Dear friends and neighbors,
This interim, I got my first taste of what it means to be a “citizen legislator” as I worked hard to balance the demands on my legislative responsibilities with my non-legislative job. While this has led to fewer emails in your inbox, know that I’ve been busy out in community meeting constituents, touring organizations, and attending to legislative obligations. I want to thank my incredible LA, Julia Lain, who has helped lead our office in the interim when I so often needed to be in two places at once.
I wanted to take some time to check in and let you know what I’ve been doing this interim and provide some details about what my legislative agenda will look like in 2024!
Out in the district
We’re lucky to live in a district full of diverse neighborhoods that feature many attractions and economic drivers. This interim I took every opportunity to learn more about some of my favorites, including the Museum of Pop Culture, the construction site of the new Seattle Storm practice facility, Evergreen Goodwill, the Seattle Clubhouse in Queen Anne which provides community and healing for adults living with mental illness, and the Seattle Public Library Greenwood Branch.
While all of these stops were wonderful, I have to say I especially enjoyed visiting some of those directly funded by money I helped to secure in the state budget:
- Getting to make music with the participants in Path with Art, a unique nonprofit that helps those experiencing trauma heal through arts engagement
- Visiting the Woodland Park Zoo and seeing the NaturePlay program in action. NaturePlay provides toolkits and curriculum for early learning educators to introduce children to science, conservation, and the natural world. Thanks to state funding, this program will now be available statewide, including at early learning programs run by the Refugee Womens Alliance. The curriculum is available in several languages and their themes include food & nutrition, farming and local ecosystems to name a few.
Continuing the work from last session
During my first session I was extremely proud to pass several bills. HB 1247, my first to make it to the Governor’s desk, made music therapy a licensed profession, ensuring it is more accessible across the state. This issue was brought to my attention by constituents and my continued conversations with them made me realize more needs to be done to allow more providers to obtain their music therapy licensure. I submitted a letter requesting that the Governor subsidize licensing fees for the initial years to help music therapists with the high cost of early licensure.
Maritime Caucus
The Maritime Caucus does work essential to the health of Washington’s economy, and I am proud to serve as chair. This interim I have been keeping my colleagues engaged and making sure we’re not letting anything fall to the wayside. We toured a ferry and the new Colman Dock with the Washington State Ferries, the Maritime Campus at Northwest Career and Technical Center, learned about port operations from a container crane eye view with the NW Seaport Alliance, and toured the working waterfront in the ship canal with Western Towboat and CSR Marine. We learned more about the many aspects of Washington’s robust maritime industry and how we can support the industry to ensure a strong maritime industrial base, steward healthy air and waterways, and continue workforce development so more Washingtonians have access to good jobs with living wages.
One of the most important maritime achievements this interim was advocating to protect Maritime Industrial Land zoning in Seattle. Protecting industrial lands not only protects long-term good paying jobs and bolsters the entire region’s economy, but it also invests in the resiliency of our region. In the case of an earthquake – or more recently a runaway barge on the waterfront – our mariners will be critical to keeping our region working. To keep that knowledge in our city, we have to maintain industrial areas where mariners and maritime businesses can train and work. You can learn more about it in our op-ed.
What’s next
In addition to my many tours and site visits in the district, I was also lucky to attend two in person drop-in town halls in district. It’s always a pleasure to hear directly from you, and your input provides the backbone for my legislative agenda.
This session, getting Transit Oriented Development (HB 1517) and making personnel records available within 14 days of the initial request (HB 1320) across the finish line remain priorities. I have met with several stakeholders to make the adjustments necessary for making this reality. Both of these bills help to build a Washington that works for everyone by providing housing stability, increasing supply, and giving workers the transparency and respect they deserve.
A new bill in the works centers on lowering the barriers to enrollment in postsecondary education and training programs, and increasing access to college and career advising for Washington’s young people. By cultivating a skilled and knowledgeable workforce we can be sure Washington will continue to thrive.
I hope you enjoyed this update and please don’t hesitate to reach out! I look forward to continuing my service in Olympia in January.
In service,
