WA Democrats introduce operating budgets to fund K-12, transportation and homelessness
With three weeks left to go in the 2022 legislative session, House and Senate Democratic budget leaders released their proposed supplemental operating budgets on Monday. Both proposals include large investments in transportation, housing and homelessness, and K-12 public schools. Senators are proposing a $63.4 billion operating budget plan, while House Representatives have proposed $65 billion for their supplemental operating budget plan. Democratic Rep. Pat Sullivan from Covington, who helped craft the House proposal, said that while the House budget reflects their caucus’ priorities, they did consult with the Senate on some of the bigger items. Continue reading at The Olympian. (Ted S. Warren)
Overwhelmed by chaos and uncertainty, families with kids under 5 are on a vaccine roller coaster
They’ve wrestled with child-care crises. They’ve missed work and paychecks. Some have even changed careers when day-care closures forced them to work remotely. Parents of children younger than 5 say they feel forgotten and left behind, watching others reclaim normalcy while they stay home with kids who are too young to be vaccinated and have to quarantine when there is an exposure to the coronavirus at day care or school. “The rest of the world has moved on, and they are not able to do so safely,” said Jennifer Shu, a pediatrician and spokeswoman for the American Academy of Pediatrics. Continue reading at The Washington Post. (Megan Jelinger)
4 ways we can boost Washington’s mental health workforce, from people in the industry
Washington’s mental health workers are leaving their jobs in droves. “We need to be able to keep staff and retain and recruit them. Without doing that, we won’t be able to serve the community that we do,” said Jose Lopez, director of inpatient services at Comprehensive Healthcare in Eastern Washington. The biggest challenges to recruiting and retaining mental health care workers are low wages and feelings of exhaustion and stress, providers say. Salaries are not keeping pace with the cost of living and the high-pressure needs of the job. Continue reading at The Seattle Times.
Associated Press
Washington Senate, House release supplemental budget plans (Rolfes, Frame)
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WA Democrats introduce operating budgets to fund K-12, transportation and homelessness (Sullivan, Rolfes)
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