This November, voters in the city of Spokane will vote on a Community Bill of Rights ballot measure. The measure, promoted by a community action group called “Envision Spokane,” seeks to amend the Spokane City Charter to either expand current entitlement programs or institute new ones.

The measure would codify rights for various entities. Also referred to as the “Spokane Community Bill of Rights,” the measure is a first of its kind in the United States. The aim is to use government authority to guarantee the legal right of every citizen to a sustainable and locally-based economy, affordable preventative medical care, affordable housing, and affordable and renewable energy. The bill would also assign legal rights to the natural environment and to neighborhoods so that communities could determine their own futures. The proposal would direct how workers would be paid, how many apprentices must be employed, and that union rights are mandatory in the workplace.

Read the full Policy Note here