NPI's Cascadia Advocate

Offering commentary and analysis from Washington, Oregon, and Idaho, The Cascadia Advocate is the Northwest Progressive Institute's uplifting perspective on world, national, and local politics.

Category Archives: Policy Topics

Scrapping the Alaska king salmon troll season will hurt fishing communities without helping our endangered southern resident orcas

Excerpt: A lawsuit that seeks to halt the southeast Alas­ka com­mer­cial salmon troll fish­ery has become a big topic of discussion in the Last Frontier and in the PNW's fishing communities after a federal court judge recently ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, putting the upcoming fishing season in jeopardy.
Written by:Diane Jones
Other Categories:Our Environment
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Slimy Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton gets impeached by his fellow Republicans

Excerpt: The saga of Paxton, now suspended from office pending a Senate trial, carries national lessons in the lengths to which the political right shows loyalty, and meet out punishment to those who dare to question even conduct that is outrageous.
Written by:Joel Connelly
Other Categories:Open Government
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The oil sands province of Alberta: Where extreme weather meets extreme politics

Excerpt: The political climate of Canada’s oil producing province is being upstaged by Mother Nature. Prolonged heat and lightning have produced a natural climate emergency with fires blackening the skies and consuming more than 2.3 million acres in a not-so-merry month of May.
Written by:Joel Connelly
Other Categories:Elections, Our Environment, Party Politics
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Housing policy leaders discuss ways to get people into homes at 2023 YDWA Convention

Excerpt: Read a recap of the 2023 Young Democrats of Washington Convention's housing-focused panel, which brought together local and state leaders in Spokane for a conversation moderated by NPI's Kamil Zaidi.
Written by:Caya Berndt
Other Categories:Events, Public Planning
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Issues facing LGBTQ+ community take center stage at 2023 YDWA Convention in Spokane

Excerpt: Though Washington has historically been one of the safer states to be queer, the LGBTQ+ experience east of the Cascades is a very different one due to the Republican-leaning local governments. After all, it wasn't that long ago that it wasn't very safe to be out in Spokane, the biggest city in the region.
Written by:Caya Berndt
Other Categories:Civil Liberties, Events
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Amazon has a big opportunity to be a leader in plastic packaging reduction

Excerpt: In 2022, Amazon stopped packing products in single-use plastic delivery bags shipped from their European fulfillment centers, and stopped using plastic air pillows in Europe and Australia. Yet, Amazon has not made similar commitments in the United States, its largest market.
Written by:Pam Clough
Other Categories:Our Environment
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Washington State Legislature swiftly agrees on a Blake fix after going into special session

Excerpt: "This bill recognizes the harm that public use causes our communities by creating the crime of public use," said Representative Jamila Taylor. "More importantly, it focuses on the most up-to-date science on recovery, working to connect people to treatment, housing, services, and employment opportunities."
Written by:Andrew Villeneuve
Other Categories:Civil Liberties, Legislative Advocacy
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Expansion of access to Working Connections Child Care will help Washington families

Excerpt: In this guest post for NPI's Cascadia Advocate, Senator Claire Wilson explains how Senate Bill 5225 will help reduce the cost of childcare for many families and support Washington's youngest learners.
Written by:Claire Wilson
Other Categories:Education, Guest Posts, Legislative Advocacy
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Washington is making important, long overdue investments in environmental equity

Excerpt: In this guest post for NPI, Senators Joe Nguyễn and Rebecca Saldaña explain how the Evergreen State is prioritizing equity in our response to the climate crisis.
Written by:Joe Nguyen and Rebecca Saldana
Other Categories:Guest Posts, Legislative Advocacy, Our Environment
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Several Proud Boys convicted of seditious conspiracy in January 6th insurrection

Excerpt: These convictions are more than just a victory for the Department of Justice - they are an encouraging sign for the future of American democracy. For our republic to endure, attempts to overturn a free and fair election by force must be thwarted and their perpetrators held accountable.
Written by:Andrew Villeneuve
Other Categories:Civil Liberties
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Oregon Republicans flee the Capitol to block gun safety and reproductive justice bills

Excerpt: Republicans in Oregon are once again holding up the business of the Oregon State Legislature by refusing to show up for work, which is preventing the Senate from taking up critical gun safety and reproductive justice bills.
Written by:Andrew Villeneuve
Other Categories:Civil Liberties
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Disney sues Ron DeSantis, seeking to have retaliatory laws declared unconstitutional

Excerpt: Of DeSantis’ actions, the Disney brief declares: “This government action was patently retaliatory, patently anti-business and patently unconstitutional. But the Governor and his allies have made clear they do not care and will not stop.”
Written by:Joel Connelly
Other Categories:Civil Liberties, World Commmunity
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DONE! Governor Inslee signs assault weapons ban and two more gun safety bills into law

Excerpt: On April 25th, Governor Jay Inslee signed into law three pivotal new gun safety laws: a ban on assault weapons, a permit-to-purchase requirement, and a duty to impose reasonable controls law that gun manufacturers, distributors, and sellers must abide by. 
Written by:Andrew Villeneuve
Other Categories:Civil Liberties, Legislative Advocacy
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“Blake fix” bill fails in State House, prompting calls for special session on drug policy

Excerpt: Several Democrats joined the chamber's forty Republicans in casting nay votes, creating a potent obstacle to the bill's passage that leadership determined could not be surmounted before the clock ran out on the 2023 legislative session.
Written by:Andrew Villeneuve
Other Categories:Civil Liberties, Legislative Advocacy
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