By Pepper Fisher

OLYMPIA – Gov. Inslee delivered his State of the State address today in Olympia on day 2 of this 60-day legislative session.

Inslee laid out the issues that he believes are most important for lawmakers to tackle, and repeatedly emphasized the sense of urgency he wanted them to work under.

Inslee discussed the issues of controlling Covid-19, preparing for climate change, creating clean energy jobs, making revisions to the Long-Term Care bill and the police accountability measures put in place last year, continuing our efforts to save more salmon and orcas, and to making it easier to build middle- and low-income housing to deal with homelessness as his priorities.

“I want to reiterate that this may be a short session, but it is unlike any perhaps in our state’s history. And we must act according to what this moment demands. We must be big. We must be bold. We must act at a scale commensurate to our challenges, because of the multiple urgent crises facing our state. Too much is at stake to do otherwise. And I am confident we can do this, because I have seen the legislature rise to the moment before.”

Inslee also touted his proposal to outlaw in our state politicians and candidates knowingly lying about election results when they know those lies could lead to violence.

“The right to representative government today is under attack in this country. And unfortunately, I must say, also in our own state. I’m pro-democracy. And I think all elected officials and others who care about our state and nation should be pro-democracy, too. and I am calling on all legislators, Democrat and Republican, to acknowledge forcefully and vocally that the 2020 elections were won fair and square under our constitution. And to denounce those officials who spread deception. It strikes at the very foundation of our democracy.”