We wanted to alert you guys to a bill that is being brought before our Washington State Legislature. HB 1045 is the start of a basic income program, which as we all know is just a fancy program-name for socialism. Let’s start by looking at a few “highlights” from the bill itself.
What is Washington state saying is the reason for the bill?
“The legislature finds that economic inequality continues to widen the gap between the top few earners and working and low-income families. The 2021 "Labor Market and Economic Report" produced by the Washington state employment security department paints a grim picture: Corporate profits increased by over 500 percent from 2000 to 2021 while everyday Washington residents filed more unemployment claims than ever with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The legislature further finds that 22 percent of Washington's adult population has a disability, and more than a quarter of a million of Washington residents have impairments related to mobility, cognition, dressing, and bathing that may prohibit participation in the workforce. A 2021 report generated by the centers for disease control and prevention about disability in Washington state urged that "everyone can play a role in supporting more inclusive state programs to help people with, or at risk for, disabilities."
“The legislature also finds that certain major life transitions or conditions are associated with high economic instability, including being pregnant or a parent of a young child; experiencing homelessness; being an immigrant, refugee, or asylee; exiting from the foster care system, the juvenile justice system, or the criminal justice system; exiting a relationship or living situation due to domestic violence; or having a disability or behavioral health disorder. These priority populations disproportionately experience poverty.”
“The legislature further finds that climate change will spread disease faster than in the past, creating a new normal where interruption of the labor market, quarantines, and mass-disabling events like those seen during the COVID-19 pandemic become more common place.”
Is this last point showing their hand of planned tyranny on the basis of “climate change?”
Qualification Requirements
While the proposed beneficiaries of the Basic Income Pilot Program are those living at or below poverty level and the homeless, there is a portion of the bill that is alarming. Read below:
“A person does not need to live in the state for a specific period of time prior to meeting the requirements in this subsection before being considered a resident.”
Income verification and citizenship are “confirmed” through “self-attestation” by the applicant. Further, the Board overseeing applicants cannot “exclude participation in the pilot program due to, or request information regarding, a person's immigration status, citizenship status, or place of birth…”
But wait… there’s more!
Does the basic income received count toward the eligibility to receive other funds paid by the tax payers? No. The Legislature is ensuring that “the Pilot Program shall reimburse any pilot participant for the loss of other public benefits due to participation in the pilot, and the pilot program shall develop easy, efficient, and clearly communicated re-enrollment plans for participants to immediately reenroll in any benefits lost due to participation in the evergreen basic income pilot program.” Section 40 further clarifies with this statement: “Furthermore, any cash assistance a person receives from the evergreen basic income pilot program as provided for in section 3 40 of this act or any guaranteed basic income program operated by a government or private entity may not be considered in determining a person's initial or ongoing eligibility for public assistance
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These are just a few of the highlights from HB 1045 that are important to know. We have attached the entire bill below for you to read through. So what is it you can do to oppose this bill?
Comment publicly on this bill - https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=1045&Initiative=false&Year=2023. To the right is a button entitled “Comment on this Bill.”
January 11, 2023 at 1:30 is the hearing for this bill. You can join online at:
https://tvw.org/video/house-human-services-youth-early-learning-2023011115/?eventID=2023011115
Share this publication with your friends and family, and encourage them to make a public comment.