WASHINGTON STATE

Washington State House Democrats

HOUSE DEMOCRATS

Helping families move forward

Dear Neighbor,

Last Thursday marked the halfway point of the legislative session. The House and Senate are busy passing bills before the House of Origin cutoff on Wednesday, but I wanted to take a moment to update you on some important bills before the legislature.

The Early Start Act

Nearly half of Washington’s kindergarteners arrive at the door not ready to succeed in school. These children begin behind in language, math and social emotional skills, and most stay behind in spite of expensive investments in remedial classes, repeated grades and special education. Starting behind is one of the major reasons for our 24% high school drop out rate. It doesn’t have to be this way. Investing in high-quality early learning will prepare our kids for success in school and life.

We can do better, and we will. Yesterday, The Early Start Act passed the House with a super majority vote. The Early Start Act has strong bipartisan support in both the House and the Senate because legislators know early learning is one of the best investments we can make. Economists support funding early learning because it has the best return on investment of any investment we make; estimates range from $7 to $14 return on each dollar spent.

These investments pay dividends in the form of improved K12 educational outcomes, less involvement with the criminal justice system, improved mental and physical health, and increased self-sufficiency. High-quality early learning is a policy that easily pays for itself. As I said in my floor speech: “When we change the beginning of the story, we can change the whole story.”

I look forward to passage in the Senate so we can get this critical bill on Governor Inslee’s desk.

Equal Work, Equal Pay

A baby girl born today will be 56 years old when the gender pay gap finally closes, according to a new study by the Women’s Funding Alliance.

This isn’t right. Women should not be paid less than men for the same work.

Lawmakers in Olympia are working to fix this problem. A good first step will be passing the Equal Pay Opportunity Act sponsored by my colleague, Rep. Tana Senn.

Can you help be a part of the solution? Simply click on the infographic above to share with your friends and help us spread the word about this problem.

Social Programs Lift Kids out of Poverty–IT WORKS!

Check out this blog post from the Washington Budget & Policy Center. Social programs lift kids and families out of poverty.

We know there’s a direct link between poverty and education. Education is our paramount duty, but it is not our only duty. We have a moral obligation to ensure all students are ready to learn when they show up to school. Sick, hungry, and homeless kids are not ready to learn. We must do everything we can to lift kids and families out of poverty.

Keep this in mind anytime you hear “Fund education first.” Under a fund education first plan, none of Washington’s 32,494 homeless kids will have stable and secure housing. Under a fund education first plan, none of Washington’s 305,000 food insecure kids will receive nutritious meals on a regular basis.

Fighting to end child homelessness

No child should be homeless. But 38,000 children in our state are sleeping on couches, in cars or on the streets. Children who are homeless are at risk of dropping out of school, falling into a life of crime or becoming victims of human trafficking. The current system has failed them. We must do better.

That’s why I’ve teamed up with the Governor and a bipartisan group of legislators to sponsor The Homeless Youth Act. This bill will allow us to better protect these vulnerable children and prevent & reduce youth homelessness. The bill passed the House last week and is currently in the Senate.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve

Many of you have written in with your thoughts and concerns. It is so important that I hear your concerns about, or you support of, legislation before us. I always appreciate hearing from you, so please don’t hesitate to write to me at Ruth.Kagi@leg.wa.gov.

Best regards,

Ruth