WASHINGTON STATE

Washington State House Democrats

HOUSE DEMOCRATS

Rep. Kristine Lytton’s Feb. 16 Legislative Update

We are now in the sixth week of the session, and heading right into the year’s first major milestone – policy committee cut-off.  After February 17, no further House bills can be voted out of House policy committees this session.  Needless to say, things are getting even busier this week!

Following the cut-off deadline, committee action cools down and floor action really heats up as we pass bills over to the Senate.

My legislation
I was honored to have my first bill passed on the House floor on Monday. House Bill 1306, which exempts agribusiness from some training requirements for Commercial Drivers Licenses for temporary drivers, will now move over to the Senate. We had great bipartisan support on this bill, and I’m looking forward to having the rest of my legislation move forward as well. This bill extends the temporary exemption that was already in place.

As always, please feel free to share your ideas and questions on legislation with me moving forward. It’s important to me to hear from our district on current bills and ideas for new legislation.

Advanced Placement scores and participation rate increases

According to the College Board’s sixth annual “AP Report to the Nation,” nearly 30 percent of Washington students in the class of 2010 took at least one AP exam. The number of students scoring a three or greater increased by 4.2 percent over the past five years. Overall, Washington ranked 17th in the nation with the greatest number of 12th graders scoring three or greater on AP exams, which is a score that generally qualifies for college credit.

This is great news for students who are better prepared for college-level work by taking AP classes in high school and stand to save thousands of dollars in tuition costs.

I am the prime sponsor of House Bill 1808, which will clarify the process for students receiving credit at our state’s two- and four-year public institutions and community and technical colleges. This legislation, coupled with our students’ success in AP courses, will ensure that students are gaining the skills needed to participate successfully in the global marketplace.

Please continue to share your thoughts and concerns with me—I value all of the input I receive. It is an honor to serve you.

Kristine