2015 Legislative Session Town Hall
Every year during the busy legislative session legislators head back to their home districts to host town hall gatherings.
Along with Rep. Hunter and Sen. Habib, this past week I had the pleasure of attending our town hall. Constituents from the 48th Legislative District gathered in Redmond on a rainy Saturday morning to get an update about session, ask questions and discuss issues of importance to them.
It was a pleasure to host our constituents and have an honest, productive discussion. The top concerns included education, the environment and fixing our unfair tax system. See this short presentation to learn about our state budget and tax system. Budget Presentation, Town Hall 2015
What is “affordable” when it comes to college tuition?
If you went to college 30 years ago, you may have been able to pay your way through by working summer jobs and living on the cheap. But if you are paying for college now, whether for yourself or for your children, you know that the cost of college is squeezing the budgets of many of our middle-income families, leaving graduates with burdensome debt and putting higher education out of reach for many students. All Washingtonians deserve access to higher education and we need to make sure that the cost of attendance isn’t blocking that access.
In order to continue providing students with high-quality programs, institutions need adequate funding. So, as state funding for colleges and universities has fallen, tuition rates have increased to make up the difference. We need to do more to make college affordable for our students and their families, but we cannot do so at the expense of quality.
See the graph below from the Budget and Policy Center highlighting tuition increases.
Last week we passed HB 1238, asking the Student Achievement Council to determine what affordable college really means for average families. The bill, sponsored by my colleague, Rep. Pollet, would also require the Council to offer strategies for keeping tuition rates to no more than 10% of median family income without harming the quality of our education programs and student support services. The bill is now scheduled for a public hearing on March 17th in the Senate Committee on Higher Education.
Access to higher education represents an opportunity not just for the students themselves, but also to prepare Washington to take on the challenges and opportunities of our shared future.
The Equal Pay Opportunity Act Passes the House!
For years, reports and studies have told us that women get paid less than men. Even controlling for factors, like age, education, hours worked, and so on, women get paid less than men. It’s an unfortunate reality, but it doesn’t have to be this way. One major reason we see the gender pay gap is retaliation from employers against employees who discuss their compensation. Even though there are federal and state laws to protect employees, this kind of practice continues.
My friend and colleague Rep. Tana Senn, D-Mercer Island, introduced the Equal Pay Opportunity Act, which improves upon existing laws and bans employers from punishing their employees for discussing what they are paid. Hopefully this will add some transparency to the process and let employees know when they’re being paid unfairly based solely on their gender.
Fixing our broken mental health system
Individuals and families dealing with mental health issues are suffering in our state. Our mental health system is broken. No one policy will fix it. We need to improve every aspect of mental health – from primary care, to outpatient treatment, to crisis management.
In a momentous day on the House floor this week House members passed four bills that will help build a mental health system that works for all.
- HB 1448 – Sheena and Chris Henderson’s Law
- HB 1450 – Concerning Involuntary Outpatient Treatment
- HB 1713 – Helping to improve mental health and chemical dependency programs
- SB 5889 – Concerning timeliness of competency evaluations (companion to HB 2060)
HB 1448, Sheena’s Law, is named after Sheena Henderson who was murdered by her husband Chris as he suffered from severe mental health issues. This bill will give law enforcement officers another tool in their toolbox in how they deal with individuals suffering from a mental health incident. Having this option could mean the difference between another senseless tragedy and getting someone the care they need.
HB 1450 gives more options for outpatient treatment for people with mental health issues. It provides a reasonable balance, getting people treatment earlier and will result in fewer mental health and forensic commitments. It is less restrictive, less expensive, and more humane than involuntary treatment.
HB 1713 helps those who suffer from both mental health and chemical dependency issues. This legislation is a step forward for integrating our systems to get people the care they need.
The state has a constitutional obligation to ensure everyone receives a speedy trial. Those who suffer from mental health problems are no different. SB 5889 bill will ensure that even those with mental health issues will receive timely assessment and treatment in our criminal justice system.