WASHINGTON STATE

Washington State House Democrats

HOUSE DEMOCRATS

Rep. Appleton on passage of the veterans’ tuition bill:

“Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Anytime you hear those words, you know the subject at hand is America. This great nation enjoys rights and freedoms that much of the world can only dream of. The credit for this, throughout history, belongs to our veterans.  This legislation is just a tiny token of the appreciation we owe our veterans and their families – a tiny, but important token.

“I’ve been working on this legislation for nearly two years, but I was not the first. Former state Senator Paull Shin tried for several years to get this policy through – and I consider today a tribute to his hard work and dedication.

“I believe that we all come to this legislature to do good work. We care about the things we see in our state that need changed; about injustices we want fixed.  Occasionally, though, who gets the credit for the changing or the fixing becomes more important than the results themselves.  I’m glad this bill escaped that fate.

“When I go to bed tonight, I will sleep well knowing that we valued this policy for our veterans more than we did politics, and that Sen. Shin has this to add to his legacy.”

            –March 13, 2014