Clean energy, electric ferries and local school funding are among the issues on the agendas of the 40th District senator and representatives during the 60-day legislative session, which began Jan. 13…State Rep. Debra Lekanoff, D-Bow, is vice chairperson of the House Environment & Energy Committee and member of the Capital Budget Committee and Rural Development, Agriculture, & Natural Resources Committee. She is also co-chair of the Joint Water Task Force with state Sen. Keith Wagoner, R-Sedro-Woolley.
She said she spent the interim period between legislative sessions meeting with people in the district and has prepared 12 legislative actions to introduce. Some are bills, some are provisos and some are administrative changes, she said.
Lekanoff said her agenda is education, protection of natural resources and the environment, protection of the labor work force, equality and protection of tribal-state relationships.
What she’ll be working on this session:
- Public transit. “We are spread far and wide in Skagit, and our transit buses are important to our rural areas” as well as younger people in the cities, Lekanoff said. “When we look at transportation and the impacts to Washington state, we need to make sure we address transit and that we do it in a good way.”
- Funding for continued replacement of culverts that block fish passage. She said she’s confident the state is on track to replace its problematic culverts by the deadline of 2030.
- Salmon recovery. “My intent is to better work with our state Legislature to provide good opportunities for informed decision making,” regarding salmon recovery. She wants to bring cities, counties, the state, the federal government and treaty tribes together “to find sound, accountable salmon recovery approaches that address watershed recovery” while sustaining the commercial and recreational natural-resources industries that contribute $4 billion to the state’s economy.
- Education funding. She said she’s working closely with Rep. Timm Ormsby, D-Spokane, and Sen. Lisa Wellman, D-Mercer Island, on trying to find ways to fill the funding shortfall that has affected school districts after the Legislature responded to the McCleary school funding court decision.
“We’ll know more once the session starts,” Lekanoff said.
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