We are into week two of our nine week session. As such, time to hear bills and get them moved through committee is very limited. In the Labor and Workforce Development Committee, which I chair, we have had a number of bills dealing with wage theft and the underground economy, as well as issues dealing with electrical industrial regulations. There are many more bills to hear on minimum wage, prevailing wage and workplace safety.

Quality counts with early learning

Washington state has been a leader in creating and expanding early learning programs for our children. We’ve done a great job getting 3- and 4- year-olds ready for kindergarten, especially those from low-income families. But more and more studies are showing that the early years of a child’s life – zero to 18 months – are critical to brain development. The learning process for a child begins immediately after she is born.

The evidence also shows that only high quality early learning programs will lead to the results we all want like higher academic achievement, improved graduation rates, and lower incarceration rates.

The Early Start Act of 2014 will reform our early learning system by creating a mix of incentives and requirements for early learning providers to improve the quality of child care they deliver. We have over 174,000 kids in child care programs in Washington state and we need to ensure they’re getting the best care possible.

Closing the opportunity gap, increasing graduation rates, and breaking the cycle of poverty will be impossible without an improvement in the quality of our early learning programs.

Early learning is a great investment, too! For every dollar spent on high quality early learning programs, taxpayers save up to $8 in future costs like prisons and food assistance programs.

Protecting our kids from harmful toxins

Earlier this week, the House approved the Toxic-Free Kids and Families Act with strong bipartisan support. The bill bans six different toxic chemicals – known carcinogens that are probably present in the couch you sit on or the car seat you strap your child into.

These chemicals end up in our household products for fire safety, but sound research casts serious doubt on the effectiveness of these toxics in slowing the spread of the fire. In fact, these chemicals actually make household fires more lethal by increasing the toxicity in the smoke inhaled by firefighters, first responders and victims.

Tris, the toxic flame retardant of choice, is not only a known carcinogen – it is also proven to alter hormones and hinder brain development in children. You can find Tris in car seats and strollers, as well as changing pads and nursing pillows.

What makes this bill effective is that it prohibits an equally toxic – or more toxic – chemical from being substituted for the banned ones. No parent should ever have to choose between their child’s health and their safety – especially when we know that there are non-toxic ways to meet our fire standards.

The bill now moves to the Senate, where it was killed last year.

If you are interested in learning more about the Toxic-Free Kids and Family Act, check out this interview with Rep. Kevin Van De Wege, a firefighter from Sequim, and Senator Sharon Nelson:

 

Should we raise the state’s minimum wage?

A bill to gradually increase the state’s minimum wage, currently at $9.32 per hour, was released this week.  If approved, the minimum wage will rise to $10 per hour in 2015, $11 per hour in 2016, and finally to $12 per hour in 2017. After that, it would again be tied to the consumer price index.

Top earners in our state have seen remarkable gains in their wages during this slow recovery, but workers earning near the minimum wage find themselves needing government assistance just to make ends meet. This means tax payers subsidize low-wage businesses and earners.

Increasing the minimum wage equals more money in workers pockets – and that equals more money in small business cash registers. The resulting increase in consumer demand will help, not hurt, our small businesses to grow and prosper. Here is more information on this proposal and some frequently-asked questions about the minimum wage.