Dear Neighbors,
Thursday, Governor Inslee released his proposal for the 2013-15 operating budget. We expect that the Senate will follow with their own plan early next week, and the House will roll out our plan soon after. Then, budget writers in both chambers will begin finding common ground, ironing out the differences, and ultimately pass a balanced, two-year state budget.
I’m pleased that Governor Inslee’s budget proposal makes a strong commitment to public education. His plan starts down the path to fully-funding education without sacrificing vital state services for children, seniors and the disabled.
“To govern, it is said, is to choose,” Inslee during his news conference, “Today I choose, and I believe we should all choose, education over tax breaks, and to make good on our constitutional and moral duty to quality schools for our children.”
The Governor’s plan includes major investments in Early Learning to expand preschool opportunities for children in poverty; and in K-12 Education, including expanding Full-Day Kindergarten to all high poverty schools, reducing class sizes from 24 to 20 for Kindergarten and 1st grade for all high poverty schools, Increasing course offerings in middle and high school, fully funding the new transportation formula, funding materials, supplies and operating costs, and providing support for students exiting the bilingual program.
See also today’s article in the Seattle Times on Governor Inslee’s budget proposal.
Honoring the late Governor Booth Gardner
I was saddened to hear the news that Washington’s 19th governor, Booth Gardner, passed away on March 15 from complications related to Parkinson’s disease. Governor Gardner led our state from 1984 to 1992, and his legacy includes expanding access to health care coverage for Washington’s working poor, investing in our public education system, and protecting our state’s natural resources and open spaces.
The House and Senate met in a joint memorial session on March 22 to honor Governor Gardner’s memory and his service to the people of Washington. The Seattle Times published an in-depth article about his life and career.
Update on my bills
HB 1213, my bill that makes a few revisions to the existing social work licensure statute, has passed out of the Human Services & Corrections committee in the Senate. It’s now in the Rules committee; the next step will be a vote on the Senate floor. The bill will bring more clarity to the licensure requirements and help newly graduated social work students to find supervision they need to be licensed.
My bill addressing troubled youth (HB 1336) and my bill to expand access to the Running Start program (HB 1526), have both passed out of the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education committee and are now in the Ways & Means committee. I am hopeful they will continue to progress.
My bill to allow persons wrongly convicted and incarcerated to bring a civil suit against the state for compensation, HB 1341, had a hearing this week in the Senate Law & Justice committee. We heard compelling testimony from Alan Northrup, one of the men exonerated in our state, and others in support of this bill. You can hear their testimony by clicking on the image below.
Telephone Town Hall
Thank you to all who participated in our 33rd legislative district telephone town hall meeting last night! I appreciate your participation and questions. If we didn’t get to your question, feel free to contact me and I will be happy to follow up with you.
Health care for our heroes
Included in Governor Inslee’s budget proposal was assumed savings from Medicaid Expansion. Beginning next year, the federal government is offering to send our tax dollars back home to cover 385,000 Washingtonians making less than $15,000/year. Over the next two years, Medicaid Expansion is estimated to save our state about $265 million.
There is no shortage of good reasons to support Medicaid Expansion, and the Urban Institute has just given us yet another.
On the national level, about 1.3 million American veterans go without health insurance. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
We can all agree that we have a responsibility to these heroes, as well as their families, who have sacrificed so much for us. Medicaid Expansion gives us another opportunity to make good on that promise.
From the Urban Institute:
An estimated 40 percent of uninsured veterans (535,000 people) have incomes that, under provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) could qualify them for Medicaid.
Whether or not these veterans qualify for Medicaid under the ACA depends on whether – and which – states opt to expand Medicaid.
Most of those eligible – about 414,000 uninsured veterans – will only have new coverage options if they live in a state that expands Medicaid.
Right here in Washington state, about 12,200 veterans would be eligible for health care coverage under Medicaid Expansion. We’ve still got a long way to go, but we can all agree this is a step in the right direction.
For the Urban Institute’s complete report, follow this link.
Increased State Expenses
As you can see in the chart, we have more kids in public schools, more students enrolling in higher education that need financial assistance, more people in prison, and more low-income families and seniors that need medical care.
Click on the chart for a larger version:
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and enjoy this glorious weather!
Sincerely,
