Thank you for the honor of serving in Olympia on behalf of our community. I am pleased we ended the short session on time and that I was able to preside as Deputy Speaker Pro Tempore in the final gavel of the 2014 session. This newsletter provides some brief updates of the session that I hope you find informative.
I am happy to report that the Legislature passed four of my bills and they have all been signed into law by Governor Inslee:
HB 2315 – Suicide prevention training for health care professionals
HB 2164 – Evidence-based programs for juveniles adjudicated of unlawful possession of a firearm.
HB 2171 – Stronger economic protections for veterans and military personnel.
HB 1292 – Support for victims of the sex trade so they can start their lives over by vacating their criminal records.
While this was overall a hard session, in the end we came to an agreement and passed a responsible budget that protects the most vulnerable among us. The final budget
contains a $33 million investment for mental health beds and services at the community level; 5,000 new slots for services to our developmentally disabled community, taking a big bite out of the wait list; and increased protections for military servicemen and women along with their families. We also make some modest investments in education including $58 million for K-12 supplies, books and technology.
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