Putting students and families first

Dear friends and neighbors, 

I first want to thank everyone who took the time to join Sen. Mullet, Rep. Ramos and me for our community town hall last weekend! The best part of serving the families of the 5th district is getting to hear from you directly about the issues you care about most. I really appreciate you sharing your thoughts & questions with us about this year’s legislative session!

One of the most common questions we’ve received this session is: what is the Legislature doing to better support our students in the classroom? Even as the COVID-19 pandemic fades, we’re still seeing its effects on our children in school. They need our support now, more than ever, to get back on the right track.  

I talked about a few of my own bills aimed at supporting our children in my last e-newsletter, but here are a few additional bills I’ve been proud to support this session that put our students first: 

HB 1436 increases funding to support our students with disabilities. 

HB 1109 provides funding for school districts to conduct special education evaluations and develop individualized education plans for eligible students over the summer. 

HB 1238 expands the school-meal program to provide 90,000 more WA students access to free breakfast and lunch. 

HB 1316 expands access to the Running Start dual credit program by making it available to students over the summer. 

SB 5257 ensures our elementary school students receive sufficient amounts of recess each day.

Providing support to our children and their families early in life is the best, most effective way to set them up for success. But rising costs for essential needs and a lack of access for critical services are impacting families throughout our state. Here are a few bills the House passed so far this year to ensure our youth get the support they need when they need it: 

HB 1188 allows children in foster care to access crucial developmental disability services. 

HB 1407 maintains eligibility for developmental disability services, eliminating barriers to essential support throughout childhood.  

HB 1406 extends the amount of time children can remain in licensed youth shelters to expand family reconciliation services and stabilize youth in crisis. 

HB 1405 prevents the state from garnishing federal benefits that belong to our youth in foster care. 

HB 1447 strengthens the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and WorkFirst programs to meet our children’s foundational needs. 

HB 1499 provides flexibility to food banks by removing restrictions on funding for essential non-food items, like baby & hygiene products.

This morning, the Washington Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the state’s recently enacted capital gains tax. This excise tax applies only to the sale or transfer of capital assets, like stocks or bonds, with profits in excess of $250,000 a year – though it does not apply to retirement accounts or the sale of real estate, farms, or small businesses. 

The revenue generated—estimated at about $500 million a year—will be invested directly back into our schools to support our children’s education and early learning programs. You can read more about the Court’s decision by clicking here.