebration and remembrance in the African-American community.

Slavery is not-so-distant history for many and Juneteenth applauds the African-American experience in the U.S. It is a day of inclusion when communities collectively recognize the evils of slavery and acknowledge how that history still binds both sides together.

House Bill 1870 passed 94-0.