WASHINGTON STATE

Washington State House Democrats

HOUSE DEMOCRATS

Washington’s 2015 Legislative Marathon

Washington State Capitol building with fireworks from Lake Fair in Olympia. Aaron BarnaDear Friends and Neighbors,

It’s almost Independence Day and the final lap of the 2015 marathon in Olympia is around the corner. Governor Inslee signed the operating budget on June 30th that protects services for our most vulnerable people, ensures social security checks will be delivered, and keeps our state parks open for the July 4th holiday weekend.

As you head off to parades, family BBQs, and the beach, I just want to thank you for your patience as we hammered out a fair deal for our kids, teachers, colleges, economy, communities, and environment.

Budget Highlights

I believe we have done the best we can in the near term to serve the needs of our residents, strengthen public education, invest in jobs and economic opportunity, and protect and sustain our public lands and waters for future generations of Washingtonians. There was a lot at stake with this budget. I worked with my colleagues from day one to make progress on the following priorities:

  •  Stable K-12 funding to meet our obligations for full-day kindergarten, reduced class sizes, and teacher cost-of-living adjustments.
  • First-ever strategic investment in quality childcare learning that will give preschoolers a true running start so that when they get to kindergarten, they are on the path to a high school diploma and a good job so that they can earn a living.
  • Expanded mental health services to accelerate competency evaluations and provide beds for those in crisis.
  • A tuition cut over the next two years to ease the strain on families and students struggling with college tuition costs and student loan debt.
  • Investments in critical public infrastructure, maritime and manufacturing industries, and cleaner transportation alternatives to create family-wage jobs, reduce congestion, improve freight mobility, and fight toxic pollutants in our air, soils, and watersheds.
  • The opportunity for justice to rape victims by beginning to analyze rape kit backlogs, at long last.
  • A capital budget that continues our progressive tradition of funding vibrant community spaces and honoring our diverse heritage to create a better quality of life for all of us.
  • Research funding and regulatory changes that help us understand, mitigate, and manage the effects of climate change on public health, community safety, and fragile habitats.

Unfinished Business – Fixing a Regressive Tax System

 It gives me no satisfaction to report that the funding crisis facing public education will be resolved – for now – with revenues from a small handful of corporate tax loophole closures.

I started this session with high hopes that we could gain ground to win public support for stable, predictable revenues from a capital gains tax to fund quality preschool, K-12, and our public higher educational institutions.

Instead, we retreated to less-ambitious territory by accepting the rosy May revenue forecast that assumes the state will generate $1.2 billion from legalized recreational and medical marijuana sales. This is perhaps the most disappointing outcome of a debate that ultimately relied on a band-aid fix to a long-term challenge.

Major Victories

The biggest victories? A capital budget that funds $200 million in school construction for smaller classes in grades K-3. Full-day kindergarten for every child beginning in 2016.

A historic victory for preschoolers to receive quality childcare, creating a true path for equal access to educational opportunities for their whole lives.

Teachers finally receiving the cost-of-living adjustments that voters promised them 15 years ago.

20131014_LegWA_2036abAnd the opportunity for Puget Sound voters to push for rail transit while the state invests in freight haul corridors, electric vehicle infrastructure, expanded bus routes, and pedestrian/bicycle options throughout our most densely populated urban and suburban communities as we continue the fight against climate change.

The path to a different future has no short-cuts. Kids need teachers, communities need schools, parents need their families to be safe, workers need to make a fair wage with decent benefits, and we all need clean air, clean water, and clean food. We live in the United States of America, where the promise of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is for all of us.

As we celebrate our nation’s 239th birthday on July 4th, we must cheer for two transformational U.S. Supreme Court decisions on healthcare access and marriage equality that give our people a better chance to feel this promise come true. I am so grateful that we are doing the work right here in Washington state that makes such a difference as we seek to create a more inclusive and more free society.

Your voice in Olympia,

Gael