Public Policy – Advocacy

Public Policy Committee report November 21, 2025.

The Public Policy Team is meeting Weekly. Find the zoom link on the state calendar.

National: There has been a shift in mood at the national meetings with election wins in a few states.

National continues to pump out comment and coalition letters and track all the federal issues.

We often hear about something (and I get emails from members) about a national issue asking what AAUW’s position is. Usually the issue is not “up” on the slate yet as it is months away from a hearing or comment period and often will change before it comes up -but national IS tracking and participating in discussions.

Joining with LWV is a big plus and paying off in our state and others – energizing members! Emily is working with LWV-WA President, and some branches are reaching out to their local LWV chapters.

Our state advocacy team reviewed the 2025 bills and now we are “ranking” bills to consider for Advocacy Day. which is January 26th. Nancy reminds us to save space for new bills as there is a lot coming! She is looking forward to working with us again this year. She’ll give us a list of possibles, and new bills start “dropping” Dec 1.

I’ve been in conversation with the WA AI Task Force folks and some of the legislators sponsoring AI bills – there is a sense of urgency to move bills forward in 2026 with federal and big tech moves to control this space. There seems to be keen interest by members in not just how to use AI responsibly but how to safely allow AI to invade our spaces. A lot is going on in WA about this right now.

AI is a women’s issue. See one-pager. We should consider taking a lead on this.

I updated our Check List for Advocacy Day.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UIs3PQZCUV1f90LBO03y55TiZL8rcppV/edit?usp=drive_link&ouid=107464559352999388558&rtpof=true&sd=true

and our bill vetting form it includes a link to a spreadsheet that shows branch “partners” by LD and other info.

We should have our issues for Advocacy Day nailed down by Dec 15th. Advocacy Day is Jan 26th. Some branches will go to Olympia during advocacy week.

Learn more about the policies that guide us here.

 

Are you interested in advocacy?  Through our Public Policy Committee we:

  • Advocate for AAUW’s public policy priorities
  • Represent AAUW’s public policy priorities to policy makers, elected and appointed officials, AAUW members, the public, and the media.

Get Involved!

  • Become a “Two Minute Activist”!  Let your state and national legislators know how to support our priorities.  It really does take two minutes or less. Sign up here!
  • Participate in the WA State Lobby Day, held in Olympia each year in January.  See the drop down menu for more information about this year’s event.
  • Join us in one of the many advocacy marches in Bellingham.