Today was the last chance for the Washington State Men’s Commission bill (House Bill 1917) to be scheduled for a public hearing during the 2022 legislative session. It didn’t happen.
Sadly, that’s curtains for the bill this year.
……*Moment to grieve*……
……*Another moment to grieve*……
To learn more about the men’s commission bill and view a short video, see last week’s article: Help Us Advocate for the Washington State Men’s Commission Bill, HB 1917
Things that worked against us
Bills often take two, three, or four attempts to gather enough steam to pass. A couple things that did not play in our favor during this first attempt were:
- The Washington State legislature alternates between short sessions and long sessions. 2022 is a short session. Making progress on novel pieces of legislation — like a bill to create a men’s commission — is especially difficult during short sessions.
- Over 100 bills were completed and filed weeks in advance of January 10, the start of the legislative session. The men’s commission bill was completed not long before January 10, and it was filed on January 10. That meant our advocacy campaign kicked off well behind the advocacy campaigns of many other bills that were filed and had sponsors lined up before ours.
Things to be proud of
A state commission focused on the problems of boys and men was probably an entirely novel concept to most legislators who received emails and phone calls about it from the coalition of supporters backing HB 1917. Now, the concept is on the radar of legislators. They’ve been introduced to it by men and women of diverse backgrounds who told them not only that they support the creation of a Washington state men’s commission but why they support it. And there are many. many. whys.
There is a lot to be proud of, and great hope for the future. House Bill 1917 had four sponsors (including three women), and its 9 pages were high-quality and well-written. Using unassailable data, the bill clearly laid out the range of serious problems affecting boys and men, and it made the case for a state commission to tackle those problems.
Going forward
We will meet soon with the bill’s prime sponsor, Representative Mary Dye, to debrief and plan for the future.
Because the 2023 legislative session will mark the start of a new biennium, we will need to re-introduce the men’s commission bill. Lawmakers can introduce bills for the 2023 session starting December 1, 2022. In the meantime, it’s an opportunity to make any changes to the bill that we think will improve it.
We are really excited about several good ideas we’ve received — and are going to pursue over the coming months — to strengthen the support among Washington’s legislators for the idea of a commission focused on boys’ and men’s issues. You’ll hear more from us on that in the future. If you are not already on our email list, please sign up.
Thank you so much to each one of you who, over the last 17 days, contributed to the effort to establish a Washington state men’s commission.