WASHINGTON STATE

Washington State House Democrats

HOUSE DEMOCRATS

Making Washington a fair and healthy place to live

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

The next 36th Legislative District town hall will take place on Saturday, March 14th from 10 a.m.- noon at the Phinney Neighborhood Association, Community Room in the Lower Brick Building: 6615 Dayton Ave N., Seattle, WA 98103.

I will be there along with my colleagues, Senator Jeanne Kohl-Welles and Representative Reuven Carlyle. We are looking forward to checking in and sharing the progress that has been made as we reach the half-way point in the session.

Making Washington a fair and healthy place to live

Washington is a beautiful place to live but we must take action now to protect the best of who we are for future generations. Many communities in our state face significant barriers to services, including basic needs, such as adequate and healthy food, affordable and safe homes for families, fair wages, and equal access to employment and our political system for many marginalized populations.

That is why we are continuing to fight to protect our communities and keep Washington healthy and working. Thousands of families deserve the right to be paid a fair wage, the right to vote, the right to have excellent services for mental health treatment, and the right to take time off work when they are sick or to care for their families.

These choices we make today will help us make progress toward building a future that is more fair and equal for all Washingtonians.

Making Washington a fair and healthy place to live

Earlier this week, the House adopted legislation that would increase the state’s minimum wage to $12/hour by 2019. Along with many Democrats, I am proud to have voted in support of HB 1355 and bring our working families one step closer to making the living wage they deserve. It is time to recognize that in this economy, with the rising cost-of-living, we need to pay a fair wage to all workers. The $12/hour wage increase is one step in the right direction. The four-year phase-in period will allow small businesses to continue to thrive while employees in many important industries to our states’ economy can earn a fair wage.

Breakfast After the Bell

We took action on two other pieces of legislation to increase economic security and support a healthy workplace for all workers. We voted to pass HB 1356 providing paid sick leave and HB 1295 providing breakfast after the bell in our schools.

Both support Washington families and recognize that taking a sick day off for yourself or to take care of a child or family member who is sick is simply a right. As we move ahead this session to fully fund public education, it is imperative that we do all we possibly can to help our children succeed.

There are so many barriers and challenges our students face. Making sure they get into their classes ready to learn gives them all a fair shot.

Healthy families are a top priority in the House

Making sure our children and our families are healthy and getting the care they need is a top priority for me and for my colleagues in the House. That’s why we passed two bills that will help save lives and reduce health risks. My colleague Rep. Marcus Riccelli, D-Spokane, introduced two bills that address the issues of Critical Congenital Heart Disease and prescription drugs for underinsured patients.

HB 1285 will require that all newborns in Washington be screened for critical congenital heart disease. HB 2021 expands an existing program to help patients get prescription drug assistance provided by organizations and pharmaceutical companies.

The passage of the Affordable Care Act has cut down the ranks of the uninsured, but many people still cannot afford the high cost of prescription drugs.

Global economic competition at our ports

 A long-time champion for our state’s trade-dependent economy, Rep. Judy Clibborn, led the effort to reform our state’s 104-year old Port District Act to help the Ports of Seattle and Tacoma support the 500,000 jobs and $4 billion in business revenues linked to our two largest ports.

This new chapter in the Port District Act would allow these two ports to cooperate on maritime operations without merging. HB 1170 passed the House on a 96-2 bipartisan vote, and now goes onto the Senate for consideration.

I look forward to updating you in person at the upcoming 36th District town hall on March 14th. If you can’t make it on Saturday, please don’t hesitate to call my Olympia office, or write or email me with your questions and thoughts. As always, I look forward to hearing from you and appreciate your comments and suggestions.

Your voice in Olympia,

Gael Tarleton