In This Edition:
Welcome to the 2013 legislative session! As we wrap up the second week, I’d like to share some of the most pressing issues I’m working on:
Addressing the $900 Million Budget Deficit
Like years past, we’re facing another budget shortfall for the 2013-2015 biennium. Our state has already endured painful cuts to higher education, health care and vital services. My colleagues and I are working extremely hard to balance the budget responsibility to protect our quality of life. I’m striving to keep up a courageous conversation about creating a tax system that addresses the systemic needs of our state. More on that later.
Fully Funding K-12 Education
In early 2012 the State Supreme Court ruled in McCleary v. Washington that the state is not amply funding basic education, as we are constitutionally obligated to do. Now the legislature must fully fund K-12 education by 2018, ramping up in the next six years to an additional $4.5 billion every biennium. I am deeply committed to fully funding education. This has been my priority since day one as your representative. But there is also a profound need to include early learning and higher education in a broader strategy – a systems approach. And with the prospect of a heavy lift for tax reform to support McCleary, I think it is of paramount importance to link additional resources with measurable outcomes.
Coal Exports: The Wrong Path Forward
| There is a proposal on the table right now to transform the Pacific Northwest into the largest coal exporter on the planet. Not only is this wrong for our district, it’s wrong for our state and our global community. I have taken the lead to ensure that the true environmental, health, transportation, and economic impacts are understood. By default, the EIS would ignore any impact on Seattle, whether it’s an additional 18 trains per day blocking traffic and the waterfront, spewing coal dust into our air and water, or the effects of additional noise pollution. My colleagues and I hope to change that and consider the cumulative, comprehensive, and statewide ramifications. |
Bravely Engaging Tax Policy
I have been greatly humbled to be selected as the chair of the newly resuscitated Finance Committee. My primary goal is to honestly, rigorously, and transparently tackle the policy and political questions surrounding revenue and tax exemptions. I want tax policy to be on equal footing as spending – not with a preconceived goal of increasing taxes but with a businessman’s eye toward a more fiduciary management of the public’s resources. No business in the country would vigorously analyze spending but allow a quick wink at the revenue side of the equation. It’s irresponsible and we need to do better.
It is my profound honor to serve as your citizen legislator, and it makes my day when constituents reach out. Please don’t hesitate to give the office a call, drop me an email, connect on social media, or make an appointment to meet face-to-face.
Your Partner In Service,
Representative Reuven Carlyle
36th Legislative District
Olympia office: 360-786-7814
Email: Reuven.Carlyle@leg.wa.gov
Please follow me on Twitter! I actively tweet during session.
In the Media
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