The Case for Universal Pre-K
Investing in high quality early learning is not only a great for kids, but it’s good for taxpayers too. Emily Badger of the Washington Post lays out a great argument for why conservatives should support universal Pre-K. In a nutshell, it provides an excellent return on investment as the graph below shows. Spending money today on early learning means we spend less tomorrow on services like unemployment, health care, and incarceration. We have a bill in the House, The Early Start Act championed by Rep. Ruth Kagi, that would improve the quality of early learning in Washington state.
Update on my bills
I am pleased to sponsor of HB 1458, which would increase the smoking age from age 18 to 21. It is Washington State Attorney General-request legislation and applies to tobacco and vapor products. Like tobacco, most vapor products contain nicotine, which is highly addictive and impacts adolescent brain development. Vapor products currently have minimal state regulation, and some contain carcinogens. Nationally, the percentage of middle and high school students who have used vapor products more than doubled from 2011 to 2012. By 2014, 17 percent of high school seniors had tried e-cigarettes.
We know that tobacco is highly addictive, that most smokers begin to use nicotine in their teens and can later develop tobacco-related illnesses like cancer, emphysema and heart disease. By restricting use during youth we hope to break this cycle of addiction and, ultimately, save lives.
HB 1458 is scheduled for a public hearing on next week in the House Health Care & Wellness Committee.
Reminder: Sign up for Health Care by February 15!
In case you have forgotten, Sunday, February 15 is the last day you can sign up for health care coverage in order for it to start March 1. You can find a Qualified Health Plan through the Washington Healthplanfinder website at www.wahealthplanfinder.orgor find free in-person assistance to see if you qualify for financial help to lower the cost of health insurance premiums.
It’s been a busy week here in Olympia. The Rules Committee, of which I am a member, held its first meeting this week. The primary function of the Rules Committee is to schedule bills for floor action, or voting on the House floor. It is a several step process to “pull” a bill from the Rules Committee. My bill concerning retention of DNA evident, HB 1069, is on the House floor calendar! I look forward to voting on it (hopefully) next week!
Please continue to stay in touch!
