November Meeting Recap

We had several presentations that supported the committee’s values of Leadership, Integrity, Fostering growth, Empowerment, Well-being, and Advocacy. The following is a short summary of the presentations of our distinguished guests.
As always, you can view the meeting minutes and supporting materials on our meetings page.
Director of the Washington State Women’s Commission Michelle Gonzalez gave a brief update on priorities of its three committees. These include:

• a centennial celebration in collaboration with the Washington Historical Society to mark making the 19^th amendment, giving women the right to vote.
• economic opportunity
• sexual harassment and gender based violent

Gonzalez also gave a tour of the commission’s website.
Debbie Baker from the Department of Revenue gave an overview of  the Paid Family Medical Leave Act. Contributions from employers and employees will start in 2019 for employee use in 2020.

Cheri Randich from the Legislative Information Center gave an overview of the state legislative website, which included tutorials on how to find bill histories and reports.
Eileen Yoshina from the Puget Sound Education Service District gave tips on how to promote racial equity in the workplace and other areas. Yoshina said not to get discouraged if progress seems slow. She noted there are no “quick fixes” to race and race relations, but it’s important to stay engaged in the conversation.

Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler also talked about health care reform in Washington state.