Dear neighbors,
I hope you and your family are finding time to enjoy the outdoors this August! As summer nears its end, another chapter begins with children returning to school and our neighbors returning from exciting trips across our beautiful state. Heading into autumn and the holiday season, it is important to reflect on how to support our local economy – especially small and immigrant owned businesses.
In the Community
Over the last month, I’ve been honored and privileged to spend some time visiting with local service providers in our community. One meeting that was especially meaningful was attending the groundbreaking of Sunnyside Village Cohousing in Marysville. This supportive cohousing community focuses on sustainability, with 32 single-family cottages measuring 1,200 square feet or smaller. Residents will enjoy shared open spaces, along with a spacious common house, community garden and orchard. I look forward to seeing this project completed and exploring how this housing model can be replicated throughout our state.
During a tour with a local childcare facility in Everett, I had the opportunity to learn about different programs that support children from 6 weeks old to age 12. I’m glad we were able to secure $91 million to expand early childhood education and assistance programs and rate increases. In particular, it was an honor to support the $5 million ask in the budget to increase funding for child care and early learning facilities to offer non-standard hours that better support the working families right here in our community and across our state.
To better understand how to support small businesses and our local workforce, I met with the NW Innovation Resources Center and Housing Hope. Compass Health also invited me to their Broadway site to tour recent renovations and new developments which will be critical to addressing the complex healthcare needs of our community. Finally, I attended a boat tour with the Puget Sound Pilots to discuss maritime policy and better learn about the industry’s role in guiding cargo safely through the Puget Sound.
Resources for Small & Immigrant Owned Businesses
The economy of the 38th LD is built on supporting our communities. Last session, we passed policies to be responsive to small businesses that need a partner in government to help them stay open and competitive – especially for small and immigrant owned businesses. In particular, House Bill 1306/Senate Bill 5268 will improve small business participation in public works. The elimination of the retainage or performance bonds requirement for small public works contracts under $5,000 will make it easier and less costly for small businesses to participate in these projects. We passed over $200 million in investments for competitive grants to expand broadband to unserved and underserved communities, and $400 million for the Public Works Assistance Account so that small businesses can engage in maintaining our drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater systems.
If you are a small business that is minority-owned, there are lots of resources you can take advantage of. The Washing State Department of Commerce maintains a Small Business Resiliency Network to provide culturally relevant assistance for businesses at no cost, as well as providing a range of other services focusing on education, training, and grants.
Looking Ahead to 2024
In my July e-newsletter, I shared that some of my legislative priorities included increasing affordable housing and reducing youth homelessness, improving access to behavioral healthcare services, and supporting small businesses in our community. I am also interested in reducing exposure to second-hand smoke for minors and preventing youth from entering homelessness upon release from a detention center. However, this is a drop in the bucket considering the diversity of lived experiences within our community and the issues we all face.
That is why, even though the legislature isn’t currently in session, I am looking to hear from you about how we can improve our community. I have included a link to a survey about your legislative priorities for the upcoming legislative session/He incluido un enlace a una encuesta sobre sus prioridades legislativas para la próxima sesión legislativa. Your answers will help me plan for the 2024 session.
Please continue to stay engaged and actively participate in the public process by following my facebook page, checking my website for upcoming events, and sending me an email. You can contact my office year-round.
In Service,
State Representative Julio Cortes