The Washington State Legislature began its 12th week of the 2015 Session on Monday, which means the April 26th end date is approaching fast. Not sure how the legislative session is structured? In odd numbered years, session begins in January and lasts 105 days.
Currently, my bills that passed out of the House of Representatives are being considered by the Senate. If they pass through the Senate, they then will go to the Governor’s office to be signed into law, unless the Senate amends them. If that’s the case, then the bills get sent back to the House and we have to concur — that is, vote to agree with their changes.
We also pass a two-year operating budget during the session that funds the state government’s operations. The House Democrats just released our proposed budget, which you can read more about below. When session wraps up on April 26th, I am back in the 21st District for the rest of year and work out of a district office until next January when the 2016 Session begins.
House Democratic Budget Proposal
Last Friday, the House Democrats released our 2015-2017 budget proposal. After years of budget cuts and tough economic times, we are focused on investing in the future and the well-being of our children, families, and communities. This budget will support an economy that works for everyone, not just the wealthy few.
Education
Our budget increases funding for K-12 education by 21%. This will allow every child in the state to access full-day kindergarten. We are funding class size reductions for students in grades K-3 and supporting college and career readiness programs so that high school graduates are ready to take on their next step. Our hard-working school employees, from teachers to bus drivers get a long overdue cost-of-living increase.
Our budget not only meets our constitutional obligation to fully fund our schools, it makes critical investments in early learning and higher education.
Repairing our Safety Net
Our social safety net has been cut severely during the recession. As we work on improving the quality of education in our state, we also have to look at the big picture. If a child is going to school hungry or does not have access to stable housing, they are not going to able to take advantage of increased educational opportunities. Our budget funds crucial safety net programs including:
- The State Food Assistance Program to help feed hungry kids, families and seniors.
- The Emergency Food Assistance Program which funds local food banks.
- The Child Support Pass-Through which will help many low-income families access about $100 more per month in child support.
Projects in the 21st District
The House Democrats also released our proposals for the 2015-2017 Capital Budget, which funds construction and repair of public buildings, and the Transportation Budget. I am excited to announce that these proposals included three great projects in our district.
- The transportation budget funds the Edmonds Waterfront At-Grade Crossing analysis. Currently, the railroad crossing at Main and Dayton in downtown Edmonds not only causes a passing train to block access to locations such as the Edmonds Senior Center and underwater dive park, but also traffic on and off the Edmonds-Kingston ferry. This is the only remaining ferry terminal in our state that has a rail line intersecting it. The At-Grade Crossing analysis will include the public and the city council in order to find an effective alternative that will improve emergency access and the safety for pedestrians and drivers.
- Edmonds Center for the Arts has served as a great gathering spot for our communities. However, there have been concerns about the leaky roof in the gym. The Capital Budget allocation will let us fix the roof, preserving it for years to come.
- The district also receives funding for the construction of a new Boys & Girls Club in Mukilteo. Their current building was built in 1921 and is not only outdated & too small, but located an inconvenient distance from most Club members’ schools and neighborhoods. The new Boys & Girls Club building at Harbor Pointe will be a state-of-the-art 25,000 square foot building that will be able to accommodate more than double the current membership. It will be located at Harbour Pointe and will be named after former State Senator Paull Shinn.
Interview on TVW
TVW is Washington’s state public affairs news network that covers the Legislature and the State Supreme Court. I had the opportunity a few weeks ago to be interviewed by Austin Jenkins on Inside Olympia about my experiences a news legislature. Check out the interview below: