Dear Friends and Neighbors,
This session, we have been working on legislation that acknowledges our responsibility to care for others. It has taken a variety of forms – funding mental health, addressing the homeless youth crisis, working to provide affordable housing to our most vulnerable and replenishing the Housing Trust Fund.
It is heartbreaking that we have 35,000 homeless youth in our state who are not able to access health care. Under current state law, homeless teenagers must have authorization from a parent or guardian to receive health care.
The House is trying to change that. I co-sponsored, and the House passed, a measure granting school officials the authority to provide consent for non-emergent medical services for homeless youth. Young people experiencing homelessness have enough to deal with – this bill, if signed into law, is one small but compassionate step forward.
The House Capital Budget also includes $5 million for the Homeless Youth Grant Program, as well as support to Homeless Student Grants and the Housing and Essential Needs programs.
Clean Energy & the Climate: Creating a Sustainable Energy Economy
Climate change is a threat to our safety, well-being and economy here in the Pacific Northwest.
Our continuing dependence on energy sources that produce carbon pollution contributes to severe climate events such as devastating droughts and forest fires, and hurts our timber, farming and maritime sectors.
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We must work now to encourage the use of cutting-edge clean technology. The House passed legislation that will accelerate clean energy solutions and allow us to grow our solar industry – all while reducing our carbon impact. Encouraging local consumers to use solar energy is good for the environment as well as our economy.
In the House Committee on Technology and Economic Development, where I serve as vice-chair, we are now hearing bills that have passed out of the Senate. Several of these bills address our climate risks and the importance of building sustainable energy facilities.
Higher Education: Improving Access and Affordability
We need an economy that works for everyone. And this means making college both accessible and affordable for our qualified students. I am committed to improving access to higher education, as are many of my House colleagues.
One way that we are making college affordable is by reducing the cost burden on families through reducing textbook costs and minimizing application fees for low-income students. By reducing obstacles like these, we open the door to higher education for more students across the state.
College students suffer when they don’t have access to their professors. We need to fund more full-time, tenure-track professors at community and technical colleges. These professors are the best mentors for college students.
K-12 Classrooms: Addressing the Teacher Shortage Crisis
Our schools are pressed for space and our classrooms are packed. Student achievement suffers when teachers are stretched thin.
This year’s House budget proposal builds on prior successes and addresses many of the issues we are facing today.
The Legislature has invested $4.2 billion in new K-12 funding since 2013, but challenges still remain. The state needs to fix the way we distribute money to local school districts to pay teachers. This fix could cost around $4 billion to fulfill our paramount duty.
With our growing student population, new infrastructure is needed for our kids to learn. To start the ball rolling, our House Capital budget includes $12 million for K-3 class size reduction, and an additional $35 million for the School Construction Assistance Program.
This is in addition to another bipartisan measure that will dedicate $1 billion over the next 10 years to reduce class sizes.
I look forward to seeing all our kids in smaller classes in the years ahead.
Town Hall Thank You
Thank you to everyone who took time out of your Saturday morning to join me and my colleagues, Senator Carlyle and Representative Frame, at our 36th District Town Hall meeting.
It is always impressive to hear the diverse public policy issues that you are passionate about and that affect the quality of life for residents in our district and throughout our state
During the two hours we had vigorous discussions on a broad range of topics, including education funding, housing for the homeless, teacher shortages, clean energy solutions, college affordability and access, and the need for structural tax reforms to fund a modern state.
I am so grateful to everyone who attends town halls, comes to Olympia to meet with legislators and give public testimony, sends emails and makes phone calls. Thank you for being effective advocates for progress and change. It is an honor to be your voice in Olympia. Together, we’re building a better future for all of us.
Please keep in touch with me by email, phone, or when you visit Olympia. Your ideas and perspectives are always welcome as we navigate important budget debates in the coming weeks.
Your voice in Olympia,
Gael