Dear friends and neighbors,
Greetings from Olympia! We’re already one-quarter of the way through this legislative session, since two weeks have quickly passed. Thank you to all who have e-mailed, called, and met with me about the bills you’d like me to keep an eye on, and I want to take this chance to share the work I’ve been doing on your behalf.
DREAM Act Again Wins Overwhelming House Support
The DREAM Act once again passed the House of Representatives, with a 71 to 23 vote. This bill gives our high school graduates a path to a college education and a chance to be part of the American dream. It expands the state need grant to assist undocumented students, providing them with equal education and access to the workforce. I hope you’ll take a couple of minutes to watch my video on why our state needs the DREAM Act to become law.
Lots of Legislative Action This Session!
My constituents came up with some great ideas and inspired many of the bills I’m sponsoring during this short session. The legislative process gives people a chance to have their voices heard, and I’m excited to share with you some of the bills I’ve sponsored so far:
House Bill 2237: Giving cosmetology students the chance to take their exams before finishing their curriculum, so they can finish up requirements with confidence that they’re on their way to a new career.
House Bill 2307: Creating a more transparent and accountable system for managing budgets for the Office of Women and Minority-Owned Business Enterprises.
House Bill 2351: Allowing out-of-state medical professionals to provide volunteer services in Washington. This supports Remote Area Medical’s providing medical, dental, and mental health care at a free health clinic being held at Seattle Center for Washington residents.
House Bill 2579: Closing the fee exemption for suction dredge miners and banning suction dredging in critical habitat areas.
House Bill 2581: Protecting current owners of houseboats in Washington by standardizing the definition for these floating residences.
House Bill 2708: Allowing liquid biomass, in addition to solid biomass, to qualify as an alternative energy resource.
Paid Vacation Leave
Last Friday, House Bill 2238, requiring paid vacation leave, was heard in the Labor & Workforce Development Committee. This bill gives paid vacation leave for Washington State employees who work at least 20 hours a week, in companies with at least 25 employees. If passed, this bill would make Washington the first state to guarantee paid vacation. John de Graaf, a constituent and the director of Take Back Your Time, brought this to my attention. Every advanced nation other than the United States offers a minimum paid-vacation law, and our stress-laden workplace prevents many people from having the chance to recharge. To build a safer, healthier workforce, we must ensure that the one in four Americans who currently receive no paid vacation are given that time to relax and spend with their families.
Maritime & Manufacturing Industrial Sectors
House Bill 2580 will begin a much-needed dialogue across the state to take a close look at our state’s economy and how we create jobs and economic opportunity for all our people. This bill will create a joint legislative task force charged with developing an action plan to support economic resilience and developing a strategy to protect critical infrastructure for maritime and manufacturing industries. This bill is about protecting our quality of life today and helping our state strengthen community and economic resilience to recover from an earthquake or other catastrophic event.
Thank you for taking the time to read! As always, please don’t hesitate to call my office at (360) 786-7860 or e-mail me at gael.tarleton@leg.wa.gov. I look forward to hearing from you!
Your voice in Olympia,
Gael