WASHINGTON STATE

Washington State House Democrats

HOUSE DEMOCRATS

Reykdal measures heading to the Senate

Student working with Olympia's GRuB program.
Student working with Olympia’s GRuB program.
The House of Representatives has approved a batch of bills introduced by Rep. Chris Reykdal (D-Tumwater) ahead of Wednesday’s critical House of Origin cut-off. Covering a range of issues with statewide significance, the measures will now head to the Senate.

On Friday, the House approved Rep. Reykdal’s innovative approach to drop-out prevention. The bill creates a pilot program partnering community based organizations, like food banks and small farms, with school districts to target at-risk youth. Under the direction of the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, the groups would develop an alternative high school program to complement traditional schooling.

“This is education reform – engaging students in hands-on learning, community service and food production is exactly what it takes to reach some students,” said Rep. Reykdal. “This approach has demonstrated incredible success through innovation and it’s time we bring these programs to scale.”

Other Reykdal measures approved by the House:

  • House Bill 1891 promotes workplace safety by establishing a process for a victim to meet with the Department of Labor and Industries after a serious incident. The worker will be able to give a statement, in addition to access to the information they need to make important decisions.
  • House Bill 1348 brings fairness to how our community and technical college employees are compensated. The bill requires boards of trustees to award full and part-time academic employees step increases based on collective bargaining.
  • House Bill 1892 corrects a local problem facing Thurston County. Because Olympia has already formed a transportation benefit district, the rest of the county hasn’t been able to create a separate district. This bill would permit the county and other small municipalities to partner to create their own TBD – allowing Thurston County to meet its transportation needs and creating jobs.

“I’m proud of the fact that the Democratic majority in the House is advancing legislation to promote dropout prevention, worker safety, fair compensation and local control,” added Rep. Reykdal.