A Working Economy
Our economy should work for everybody, not just a wealthy few. But as our state has emerged from the recession, nearly all of the gains in income have gone to the wealthiest 1 percent of Washingtonians. A recent study found that 100 percent of income gains between 2009 and 2012 went to the top 1 percent.
At the same time, wages for many working families have remained stagnate or decreased. Washington and New Jersey were the only two states in the nation where poverty and economic inequality increased. Between 2012 and 2013 more than 50,000 Washingtonians fell into poverty. Read more about this disturbing trend here.
It doesn’t have to be this way.
Let’s bring our economy back to a place where it works for all Washingtonians by preventing wage theft, strengthening the minimum wage, and making it more difficult for employers to pay women less than men for the same work.
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Transportation
Snohomish County is an economic driver in Washington state, so we need a transportation package that makes adequate investments in our region to continue growing our economy.
Snohomish County contains the largest concentration of manufacturing jobs in the state and has an abundance of strategic infrastructure such as Paine Field, the Port of Everett, and the Naval Station. Linking these resources through an improved transportation system will facilitate job growth, improve Washington’s economic leadership, and increase our global competitiveness.
The Senate’s transportation package is a good first step, but only covers half of the overall needed funding for vital transportation projects in our area.
It also limits apprenticeship opportunities for young construction workers and undermines wage standards for work not done on site. This is not the time to suppress wages or limit opportunities into middle class jobs.
Another major concern is that the Senate package removes funding from the general operating budget, which would otherwise be used to fund K-12 education.
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Education
The State Supreme Court held the Legislature in contempt in the McCleary case last year. We need to invest at least $1.3 billion more in K-12 education to meet those obligations. Voters also passed an initiative for smaller class sizes, which adds pressure for the legislature to come up with a viable funding plan.
Keeping in mind that a world class education system is much more than K-12, one of my primary areas of concern is ensuring that Washington State University has the resources needed to advance its presence in Everett and accommodate projected enrollments.
I will also continue supporting quality early learning programs that better prepare students for kindergarten. We know these programs are an excellent return on tax payer dollars because children are less likely to repeat grades and more likely to get jobs after graduation.
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Thank you for taking the time to read this update.I will keep you posted on where things stand after the committee cutoff. In the meantime, send me your feedback and let me know what’s on your mind.
Sincerely,
