A peaceful rally to support legislative changes to the Keeping Families Together Act is scheduled for 4 to 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 29, at the Washington state Capitol in Olympia.
The gathering is “in support of legislative changes for Washington state children who have been abused and children who have been put in harm’s way due to HB 1227, the Keeping Families Together Act,” the Light the Way Missing Persons Advocacy Project, which is helping to organize the event, stated in an email to The Chronicle.
HB 1227, passed by the state Legislature in 2022, made several changes to state law regarding child dependency cases.
“The intent of the act was to safely reduce the number of children placed into foster care, reduce racial disproportionality in the child welfare system, and support relatives to take care of children when they must be placed out of home to protect their safety,” the Washington state Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) states on its website.
The legislation went into effect on July 1, 2023.
Thursday’s event is hosted by Ashlee Barnes, aunt to Hazel Homan, who was murdered by her father’s girlfriend while under the watch of the DCYF, according to the event flier.
“The organizers’ goal is to hold lawmakers accountable for the dangers children are exposed to because of HB 1227 and to make both the public and lawmakers aware of the 85 children who died under the watch of WA DCYF in 2022,” the Light the Way Missing Persons Advocacy Project stated in an email to The Chronicle.
The gathering will take place on the north steps of the Legislative Building at the Capitol.
