Dear Neighbors,
House policy committees did not meet last week, but legislators were busy hearing bills in the House fiscal committees. Bills were required to pass out of these committees by Friday, March 1, if they were to remain in play this year – unless they are budget-related.
This week we’ve been on the floor of the House voting on legislation every day, potentially including Saturday and Sunday. It’s the only way we can get as much done as possible within the short time frame we have to move legislation forward.
Many bills are the result of input from constituents like you. And the journey all bills have to go through from the moment they are written until they become laws has a lot of hoops. Watch my latest video update in which I give a brief description of this process.
Update on my bills
I am excited that my bills are progressing and three of my bills passed the House this week!
SHB 1336, my bill to increase the capacity for school districts to recognize and respond to troubled youth, passed the House on a 90-8 vote on March 4th. It’s been assigned to the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education committee.
My bill to allow adult adoptees access to their original birth certificate, unless the birth parent has filed a valid affidavit of nondisclosure, SHB 1525, passed the House on March 6th, 95-2.
SHB 1291, concerning increased enforcement, prevention, and rehab services for victims of the sex trade, passed the House on March 7th on a 97-0 vote.
Increased Student Achievement
Here is some good news as reported from a recent email from the Kent and Highline school districts:
Student achievement has improved in recent years, and the graduation rate is improving too. Washington has made great progress on the major reforms that began in 1993 with the establishment of learning standards, followed by student achievement measurements, and greater use of data around focused and best use of resources.
Fourth grade students have improved on state reading tests from 50% meeting standards to 70%. Seventh graders saw a more dramatic increase in reading standards from 40% to 70%. Tenth grade students also made a 30% increase with approximately 80% meeting reading standards. Math scores follow a similar trend. It is important to note that both fourth grade reading and math scores are above the national average.
In 2012, Washington tied for highest in the nation for combined average SAT score (1545), in states that test at least 45 percent of students (24 states + D.C.). We had the highest math score at 528, tied for second in writing at 500, and third in reading at 517. Washington has had the highest combined average score in the nation for the past 10 years, in states that test at least 50 percent of students.
Data shows that Washington scores better than average, nationally. Washington’s students are learning. Test scores are generally rising. Graduation rates are improving.
Yet, there is still much to accomplish and we want to increase our momentum. It is critical the legislature fully fund education so all students can achieve at high levels. A robust education system is the best investment the state can make in its future.
State Supreme Court issues I-1053 ruling
On February 28, the state Supreme Court issued its long-awaited decision on the constitutionality of I-1053, the initiative requiring a two-thirds vote of the legislature to either raise taxes or close tax loopholes. The court ruled that this “supermajority requirement” is unconstitutional.
The court case began a couple of years ago, borne out of the inability of a simple majority of House legislators to close an outdated tax loophole in our state that only benefitted large, out-of-state banks. They wanted to close this loophole in order to fund classroom size reductions in our public schools instead. But because of the supermajority requirement, a minority of legislators was able defeat the bill in the House, and Wall Street banks triumphed over Washington’s schoolchildren.
The Supreme Court made it clear this week that this is not the way our government is supposed to function. Our state constitution says that a simple majority is required to pass any legislation, and an initiative cannot override the constitution. This ruling clarifies our responsibilities as legislators and protects the people from what the court called “the tyranny of the minority.”
Sequestration hits home
Senator Patty Murray recently paid a visit to the House Democratic caucus here in Olympia, and she didn’t try to sugarcoat the news about the looming sequester and its impact. The sequester is the automatic cuts to the federal budget that are triggered if Congress does not reach a budget by March 1. Senator Murray expressed her frustration at the lack of progress towards a deal, and was not hopeful that one would be reached before the deadline.
Unfortunately, her fears were correct and the deadline has passed. Our state now faces cuts that threaten jobs and family security and hurt some of our most vulnerable citizens. For example:
- 160 teacher and aide jobs are at risk as we lose $11.6 million in funding for primary and secondary education
- 440 low income students in our state won’t receive aid to help them finance the costs of college
- Approximately 29,000 civilian Department of Defense employees throughout our state face furloughs, resulting in millions of dollars in reduced pay for working families
- Approximately 1,000 low income children will lose access to critical early childhood education
Our state, and our country, deserves better than this. Congress must act quickly to undo these damaging cuts before they cause lasting economic damage.
Coach Carroll pays lawmakers a visit
Seahawks Head Coach Pete Carroll was at the state capitol this week, and the House presented him with a resolution congratulating his team on their highly successful season.
He later paid a visit to our House Democratic caucus, but not to talk about football. Instead, he shared information about his team’s commitment to community outreach programs that help prevent youth violence and keep communities and neighborhoods safer. His spoke with great enthusiasm about keeping youth engaged in positive ways so they’re less likely to turn to gangs or violence.
Photos from Coach Carroll’s visit can be seen on our House Democrats Facebook page.
Have you heard our new podcast?
There’s a new podcast in the House Democrats audio lineup, and it’s called the House Majority Report. It’s a weekly, three-to-five minute conversation with a member of the House Democrats’ leadership team about current legislative issues. New podcasts are released every Friday on our website, or you can subscribe to it on iTunes (just search for Washington State House Majority Report).
I enjoy reading your emails and hearing from you. Please continue sending me your feedback and your ideas.
Sincerely,
