Dear neighbors,
I’m happy to report we balanced the state budget and finished our work on time, something that few state legislatures do in the country.
This e-news is a quick summary of major events from session and how they’ll affect us here in the 1st District:
- the new state operating budget, which pays for day-to-day costs;
- a new transportation budget, funding local and regional projects important to all of us;
- the state construction budget, which will build schools, colleges, parks, and other vital infrastructure; and
- major legislation passed by the House and Senate
Thank you to everyone who called, emailed, or made time to visit Olympia during session. I appreciate your stories, thoughts, and questions!
A balanced budget
I couldn’t vote for an all-cuts budget, which would have slashed support for public schools, health care, seniors, kids, and the environment.
We saw the damage of an all-cuts budget, as state law requires the governor to submit a balanced budget with no new revenue.
However, I also recognized the harms of an all-revenue budget.
The final budget is a compromise, making tough cuts while raising revenue in the least harmful ways possible.
There is some good news in the budget, including $100 million in grants to local law enforcement to boost public safety and hire more police officers. There’s also $145 million tackle the housing and homeless crisis and $6 million for diversion funding to keep children from living on the street.
For public schools, we boosted special education by $775 million, a long-overdue reform. And we made college a bit more affordable with zero increase in tuition while boosting the Washington College Grant by $45 million.
Keeping Washington moving
Transportation and traffic are two topics that people constantly ask me about.
It’s not a mystery why. Traffic has gotten worse as one million new people moved here for jobs.
The new state transportation budget includes $15.6 billion in projects and improvements, including significant investments in I-405.
I’m particularly happy about the funding for the Woodinville Trestle. There’s also funding to expand Bus Rapid Transit, including new stations, extended routes, and an additional toll lane that also accommodates those buses.
We need creative solutions to get people to work, school, the doctor, and the store. Those solutions require investing in alternatives that take pressure off our highways: trains, buses, biking, and walking.
Trains, buses, and paths for bikes or pedestrians are actually the cheapest and most effective way to take cars off the highway and relieve pressure on traffic. They work together in synergy.
Building a better Washington
The new state construction budget invests $7.6 billion to build public schools, colleges, parks, and other infrastructure.
Each project represents local hopes and dreams, often requiring years of work and planning to secure funding.
I’ll send another e-news that goes into all the details of the capital budget, including what’s being funded here in the 1st District.
Five new laws
Our system makes it hard to pass a law—80 percent of bills don’t make it to the governor’s desk.
This session, five bills I wrote passed both the House and Senate and were signed into law.
Passive house construction (House Bill 1183)—This legislation is the first in the nation, making allowances to make passive house construction more viable and affordable.
It incentivizes building cheaper housing while using emerging technologies. It eliminates parking minimums for modular, mass timber, passive, and affordable housing, along with other reforms.
I worked with architects and builders on these reforms.
Suburban sprawl (House Bill 1135)—This legislation closes a loophole in the Growth Management Act, so that all the great pro-housing legislation we’ve passed this session will be implemented by local governments.
Landfill safety (House Bill 1154)—Landfill owners have ignored the law and evaded punishment for safety violations. One landfill has been out of compliance for 20 years. Other landfills have been on fire for more than a year. This new law lets the state Department of Ecology backstop local jurisdictions to force landfills into compliance and protect our environment.
Building permits (House Bill 1935)—A discrepancy in the 2023 law surrounding building permits created confusion on permitting definitions. This legislation fixes the glitch.
Refrigerants (House Bill 1462)—Industrial refrigerants cause thousands of times more global warming than carbon dioxide. This law smooths the transition to less harmful refrigerants as the worst are taken off the market. I hope this legislation can serve as a model for other states to create a market for reclaimed refrigerant and extend the life of existing equipment.
Keep in touch
I’ll send updates with more information about key topics: the state budget, transportation, the construction budget, key legislation, and other issues like housing and the environment.
If you have questions about a bill or an issue, please contact my office, and we can help you get the answers.
I hope to hear from you soon!
