Dear friends and neighbors,
Now that the Legislature is up and running, I wanted to send you an update and ask for your feedback.
I’ll be sending these Legislative Updates regularly to our district. I hope these updates will help to bring more 40th District eyes, ears and voices into legislative debates. E-mailed updates are faster, timelier, and far less expensive to send than paper newsletters. Of course, I’ll gladly mail a paper version of an update to any individual who requests one, since e-mail is not the best option for everyone.
Please forward this to anyone else who might be interested in legislative news that might affect them or their families. If this update was forwarded to you, then please click here to sign up for your own future copies. You can opt out anytime by clicking the link at the bottom of this page. If you’d like to suggest topics for future Legislative Alerts, just let me know!
2011 Supplemental Budget
The House Ways and Means Committee passed a supplemental budget on Wednesday, and we will be considering it on the House floor Monday, January 24th. This is the earliest the House has acted on a budget bill that anyone here can remember, and illustrates just how serious we are about solving the current fiscal problems.
The decisions about what to cut and what to save are every bit as painful as I thought they’d be. Everything in the budget has its supporters, and we’re hearing from many of them every single day. However, we recognize that our state is facing a real problem and it’s our responsibility to tackle it as early in the session as we can.
Here is more information about theHouse proposal. Further changes will likely be made next week, and then the budget will be on its way to the Senate.
Some of my early legislation
All eyes may be on the budget, but I’m also at work on legislation that fits with other 40th District priorities—protecting our ferries, the environment and our children’s education to name a few. I recognize that the actions of legislators during session have serious and direct impacts; bearing that in mind I’m especially focused on working with the delegation from our district, experts and stakeholders on the issues with the ferry system.
You can always see the complete, frequently updated list of my sponsorships at my official website.
Staying in Touch
This is a busy, fast-paced session. But I hope you’ll remember that I’m never too busy to listen to the people I serve. I always welcome your thoughts, questions and concerns. So please feel free to email, write, phone or make an appointment to visit. Hearing from you helps me to be a more effective representative for our communities, and that is why I am here.
I’m honored to be your representative.
Kristine