DREAM Act moves to the Governor’s office

 
Last night, the House voted to send the DREAM Act to the Governor’s desk in a truly bipartisan fashion. The bill makes a small change in public policy – opening up financial aid opportunities to all high school students in Washington – but it will have a huge impact on thousands of students.

A constituent wrote a kind letter thanking me for supporting the DREAM Act, and his words are a powerful reminder of how much this will mean for students:

“There are no state grants for me and it’s really hard to go to school. I want to be able to do something meaningful in my life…. It’s a terrifying thought that there are so many students like me.  Dreaming to get an education. All the possibilities that can come with education. Being able to give back.”

That’s why we have been fighting for the DREAM Act for so long, and I’m so proud that it’s now becoming a reality in our state. To all of you who advocated for this and kept the pressure on legislators, thank you so much!

Early Start passes the House

 
Yesterday, we also passed House Bill 2377, also known as the Early Start Act of 2014. Our budget-writer, Representative Hunter, and Senator Litzow championed this legislation, which would improve the quality of early learning in our state.

The evidence in support of funding early learning is indisputable: for every dollar invested in high-quality preschool programs, taxpayers save up to $8 in future costs. This commitment to all the kids in our childcare system, and to all the working moms and dads, will mean our kindergarten teachers will have classes filled with 5- and 6-year olds ready to learn!  And that will change the future for everyone.

Onto the Senate!

 
Four of my bills have passed the House of Representatives, so I am now working closely with my Senate colleagues to gain their support. Here is a list of the bills that are making their way through the legislative check points:

House Bill 2351: Allowing out-of-state medical professionals to provide volunteer services in Washington. This October, the Seattle Center will be hosting a free medical, dental, and mental health care clinic for anyone who will stop by, and this bill will allow them to recruit volunteers from outside of Washington in order to provide even more services.

House Bill 2406: Request from the Utilities and Transportation Commission. This bill ensures that companies working on crucial energy projects have clear access to public agencies, know what the rules are, and receive reimbursements on time.

House Bill 2580: Creating a joint legislative task force charged with developing an action plan to support economic resilience and a strategy to protect critical infrastructure for maritime and manufacturing industries.

House Bill 2708: Allowing liquid biomass, in addition to solid biomass, to qualify as an alternative energy resource.

 

Suction Dredging

 
One of my other priorities this session was banning suction dredging in Washington’s critical habitat areas. This mining technique uses gas-powered machines that vacuum up sediment, allowing miners to separate the gold and metals from the remaining gravel. Unfortunately, wild salmon and steelhead spawning grounds are also caught by the vacuum.

I highly encourage you to read an article written by a 36th district constituent, Dr. Kim McDonald, explaining the harmful process of suction dredging on our fish and streams. Oregon and California have placed a moratorium on suction dredging as they examine the harm being done to wild salmon and steelhead runs.

Idaho has banned suction dredging in rivers and streams where wild fish runs are at risk. We’re the one remaining state in the Pacific Northwest’s lower 48 states that allows suction dredging and we do not monitor compliance with the minimal regulations on the books.

We have received dozens of e-mails from people throughout Washington who support this bill. Even though it did not gain a hearing in its House committee, I will be carefully working this issue during interim in preparation for next session.

Thank you for taking the time to read this legislative update! I’ve been hearing from many of you about a wide variety of issues, and I greatly appreciate your advocacy. Please don’t hesitate to call my office at (360) 786-7860 or e-mail me at gael.tarleton@leg.wa.gov if something’s on your mind.

Your voice in Olympia,

Gael