Drafter

Clerk 06/30/2022

Title

AN ORDINANCE related to abortion services; making a supplemental appropriation of $500,000 to public health; amending the 2021-2022 Biennial Budget Ordinance, Ordinance 19210, Section 100, as amended; and declaring an emergency.

Body

                     BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF KING COUNTY:

                     SECTION 1.  Findings:

                     A.  Every person must have the right to maintain personal bodily autonomy, have children, not have children and parent children in safe and sustainable communities.

                     B.  About one in four people who can become pregnant has had an abortion in their lifetime.

                     C.  Abortion is a common and safe medical procedure.

                     D.  The United States Supreme Court's ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health, No. 19-1392 (U.S. S.Ct., June 24, 2022), which ends the United States of America's constitutional right to an abortion, will lead to increased abortion demand in King County from residents of states that ban abortions.

                     E.  Idaho's near-total ban on abortion will take effect in less than thirty days.  That will result in a drastic increase of Idaho residents seeking abortion in Washington state.

                     F.  If local abortion services become overcapacity, King County residents in need of abortions will have to wait longer for an appointment, causing them to have later abortions that are more expensive and more medically involved.

                     G.  The Northwest Abortion Access Fund serves people from Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Alaska by paying for abortion care, helping people get to and from abortion clinics and ensuring people travelling for care have a safe place to stay.

                     H.  Demand for the Northwest Abortion Access Fund's services are expected to significantly increase following the United States Supreme Court's overturing of Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 (1973).

                     I.  The council has authority to enact an emergency appropriation ordinance, as set forth in Section 470.20 of the King County Charter.

                     SECTION 2.  Ordinance 19210, Section 100, as amended, is hereby amended as follows:

                     PUBLIC HEALTH - From the public health fund there is hereby appropriated to:

                     Public health                     $500,000

                     ER1 EXPENDITURE RESTRICTION:

                     Of this appropriation, $125,000 shall be expended or encumbered solely to expand efforts to address COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy by disseminating community-informed and targeted messaging and working with trusted messengers.  The efforts shall focus on unincorporated King County, rural areas of King County and areas where uptake of COVID-19 vaccinations are low.

                     ER2 EXPENDITURE RESTRICTION:

                     Of this appropriation, $1,750,000 shall be expended or encumbered solely to expand contracts with community-based organizations to hold temporary vaccine clinics to administer COVID-19 vaccines and conduct related outreach.

                     ER3 EXPENDITURE RESTRICTION:

                     Of this appropriation, $5,000,000 shall be expended or encumbered solely to support the food security assistance program to support communities throughout the county with residents suffering disproportionate health and economic impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic.  The program shall provide grants to organizations to purchase, store, donate and distribute to individuals or other community food providers, culturally appropriate foods that might be difficult to secure through traditional stores.  Culturally appropriate foods may include prepared meals purchased from restaurants or commercial kitchens that prepare culturally appropriate foods.

                     ER4 EXPENDITURE RESTRICTION:

                     Of this appropriation, $335,000 shall be expended or encumbered solely to contract with an organization that operates farmers markets throughout the city of Seattle including, but not limited to, the West Seattle neighborhood and provides food access programs to alleviate increased food insecurity due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  The contract shall support the following:

                     A.  To expand online sales capabilities for vendors to alleviate the financial burden faced by vendors due to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions that are limiting the number of vendors and residents allowed in farmers markets; and

                     B.  To support food access programs that shall include, but not be limited to, supporting food banks to purchase wholesale quantities of food from local farmers to alleviate increased food insecurity due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

                     ER5 EXPENDITURE RESTRICTION:

                     Of this appropriation, $200,000 shall be expended or encumbered solely to support a farmers market grant program, which shall provide grants to either farmers markets or organizations that support famers markets, or both, to implement food access programs that shall include, but not be limited to, supporting food banks to purchase wholesale quantities of food from local farmers to alleviate increased food insecurity due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

                     ER6 EXPENDITURE RESTRICTION:

                     Of this appropriation, $500,000 shall be expended or encumbered solely to support an education campaign related to substance use disorders which has increased in severity and number due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  As described in Motion XXXXX (Proposed Motion 2021-0188), the education campaign shall include, but not be limited to, eliminating prejudices against seeking treatment, raising awareness about the efficacy of substance use disorder treatments and promoting stories and pathways of recovery.

                     ER7 EXPENDITURE RESTRICTION:

                     Of this appropriation, $800,000 shall be expended or encumbered solely for the Communities of Opportunity's Commercial Affordability Pilot Project to support small businesses that are adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

                     ER8 EXPENDITURE RESTRICTION:

                     Of this appropriation, $200,000 shall be expended or encumbered solely to support the Laced & Lethal campaign to address overdoses caused by fentanyl-laced substances in King County.

                     ER9 EXPENDITURE RESTRICTION:

                     Of this appropriation, $221,000 shall be expended or encumbered solely to support a bicycle safety and helmet distribution program.  The program shall make specific emphasis on unhoused individuals and individuals who historically have been disproportionately impacted by inequities and discrimination.

                     ER10 EXPENDITURE RESTRICTION:

                     Of this appropriation, $2,000,000 shall be expended or encumbered solely to support a gun violence prevention grant program for community-based organizations in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency.

                     ER11 EXPENDITURE RESTRICTION:

                     Of this appropriation, $500,000 shall be expended or encumbered solely to contract with the Northwest Abortion Access Fund to pay for abortion care, travel expenses for people to get to and from abortion clinics, and to provide a safe place to stay for those travelling for abortion care.

                     SECTION 3.  The council finds as a fact and declares that an emergency exists

and that this ordinance is necessary for the immediate preservation of public peace, health or safety or for the support of county government and its existing public institutions.