WASHINGTON STATE

Washington State House Democrats

HOUSE DEMOCRATS

Rep. Brian Blake’s Legislative Update – January 29, 2013

Dear neighbors,

The second week of the 2013 legislative session began on Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday, and legislators honored the slain civil rights leader with a resolution on the House floor.  While his birthday is celebrated each year as a federal holiday, Dr. King’s message of equality for all is relevant every day of the year.  As he once famously said, “No one is free, until everyone is free.”

Watch my video update!

 

blakevu

 

 

Bills are going into the Hopper

It’s a phrase you’ll hear a lot within the legislature:  “putting a bill in the Hopper.”  What does that even mean?

Every piece of proposed legislation that’s introduced goes to the Code Reviser’s Office, where it is stamped and then examined by Code Reviser staff to make sure it’s in the proper format to become a law. The place where bills are dropped off for Code Reviser staff is called “the Hopper.”  These days, the Hopper is pretty busy as legislators from the House and Senate submit bills for consideration in the 2013 session.  Here’s an easy-to-follow guide on how a bill becomes a law.  And if you want to find out about or track a particular piece of legislation, here’s where you can access the info you’re looking for.

 

Rising college costs and student debt

More than half of Washington’s college students have some amount of school debt, and the average debt amount per student is $22,244.  At the same time, the cost of higher education continues to rise.  The trend of rapidly-increasing tuition and corresponding rise in debt loads is becoming a barrier to obtaining a college degree for many students. This has lawmakers – and employers looking to hire skilled workers in our state – very concerned.

gradsThe discussions have already begun about ways to rein in tuition increases and help students access higher education without incurring crushing debt.  The chair of the House Higher Education committee wants to hear from students across Washington who are struggling to afford their education.  Students can submit their stories via photo or video, and these will be shared with lawmakers and the general public during committee work sessions.  For more information on how to submit your story, click here.

 

Closing the STEM gap

Did you know Washington ranks fourth in the nation in technology-based corporations, but 46th in participation in science and engineering graduate degree programs?

To address this issue, in 2010 the legislature passed House Bill 2621, directing the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) to designate six “lighthouse” schools each year to promote and develop Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education, including technical assistance and advice for other elementary, middle and high schools that are creating their own STEM environments. In the 22 months since the law went into effect, 24,000 students and 800 teachers have participated in 58 STEM programs across Washington. This week, OSPI announced the schools that will receive STEM funding in 2013:

  • Delta High School (Kennewick)
  • Bremerton High School (Bremerton)
  • Stevens Elementary School (Aberdeen)
  • West Valley Junior High School (West Valley Yakima)
  • West Hills STEM Academy (Bremerton)
  • WF West High School (Chehalis)
  • San Juan School District

 

What’s going on in the House Agriculture and Natural Resources committee?

My committee was very busy last week. We held work sessions on the Yakima Basin Integrated Water Resource Management Plan, exempt well management by the Department of Ecology, and pesticide management by the Department of Agriculture.  To access the documents and presentations from all the legislative committee work sessions online, I invite you to take a look at the Electronic Bill Book.

We also heard public testimony on HB 1071 regarding private partnerships of managing salmonid hatcheries, HB 1073 concerning payments to counties in lieu of property taxes on state owned land, and HB 1075 concerning the number of Puget Sound Dungeness crab fishery licenses that one vessel may be designated to carry.

If you are interested in following what’s going on in the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee you can sign up here to receive E-mail notifications.

You can also check out our committee agenda to see what’s coming up next week.

As always, I welcome your thoughts, suggestions, and ideas, so please be sure to email me, call me, or if you happen to be in Olympia, come by my office.

Until next time,

Blakesig