Dear Friends,
Yesterday, the Supreme Court of the United States upheld the Indian Child Welfare Act by a vote of 7-2, with Justices Thomas and Alito dissenting.
The Indian Child Welfare Act, known as ICWA, which established minimum federal standards for removing Native children from their homes, requiring preference to be given to a Native child’s extended family, and other members of their tribe, when they are removed from their family.
More than 40 years ago, Congress enacted the legislation after finding that public and private agencies had removed a third of all Native children from their homes, placing them in institutions or homes with no ties to tribal nations.
While I am working closely with our tribes, and with Representatives Drew Hansen and Chris Stearns, to draft legislation that will protect the core tenets of ICWA here in Washington, we should all celebrate this momentous decision and the continued positive impact that ICWA will have for our Native communities across the country.
The court found that ICWA does not violate the Constitution in imposing a federal mandate on the adoption process – a traditionally state-regulated area of power.
This is an incredible moment, and we should feel joyous that ICWA has been upheld! There are still questions to be answered and the fight is not over. The Court did not address the question of whether ICWA unconstitutionally discriminates based on race, and so we must continue our work to protect this pivotal legislation.
Thank you to all of the dedicated workers who have spent years fighting for ICWA. We have won a fantastic victory! It is because of your work that our children will stay with our communities, and you should be proud of what we have accomplished.
Keep reading for more on this Fantastic Friday.
“Stay Safe, Stay Healthy”
Rep. Debra Lekanoff
Celebrating Juneteenth
This coming Monday in particular marks the 158th anniversary of Juneteenth, the day in 1865 when the final enslaved people in the United States were freed by Union soldiers.
As a result of the hard work of many dedicated public servants, we now recognize Juneteenth as a paid state holiday – in particular, this is a result of the tremendous work done by Representative Melanie Morgan!
Thank you so much to Representative Morgan for your work to ensure that this historic day will be recognized and celebrated in Washington every year. I’m so grateful to work alongside you, and it was an honor to support you as we got this bill passed and signed into law!
The work for justice and equality has come a long, long way since 1865, but we still have much work to be done. I’m looking forward to rolling up my sleeves alongside all of you to do the difficult work that we all understand must be done.
Happy Father’s Day!
Friends, last month we took a moment to thank the incredible mothers that have shaped both us and our children. Now, I am happy to have the chance to celebrate all of the great fathers who do the same!
This Sunday, I would encourage you to take some time to thank the father figure in your life for all they have done – let them know they are loved and appreciated for all that they do!
I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to the great dads and father figures in Washington, across the country, and around the world who do so much to ensure the next seven generations to come are set up for success.
Waterfront Festival Celebration!
Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of attending the Port of Anacortes Waterfront Festival Celebration! I was there for the kickoff of their annual event and had a wonderful time meeting and talking to so many of you.
Anacortes Commissioner Bonnie Browers and Executive Director Dan Worra
This year, the festival was held on June 3 and 4, and if you were unable to make it out, I highly recommend you mark your calendars for next year! It is an incredible way to start the summer, and so much fun for the whole family.
Rep. Lekanoff with Skagit County Treasurer Jackie Brunson
According to the Port of Anacortes website:
“The Anacortes Waterfront Festival is a free event that showcases the best of waterfront activities. This family friendly event holds many traditions for local residents and visitors including: Quick and Dirty Boat Building Competitions, free boat rides provided by the Anacortes Yacht Club, hands-on children’s activities include building wooden sailboats with Fidalgo Island Rotary, games, making costumes, and more. The Channel of Discovery displays range from canoes and a pirate ship to learning about marine wildlife education and the environment. This fun filled festival also features food vendors, food trucks, and live music and performances!”
Thank you to all of the dedicated people at the Port of Anacortes who work so hard to put this event on – I can’t wait to come back next year!
Northwest Tribal Clean Energy Summit
As we continue our work in 2023 and beyond, there are a number of important issues that need our attention. One that you all know is near and dear to my heart is protecting our environment and promoting clean energy sources.
Earlier this week, the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians (ATNI) hosted their NW Tribal Clean Energy Summit, bringing together tribal leaders and officials to discuss the next steps down the path of energy sovereignty in the northwest.
According to the summit website:
“The Summit will engage Tribal leaders, citizens, staff, youth and collaborators in conversation about navigating the cultural, economic, and social challenges of implementing clean energy projects. Our goals include:
- Ensure that Tribes have the information, support, capacity and resources necessary to plan for and implement Tribal Energy Projects;
- Increase Tribal awareness of opportunities and challenges faced by other Tribes in developing energy projects and when partnering with outside partners for planning, policy development and project implementation;
- Improving project success by appropriately engaging and consulting with Tribes;
- Assess Tribal needs interests, and priorities related to Energy sovereignty, while providing listening opportunities for intertribal collaboration to move those priorities forward”
This is an issue that will have rippling impacts throughout Washington, and the more we are able to promote energy sovereignty, and clean energy sources, the better off our communities will be.
It warms my heart to see these conversations happening, and I am excited to continue working with Washingtons tribal nations to ensure that we are able to turn discussion into action that will benefit Washingtonians and our sovereign nations.
Transitioning Away From the Snake River Dams
As many of you know, there is an ongoing important discussion around the Snake River Dams and their potential removal. Recently Governor Inslee and Senator Murray expressed that breaching the dams will require extensive preparation and bipartisan support U.S. Democrats don’t yet have.
Federal agencies have poured more than $17 billion into salmon recovery over the last 20 years, hoping to revive populations using fish ladders, diversion screens, and hatcheries. But conditions for Snake River sockeye and spring-summer chinook are still dire and, limited on ideas, some federal and regional political actors are starting to look more closely at the possibility of breaching four eastern Washington dams — Ice Harbor, Lower Monumental, Little Goose, and Lower Granite.
Recently, it was my pleasure to work with my colleagues in Olympia to begin the process of transitioning the services provided by the four aging dams to more practical and sustainable sources.
In the final 2023-2025 Washington State Budget, we have allocated over $7 million dollars for transitioning the energy, transportation, and irrigation services that are currently supported by the four aging dams – an important step towards retiring the dams and restoring the Snake River to its natural splendor.
This will not be an immediate process, no overnight fix is possible. It will take a lot of difficult, coordinated work across all levels of government, ensuring that as these dams are removed we are able to replace the services they provided and set ourselves up for the future.
North Star Project
Next, I’d like to take a moment to share with you a little bit of information about an important and powerful meeting that took place on Tuesday.
Leaders of the North Star project asked members of city councils throughout the Skagit to take action and support their efforts to build a healthy community by addressing the homeless and behavioral health crises in Skagit County.
It was the first joint meeting of Skagit’s four city councils, and members of the North Star project presented shared the progress made in the project’s first year.
The North Star Project is a joint effort between Skagit County and the cities of Burlington, Mount Vernon, Anacortes, and Sedro-Woolley to better align resources and services to address the complex behavioral health and homelessness challenges in our community.
To learn more about the North Star Project, click here.
Those who have read my Fantastic Friday newsletters over the years understand how important these issues are to me. It is incumbent upon us to everything we can to help those who have fallen to stand up. I will always work to increase funding and support for behavioral health and housing.
This is an incredible program that continues to do good work, and I am proud to support the North Star Project. Keep an eye out for additional updates in the future.