skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Wednesday, April 23, 2025

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Marco Rubio unveils massive State Dept. overhaul with reductions of staff and bureaus; Visas revoked, status changed for international students in TX; Alaska lawmakers work to improve in-school mental health care; Montana DEQ denies Big Hole River decision, cites law opposed by EPA; Indiana moves to regulate legal THC sales and branding.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

White House defends Secretary Hegseth amid media scrutiny, federal judges block efforts to dismantle U.S. international broadcasters, and major restructuring hits the State Department and rural programs.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Schools in timber country face an uncertain future without Congress' reauthorization of a rural program, DOGE cuts threaten plant species needed for U.S. food security, and farmers will soon see federal dollars for energy projects unlocked.

Advocates say WA rent stabilization bill important for ending hunger

play audio
Play

Thursday, March 20, 2025   

While affordable housing advocates across the state have been cheering on Washington's rent stabilization bill in Olympia, so have organizations fighting hunger in the state.

Claire Lane, director of the Anti-Hunger and Nutrition Coalition, stands behind the bill, which would limit yearly rent increases to 7%. Lane said her coalition partners with housing advocates because if someone is housing insecure, they are also likely to be food insecure.

"Really, the most important thing to take away from that is, we're not going to be able to solve hunger in Washington until we can ensure that people have more stable, more affordable housing," she explained.

Washington's rent stabilization bill has passed the House and is now in the Senate. Votes for the bill have largely been along party lines, with Republicans arguing it will result in less housing and higher rents.

Along with capping increases, the rent stabilization bill would require landlords to give tenants six months' notice for significant rent increases. Lane explained that having more time is key to supporting people having enough food, and added if a family only has two months to move because of a rent hike, they will prioritize paying for housing over food.

"And that's where you start cutting back on your groceries. That's where you start skipping dinner or you start skipping breakfast," she continued.

Lane pointed to new data from the University of Washington focused on lower income households, showing more than half of participants experience food insecurity, and said the data show food insecurity in the state is widespread, especially in communities of color.

"Seventy percent of Hispanic respondents, compared to 54% of non-Hispanic respondents, experience food insecurity. Those are huge numbers no matter how you look at it, but the disparity is obvious," she contended.

Democrats are confident the rent stabilization bill will pass this year, with some tweaks in the wording.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
In Cleveland, more than 90% of homes were built before 1978, the year lead-based paint was banned for residential use. (Adobe Stock)

play sound

As Cleveland tightens its air quality standards for the first time since 1977, health officials are urging residents to take simple steps at home to …


Social Issues

play sound

A bus tour will zip through eastern South Dakota Thursday, where local leaders, health care providers and farm voices want to connect the dots …

Environment

play sound

Montana officials have denied a petition asking the state to designate the Big Hole River as "impaired" by pollution. Two conservation groups …


Many international students have said they did not know their visas were revoked, or that their status had been changed, until they were notified by federal officials. (Mediteraneo/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Hundreds of international college students in Texas are fighting to stay in the country after their visas were revoked and their legal status changed …

Health and Wellness

play sound

Colorado has made significant improvements in connecting young people with the mental health care they need, according to the mental health advocacy …

From 2021 to 2022, the Department of Energy tripled its funding for agrivoltaics, including $8 million for a new program studying how solar panels can benefit farmers and rural areas. (pkproject/Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

Results of a new study from Michigan State University suggest farmers no longer have to choose between growing crops and harnessing solar power…

Social Issues

play sound

Pennsylvanians over age 50 are voicing concerns about the Department of Government Efficiency plans to cut 7,000 jobs from the U.S. Social Security …

Health and Wellness

play sound

Nebraska lawmakers are considering a bill to ensure managed health care companies cannot limit the state reimbursement rate for mental health service …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021