Thank you for coming to our town hall meeting!
Our district town hall meeting on March 19 was a big success thanks to those of you who showed up to talk about important issues and share your thoughts and concerns. Your engagement and participation are critical to making our community stronger and more connected, and we are grateful for your continued support.
Sen. Mark Mullet, Rep. Lisa Callan, and I were happy to answer your questions, which were thoughtful and engaging, and we appreciate that the discussions were lively and respectful.
Bills’ Bills
With the end of session quickly approaching, lots of things happened last week especially since Wednesday was the last day for policy committees to vote on opposite chamber bills. Now, fiscal committees are hearing scores of bills and have until Tomorrow, April 4, to get them out. After that, we go back to all-day floor action.
There’s good news to report as we enter the last stretch of this legislative session.
Two of my bills passed the Senate!
HB 1179, my legislation concerning non-conviction data passed the Senate on March 22 and is on its way to the governor’s desk. Specifically, my bill will authorize the release of non-conviction data to the Office of the State Auditor for the express purpose of conducting a process compliance audit procedure and review of any independent deadly force investigation required by law. The bottom-line is that this measure is about transparency where only a few designated employees will be allowed to review this information. In other words, none of it will be divulged.
This past Friday, the Senate passed my HB 1265 unanimously. This legislation provides a property tax exemption for adult family homes that serve people with intellectual or developmental disabilities and are owned by a nonprofit.
Continuing with good news, I am glad that most of the bills I cosponsored are either in Senate Rules of already on the Senate floor calendar:
HB 1031, Modifying medal of valor award presentation requirements
HB 1051, Concerning robocalling and telephone scams
HB 1146, Notifying high school students and their families about available dual credit programs and any available financial assistance
HB 1471, Modifying state procurement procedures for competitive, sole source, convenience, and emergency goods and services contracts
HB 1678, Establishing and authorizing the profession of dental therapy
My other cosponsored bills are in fiscal committees, so their fate is still uncertain.
Budget Rollouts
All three House budgets were released last Monday.
Washington’s operating budget is our state’s largest source of funding for many of the programs and services that working families rely on every day. These funds are invested directly back into our communities, which supports the economy.
The capital budget provides funding support for buildings and physical infrastructure projects throughout the state. Those can include investments in affordable housing and shelter for families, broadband and water system upgrades, K-12 school improvements, and more.
The transportation budget provides funding to maintain Washington state’s transportation infrastructure, support jobs, and address key traffic and transportation problems that affect Washingtonians all over the state.
A bit of great news in this year’s transportation budget: Hwy-18 is funded and on track! We worked very hard to get the final section of Hwy-18 fully funded in the Move Ahead WA package last year (650 million over the next five years). However, in the the governor’s 2023 budget proposal, this project would be delayed by four years. This is a very important project in our district so we fought hard again to put it back into this biennial budget and keep it on track. This is a major victory for everyone in our area.
For details from the three House budgets, read the recent press releases on the operating budget proposal, capital budget proposal, and transportation budget proposal.
Video Update
My colleague and friend, Rep. Sharlett Mena, from the 29th district (Tacoma) and I met the other day to discuss our thoughts and expectations with regards to the Latino Democratic Caucus.
Since Friday, March 31st was Cesar Chavez Day, this is a good opportunity to share my latest video update with you.
Washington Hospitality Grants
In the 2022 supplemental budget, the Legislature invested in our state’s recovery, including strategic investments in small businesses struggling in the wake of the pandemic. One such investment is the Washington Hospitality Grant, which offers financial relief for the hospitality industry through one-time grants for eligible restaurants, hotels, motels, and other small hospitality industry businesses in WA.
Those grants are now open, so apply today! Head over to wahospitalitygrants.com to see if you are eligible!
Addressing Gun Violence
Time and time again, when Washingtonians are polled on their stance regarding guns, the vast majority wants us to do something about how easy it is to get firearms. I am proud that we were able to pass, out of the House, two common-sense measures to reduce gun violence and accidental gun deaths and injuries:
It is a tragedy whenever a child finds an unsecured gun and a death is the result. HB 1143, which is currently in Senate Rules, will require safety training before purchasing a firearm. Better information and training can help prevent those deaths. This legislation takes the same safety training course set up after voters passed a gun safety initiative a few years ago and makes that training universal.
Assault weapons are the No. 1 choice for mass shooters and firearms are now the No. 1 cause of death for children. Under HB 1240, the assault weapons listed in the law cannot be sold, distributed, traded, manufactured or imported in Washington state in the future. If you already own one or more of these weapons in your gun safe, you can keep them. Nobody is coming for the guns we already own. This bill was placed on the Senate floor calendar this past Thursday.
Thank you for reading my newsletter. If you need more information on any of the issues discussed here, or on any other legislative matter, please don’t hesitate to contact my office.
Sincerely,
|
