Dear neighbors,
Thank you to everyone who participated in our 1st District telephone town hall! I appreciate your questions, ideas, and stories.
Here’s a quick video about town halls and why they’re so important.
The three budgets
Budget proposals are out from the House Democrats and Senate Republicans, and we passed both the operating budget and the transportation budget off the House floor this week.
Operating pays for ongoing costs like salaries and expenses. It keeps the state running and is the biggest budget.
Transportation is a combination, since that budget funds new projects and also pays to keep the ferries, State Patrol, and transportation services running.
The capital budget funds construction projects that don’t involve transportation—schools, colleges, parks, and other infrastructure. That budget was released Monday, March 31st.
If you want to learn more details about the budget proposals, visit fiscal.wa.gov for a non-partisan analysis of any budget proposed by the House or Senate.
What’s next
Negotiators will work with the Senate to draft final compromises on all the budgets, including the state construction budget.
When we pass the compromise versions, I’ll report back and what it means for our families and neighborhoods back home in the 1st District, including any new transportation or construction projects in our district.
Please contact me if you have questions or comments about anything happening in the Legislature as we sprint to the finish.
The last day of session is April 27, and it’s coming up fast!
