Update on the Campaign for a Commission on Boys and Men | HB 1270

Spent two full days at the capitol

A team of supporters of the bill that would establish a Washington State Commission on Boys and Men spent two full days last week in Olympia speaking to legislators about it. The website for the grassroots campaign backing this bill is WABoysandMen.org.

We managed to speak to nearly every Republican member of the House of Representatives and a quarter of the Democratic members, between pre-scheduled meetings, impromptu conversations in the hallways, and events hosted by Representative Mary Dye to which she invited every legislator. We also talked to:

• four of the seven sponsors of HB 1270, and
  
  
• five of the seven members of the State Government & Tribal Relations Committee (the committee to which the bill has been referred), including Representative Bill Ramos who is the committee chair

Among our group was Brookings Institution scholar Richard Reeves. He is an extremely effective spokesperson about the realities of the struggling modern male and the need for institutions to take up the cause and develop solutions. Richard gave several legislators copies of his book Of Boys and Men: Why the Modern Male is Struggling, Why it Matters, and What to Do About It.

Most of the lawmakers and their staff listened with open minds, and often they were passionately supportive of HB 1270. A small number seemed wary of the idea of a commission to help boys and men.

Through her involvement with this initiative as the bill’s prime sponsor, Representative Mary Dye has become a tremendous champion for the well-being of males in Washington. Her leadership is outstanding. She cares deeply. She is excited about the buzz we’ve created in Olympia, and she is highly motivated to help HB 1270 succeed. Rep. Dye is working very hard on behalf of those who envision a world in which the well-being of everyone, including boys and men, is equally sought.

See related: A Sign Washington’s Government is Becoming More Willing to Acknowledge Inequalities Affecting Males

Media coverage of HB 1270

Below are links to all of the media pieces on HB 1270 we are aware of. (We add to this list on an ongoing basis.) The first four pieces are especially noteworthy.

• ‘Men are in despair’: Advocates in Washington push for commission to help men, boys (TV report and web article by NBC affiliate KING-5 News Seattle)

• WA males account for 80% of suicides, among other troubling disproportionate trends (TV report and web article by ABC affiliate KXLY Spokane)

• The case for a Commission on Boys and Men: Will Washington state lead the way? (Brookings Institution)

• Does Washington need a Commission on Boys and Men? (Real Change News)

• Rep. Fitzgibbon: Bill to help men, boys too focused on ‘historically most advantaged’ (The Center Square)

• Washington Rep. Fitzgibbon: Bill to Help Men & Boys Too Focused On ‘Historically Most Advantaged’ (Washington in Focus, a podcast by The Center Square)

• Boys and Men commission bill dies, pursuit measure advances (KING-5 News)

• Society is failing men. What can be done about it? ([un]Divided with Brandi Kruse)

• Richard Reeves on the State of Boys and Men in the U.S. (C-SPAN Washington Journal)

• Bill proposed to create Boys and Men Commission (Columbia Basin Herald)

• Mary Dye introduces bill to help men, boys (Whitman County Gazette)

• Are Males in Crisis? (Original Guide to Men’s Health podcast episode with Rep. Mary Dye and Richard Reeves)

• SE Washington Lawmaker Proposes State Commission on Boys and Men (KOZE Radio)

• Washington State Eyeing Commission on Boys and Men (Global Initiative for Boys and Men)

• As House Bill Looms, KXLY Spokane addresses crisis facing boys and men in Washington State (Global Initiative for Boys and Men)

• Capitol report with Rep. Dye: Creating a commission for boys and men (3-minute audio report featuring Rep. Mary Dye and Richard Reeves)

• Mary Dye bill would create a new Washington State Commission on Boys and Men (press release from Washington House Republicans)

• Rep. Mary Dye: An innovative step toward improving the lives of Washington’s boys and men (Rep. Mary Dye)

• Video: Rep. Mary Dye introduces House Bill 1270 – Washington State Commission on Boys and Men, interviews Brookings expert Richard Reeves (Washington State House Republicans)

Uncertain if the bill will get a hearing

Representative Mary Dye (R-Pomeroy) filed the bill that would establish a commission on boys and men on January 11. The following day HB 1270 was referred to the State Government & Tribal Relations Committee. Last year our attempt to pass a similar bill ended when the committee chair at the time, Representative Javier Valdez (D-Seattle), declined to give it a public hearing. We have been optimistic about clearing that hurdle on this second attempt, with several advantages this year over last year — chief among them the bipartisan support for the bill, with three Democratic sponsors and four Republican sponsors.

For the 2023 legislative session the House Democrats appointed Representative Bill Ramos (D-Issaquah) the chair of the State Government & Tribal Relations Committee. At this point we remain concerned that he, too, will decline to schedule HB 1270 for a public hearing prior to the February 17 cutoff. We are diligently pursuing many routes to help influence him to give this bill a chance in his committee as soon as possible. A hearing would help raise critically-needed awareness among policymakers about areas where our boys and men are particularly struggling.