Dear friends and neighbors,
Thank you to everyone who joined our virtual town hall last weekend. I’m grateful to all of the 28th Legislative District residents who shared their thoughts and concerns with me, Sen. T’wina Nobles and Rep. Dan Bronoske. If you weren’t able to attend, you can watch the whole thing on YouTube. Here’s some of the topics we covered during the town hall:
–Rail safety: One of my priorities is making sure that our railways are safe. That’s why I introduced a bill to help build a stronger, safer railway network by giving the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission the authority to oversee rail safety.
–Broadband access: The state House passed the Public Broadband Act earlier this week to give more public entities the ability to offer broadband service directly to residents. This bill, which I co-sponsored, will help ensure more Washingtonians have access to quality, high-speed internet.
–Child care: Families were struggling to find quality, affordable child care before the pandemic, and now, the problem has gotten even worse. The Fair Start for Kids Act would help make child care more affordable, stabilize and grow the child care workforce, expand child care facilities and strengthen prevention and intervention services. This is a great bill to help parents get back to work, boost economic recovery and give more kids a fair start in life.
Unfortunately, an hour wasn’t enough time to get to all of your questions. Check out my latest Tuesday’s for the 28th video for my response to a question about nursing homes.
There were also some questions about relief for renters and landlords that we didn’t have time for. The Legislature recently passed a funding package that contains $365 million for rental and housing assistance, including help for small landlords to stay on top of their mortgage.
The latest on this week’s floor action
I’m honored to announce that the House passed my bipartisan bill to provide food and cash assistance to low-income families and update the standards of need for cash assistance programs. The last time these standards were updated was three decades ago, and we know people’s lives have changed dramatically since then. This bill bolsters economic recovery for communities that have been impacted by the pandemic, and will help alleviate the real hardships families are facing.
The House also passed another one of my bipartisan bills to create from prison to postsecondary pathways for people who are incarcerated.
At least 95% of people in state prisons will be released back into their communities at some point. This bill will help incarcerated people seeking to find a job after serving their time, stabilize their lives and build a life with a sustainable career — while addressing our state’s need for skilled workers and reducing criminal justice spending.
The last bill I want to mention was introduced by my colleague Rep. John Lovick. I’m proud to support and co-sponsor his bill to eliminate the retirement age for the Washington State Guard, which passed the House with unanimous bipartisan support.
We owe so much gratitude to Washington State National Guard members, who have stepped up during this crisis to help health care workers administer vaccines in our communities and food bank volunteers distribute food to families in need. Thank you!
Please don’t hesitate to reach out at 253-256-0302 or Mari.Leavitt@leg.wa.gov. You can also follow me on Facebook for the latest. It’s an honor to serve the beautiful 28th.
Mari Leavitt