WASHINGTON STATE

Washington State House Democrats

HOUSE DEMOCRATS

Graduations, Negotiations, and Remembrances

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

After nearly three weeks in special session, our budget work continues. Meanwhile, our high school seniors are hoping to graduate soon, Governor Inslee has signed groundbreaking legislation, and Memorial Day will be a day to remember all those who fought for our rights and freedoms, especially the right to govern ourselves.

Graduation season

Pay It Forward college tuition
Photo: Katherine B. Turner, UW

During the regular session I worked with colleagues across the aisle to create more pathways for students to earn credits toward both a high school diploma and a post-secondary degree or credential.

It’s so important that we introduce students to courses that give them opportunities to work in research, retail, technology, and the trades. Dual-credit courses in the maritime and manufacturing trades in high school fulfill many science and math requirements. But these courses also show the students that they, too, have what it takes to go onto college and acquire the skills and certifications they need to earn a living.

Graduations should be moments to celebrate the future. I have a niece graduating from college and her sister graduating from high school in the next few weeks. They have worked so hard to reach this milestone. I am so proud that they’re crossing one finish line to begin the next challenge.

This is what we hope for all our students. Unfortunately, fear of the price tag and future crippling debt deter too many students and their families from exploring college.

Budget negotiations

Budget CoinsThroughout this session, my colleagues and I on the higher education committee pushed for another two-year tuition freeze as we continue to examine ways to lower tuition in this biennium budget. Dual-credit courses, college in the high school, and running start programs also should get an additional $9 million to help students accelerate post-secondary studies in order to reduce debt burdens.

Reducing the costs of college costs real money. It’s an investment in our collective futures to help our students get degrees, get jobs, and begin building their own futures. We must invest in our higher educational institutions as well as our students. I believe our students and public higher educational institutions are worth the $256 million additional dollars we invested in the House budget. It will yield invaluable benefits to all of us for generations to come.

Negotiations are a part of every deal that ever gets made. It’s just that negotiations over a state budget are more public than those done between two private companies behind closed doors. The give-and-take of the two sides – as well as the resistance and friction between the two sides – are played out in a public arena, not a corporate boardroom.

I am not in this negotiating room but I do believe all the parties are attempting to work through the differences, just as they have begun to identify areas of agreement. But we cannot kid ourselves. The House and the Senate budgets diverge on some key priorities. Behind every budget line item are people affected by the final deal.

For the past three sessions, I have teamed up with my 2013 class to fight for restoring recession-era funding cuts that shattered the safety net for working families, the developmentally disabled, at-risk youth, and vulnerable populations experiencing mental illnesses and homelessness.

We are seeking additional funding in this budget to support these priorities, but the Senate seems inclined to balance the budget and fund K-12 education on the backs of our most vulnerable and at-risk residents. I don’t feel inclined to negotiate away funding for the people who have no voice and depend on us the most.

A day we remember

And this brings me to remembrances. I remember how my Mom’s sister was disabled with severe epilepsy at age 36, and depended on my grandparents and her three siblings for her care for the next 40 years. Without social security, Medicare, and the family’s shared resources, I cannot imagine what would have happened to my aunt.

I remember a friend of my parents who suffered from severe mental illness. She was completely alone with no family. But she had her friends. Her depressive episodes required hospitalization, institutionalized recovery, and then medication. My parents and their friends were there for her, including her at family celebrations and visiting her to be sure she was safe.

I think of my brother-in-law, whose youngest brother is developmentally disabled. My brother-in-law and his five sisters have devoted their lives to giving their brother as much independence as possible while ensuring his safety and caring.

I remember growing up watching family take care of family and friends who needed our help, support, and caring. But we were lucky. There are literally thousands and thousands of children and adults in our state who do not have family to care for them. So that’s our job.

As Memorial Day approaches, we remember. We remember all those who have sacrificed their lives for our nation in wars far away and here at home. We also owe endless gratitude to the family members of our men and women in uniform.

We have a special responsibility to help care for our veterans who are coming home to Washington by the tens of thousands in the next few years. They and their families will need our support and financial resources as they struggle with the trauma of conflict and injuries sustained.

Memorial Day should be a day to pause and be grateful that we live in a state blessed with extraordinary people, precious natural resources., uncommon natural landscapes that take our breath away, and communities that our diverse residents call home. When we keep it all in perspective, we will find a path forward on this budget. It will be a budget that honors all our people and the possibilities they create for our state.