Dear neighbors,

Thank you to all who attended our telephone town hall and our in-district town hall. We had a successful turn out with great questions and comments at both events. I look forward to hearing more from you, please know my office door is always open!

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Closing the Opportunity Gap

We will be rolling out our budget soon and I am very pleased that we are not only meeting our legal obligations with McCleary, but also funding policy that will address the opportunity gap (House Bill 1541) and give every student a chance to succeed regardless of their special needs, race, gender, or social economic status.

Our budget addresses cradle to career, thus giving opportunity to all our future workforce!

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Equal Work, Equal Pay

A baby girl born today will be 56 years old when the gender pay gap finally closes, according to a new study by the Women’s Funding Alliance.

This isn’t right. Women should not be paid less than men for the same work. Our daughters deserve better, that’s why we passed House Bill 1646, the Equal Pay Opportunity Act, to lessen the gap by prohibiting employers from retaliating against their employees for discussing compensation. Read more about this measure here.

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Healthy families are a top priority in the House

Making sure our children and our families are healthy and getting the care they need is a top priority for me, and for my colleagues in the House. That’s why we passed two bills that will make major improvements to quality of life for Washingtonians:

• HB 1285 –Requires that all newborns born in Washington be screened for Critical Congenital Heart Disease (CCHD), which affects nearly 1 in 100 infants.
• HB 2021 – Expands an existing program to help patients get prescription drug assistance already provided by organizations and pharmaceutical companies. The passage of the Affordable Care Act has cut down the ranks of the uninsured, but many still can’t afford the high cost of prescription drugs.

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Tech industry is key economic driver in Washington

Earlier this month, the Washington Technology Industry Association released a study on the regional economic and fiscal impact of the information and communication technology (ICT) industry. Some of the study’s findings include:

• In 2013, almost 240,000 people worked in direct or indirect tech jobs across our state in companies that cover the entire spectrum, from very small businesses to giants like Microsoft and Amazon. The combined earnings of all those tech workers was $22 billion.

• Each of those 240,000 high paying jobs spurs further economic benefit, which creates 2.7 more jobs in the wider state economy. The combined economic impact of those two factors results in at least 7 additional jobs associated with every essential ICT worker.

However, Washington state forecasts for occupations in high-tech fields compared to graduates show a significant shortage of workers to fill demand from in-state students. We must prepare our students to fill the jobs of the future. So we passed House Bill 1813, which establishes a grant program with a private match requirement to both train educators in, and teach students about, computer science, as well as to fund equipment.

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Washington Voting Rights Act clears the House

Too many communities across our state are denied the opportunity to participate fully in the decision-making process. That’s why we passed House Bill 1745, which will give tools to local governments and communities to work out their disputes where they are best resolved – at home. By allowing for collaboration and reducing the need for federal intervention, it will provide a swifter resolution for underrepresented groups while reducing the cost to local jurisdictions.

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Thanks for taking the time to read my e-newsletter. Be sure to send me your feedback, concerns or ideas. I really appreciate hearing from you.

Sincerely,