Honoring the Legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.
On Monday, we celebrated the deeds and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Last session, it was an honor to stand and speak on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. As I said then, I hope that our daily work in the legislature helps fulfill the dreams of Dr. King – that we may all thrive as equals and respect one another.
This year we saw Rep. Jesse Johnson, the newly appointed representative for the 30th District, use his first speech on the floor of the House to pay tribute to Dr. King. He delivered a powerful message: “I hope we have the courage to continue the work of Dr. King. Even if we are planting seeds in a garden we will never see grow. Seeds of opportunity. Seeds of love. Seeds of tolerance. Seeds of justice. Seeds of hope. Because in every corner of the great state of Washington, that’s what our people deserve.”
I encourage you to join me in planting those seeds and participating in the process so we can make Washington state a better place for all of us.
Watch Rep. Johnson’s full speech.
Child Care for All
I am proud to be working with Rep. Tana Senn and other colleagues to ensure all children and their families have access to child care. Demand for child care in the 40th District far exceeds supply – costs are high and wait-lists are long. Families shouldn’t have to make these tough decisions.
“This fall, when I visited with child care providers in Bellingham and Mt. Vernon, it was all too clear that the child care crisis was hurting local families and businesses,” said Senn, Chair of the House Committee on Human Services and Early Learning. “Too many kids start kindergarten already behind, parents struggle to get to work, and child care businesses are closing. The Fair Start for Kids Act will ensure that our kids, families and economy grow strong.”
As a working, single mom, I understand the great need for having access to quality and affordable child care. To help confront this crisis, I invite you to share your child care story online with the hashtag #ChildCare4All, watch the video to learn more about this crisis, and learn more about what The Fair Start for Kids Act could mean for your family.
Working on Affordable Housing and Salmon Recovery
It’s the second week of session, and earlier this week, I stepped off the House floor to talk about some of the issues I’ve been working on. I discussed the affordable housing meeting I attended this week with Rep. Nicole Macri and many other colleagues, in which we heard from a panel of experts on key issues in affordable housing. I was so pleased to see that multiple panelists were housing leaders from the 40th District!
Affordable housing, housing insecurity and homelessness are issues widely and deeply felt throughout our communities in the 40th, and I commend our leaders up north on all their efforts. We are seeing our region develop best practices and models that we can bring down to Olympia, and I look forward to continuing to work with them.
I also discussed my ongoing work to revitalize the salmon population, including a number of bills including creating a Joint Legislative Committee on Salmon, modernizing the Growth Management Act to include a salmon provision, creating a select committee on water, and more!
Keep up with my legislative work, and track my bills here.
Watch the video to learn more about week two of the 2020 session!
Constituent Corner: Transportation
Many of you have reached out about car tabs. I am deeply concerned about the impacts of Initiative 976 on our state’s transportation system. The passage of the initiative means the state loses out on close to half a billion dollars. And while the initiative is being challenged in the courts, the final decision will come long after the 2020 session is over. That’s why we have to be prepared to make cuts. I have heard from cities, counties, and transit agencies in my district, and I know it will be painful, but we’ll have to do it until we can agree on a solution.
There are also some rumors that we could use gas tax revenue or the Rainy Day Fund to fill in the gaps in the transportation budget. However, those rumors aren’t true. The 18th amendment of our constitution restricts what gas taxes can be spent on, and the Rainy Day Fund can only be used through a supermajority vote, or because of poor economic conditions, like a recession.
That means that the transportation budget has to be balanced, now, however painful the cuts or project delays might be. It’s not pleasant, and it’s not what any of us want. We need more investments—not less—in highways, transit, ferries and trains to reduce traffic gridlock on our highways and get people where they need to be. We also need to be thinking about our legal responsibility to replace state injunction culverts so that we can work towards salmon recovery together.
Despite these challenges, I will work with my colleagues here in Olympia on a transportation budget that keeps Washington moving.
Notable Meetings
A huge thank you to all of my constituents who have travelled down to Olympia to meet with me. I especially understand the long trip can be a challenge, but meeting with you all inspires me every day. This week, I met with:
Dave New and Elaine Oneil
- We discussed issues concerning small landowner sustainable forestry. The New Family was awarded the American Forest Foundation 2019 National Outstanding Tree Farmers of the Year Award.
WWU Students
- The students shared their legislative priorities with me, and it was so inspiring to see young people actively engaged in the legislative process!
Whatcom and Skagit Conservation Districts
- We talked about their work to conserve our state’s natural resources. The work of restoring salmon habitat, improving water quality, and working with our farmers and private landowners to help conserve their land and its resources, is vital.
League of Women Voters and Fix Democracy First members
- Voter education, voter access, and fair elections are very important topics and I appreciated hearing from constituents on these issues.
The San Juan Islands National Monument
The San Juan Islands, and the monument therein, are a national treasure. Sites within the monument are priceless to the tribes who have lived here for time immemorial and to all Washingtonians. It is my hope that with proper planning we can protect these natural resources and cultural resources for generations to come.
However, no matter how many environmental protections we pass here in the legislature, the preservation of places like the San Juan Islands—which are ecologically fragile and culturally significant—also relies on proper land management. Unfortunately, the federal government’s land management plan falls short and could lead to degradation of the islands’ unique ecology, and cultural and historic values.
It has been an honor to work with San Juan County and Governor Inslee’s office on this important issue. Learn more in this recent article from Crosscut.
Thank you all for taking to the time to read this week’s Fantastic Friday, and for taking an interest in our progress at the House of Representatives. I will be sending out a Fantastic Friday letter each week throughout the legislative session.
Please feel free to reach out to me using the information below, with any questions, inquiries, or concerns you may have.
I am here for you!
All best wishes,
Rep. Debra Lekanoff