Bipartisan bill to improve mental health care system
With a 98-0 vote count, the House took a step in the right direction towards fixing our state’s badly broken mental health care system with the passage of Joel’s Law. The bill is named after Joel Reuter, a young man who was tragically killed by police while suffering from a mental health crisis.
Joel’s parents tried desperately to get their son the help he needed, but unnecessary barriers in the legal system prevented them from doing so. Joel’s Law would allow families to get a second opinion to determine if their loved one needs to be involuntarily committed.
This is a great example of Democrats and Republicans working together to solve problems and build a healthier and safer Washington.
Protecting honeybees
My bill to preserve pollen-rich communities for honey bees will receive a public hearing on Wednesday in the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee. HB 1654 would direct the state noxious weed control board to conduct a pilot project to replace invasive weed species with native, high-pollen producing plants. Noxious and invasive weeds are a problem we need to eradicate, but removing these high-pollen producing weeds has an unintentional side effect on our honeybees. By replacing high-pollen noxious weeds with high-pollen local plants, we can clean up our environment while not causing damage to the bee population.
Transportation
You may have seen a recent article in The Daily Herald summarizing your Snohomish County legislators’ stances on passing a comprehensive transportation package this session.
It’s critical for Snohomish County – and for Washington – that we pass a transportation package. Getting across the Snohomish-King County line is one of the hardest commutes in the region. We need to make sure Snohomish County parents can see their kids off to school without being late for work because they have to leave two and a half hours early. We need to ensure small business owners in Edmonds, Mukilteo and Everett can get their goods to market as well as making sure their employees and customers have transportation options. A strong infrastructure is a strong middle class.
If we want to improve the lives of Snohomish County residents then we need to figure out how to do it, and revenues are part of that equation. I believe there are a number of viable options, including the modest gas tax increase the House passed a couple years ago, but never made it through the Senate. Of course, the cap and trade proposal from the governor has received a lot of attention and I think it’s an interesting prospect and worth a conversation.
In general, the choice is to do nothing or do something, and I think the second option sounds better.
Income inequality
You’ll likely hear much discussion this session about the growing income inequality in America, despite our current economic boom. The benefits of that boom aren’t going to average workers and the middle class. Instead, the rich are getting much richer while low-income families and the middle class are falling behind.
How much would you have to earn to be in the 1 percent? Here’s a great chart from the Economic Policy Institute that breaks down the top earners from each state. You’d have to earn $379,000 or more to be in the top 1 percent in Washington.
This isn’t smart, isn’t fair and isn’t sustainable.
Consumer spending is 70 percent of our economy. When even bare-bones stores like Wal-Mart say they’re hurting because customers can’t afford to buy anything, that’s a sign.
Washington’s unfair tax structure – worst in the nation – contributes to this problem. The wealthy pay a much smaller share of taxes as a share of their income compared to the middle class and working people.
It’s time to for a serious policy discussion to reverse this trend and restore fairness back into our tax code so everyday people aren’t shouldering the entire burden. Fairness will also create jobs, because the middle class will actually spend money locally.
Equal work for equal pay
Do you think women should be paid the same as men for the same work? If so, spread the word be a part of the solution. Simply click on the infographic below to share it on Facebook. #EqualWork should result in #EqualPay.
