Dear Neighbors,
We are in the 14th week of session and have passed the deadline for policy bills to pass out of the opposite house. I’m pleased that my bills that were heard in the Senate have been passed.
In addition to negotiations on the Operating budget and Capital budget, work is being done on Transportation. We have passed our House Transportation Revenue Package that would make important investments in our community including work on SR 167/SR 405 and SR 509.
The package will also help grow our economy, move freight and connect goods to markets around the world. It will create 4,000-6,500 jobs every year – as many as 100,000 over the life of the package. It will fight congestion by investing in transportation choices for every community, including rail, transit, bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure.
Budget negotiations are ongoing. Watch for updates coming soon.
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Update on my bills
I am thrilled that HB 1069, concerning preservation of DNA evidence, and HB 1068, relating to testing of rape kits, passed the Senate! Many stakeholders, legislators and staff provided a lot of time and effort to shape this legislation. The bills will give needed tools and information to law enforcement in order to exonerate the innocent, give our talented staff at the State Patrol lab more resources to identify and prosecute more dangerous offenders, protect women and children and provide justice to victims.
You can read more about the passage of HB 1069 in the Senate in this article. Click here for more information on both bills.
My suicide prevention bills, SHB 1138, which creates a task force on mental health and suicide prevention at public and private institutions of higher education, and HB 1424, which requires the Department of Health to adopt rules establishing minimum standards for suicide prevention training programs, to include veteran specific content, also passed the Senate! These bills will impact the lives of many people in our state by providing resources and training needed to meet the needs of people in the mental health system, and to students, including veterans, across the state who are enrolled in our post-secondary institutions.
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A bill relating to services for special education students
The Legislature passed SB 5679 concerning transition services for special education students. Transition planning must be based on age-appropriate transition assessments that outline the student’s needs, strengths, preferences, and interests. Transition services include activities to assist the student reach postsecondary goals and courses of study to support the goals. The activities may include instruction, related services, community experience, employment and other adult living objectives, daily living skills, and functional vocational evaluation. This bill requires that transition planning start as soon as educationally and developmentally appropriate.
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Ask Tina
In this episode of Ask Tina, I respond to constituent e-mails regarding food assistance programs and taxing e-cigarettes and vaping products.
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Kudos to the Kent School District!
Congratulations to the Kent School District on the thirteen schools in the district that have been awarded 2014 Washington Achievement Awards. The Washington Achievement Award recognizes schools as top performers in one of six categories based on statewide assessment data for the three previous years:
- Overall Excellence
- High Progress
- Reading Growth
- Math Growth
- Extended Graduation Rate (awarded to high and comprehensive schools only)
- English Language Acquisition
You can read more about it here.
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Big news out of Washington, D.C.
Our U.S. Senator Patty Murray negotiated a compromise deal with Republican Senator Lamar Alexander from Tennessee to fix the badly broken No Child Left Behind Law. You can read more about their proposal on Sen. Murray’s website and here in the New York Times.
If this deal reaches President Obama’s desk, this will be a giant step forward for Washington’s one million school kids.
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Teamwork!
My legislative assistant, Mary Soderlind, and my policy intern, UW Master of Social Work, Noha Mahgoub, help keep our office running smoothly and effectively. We make a great team! I am so fortunate to work with such talented and dedicated staff. They are a critical part of helping legislation move forward and responding to your emails and calls.
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News links of interest:
https://www.kcsarc.org/heroes-and-heroines-who-are-loud-about-sexual-assault
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2015/apr/09/washington-house-passes-gun-bill-based-on-spokane/
As always, thank you for reading this update. Be sure to send me your feedback, questions and concerns.
Sincerely,
