The Session in Review

As the iconic cherry blossoms give way to green, the legislative session has come to a close. Sunday, April 28, marked the final day of the 105-day session. Part of our job was to finalize a budget for the next biennium. But unfortunately, the distance between the priorities set forth in the House and Senate proposals was still too great to reach an agreement. Legislators are heading home for two weeks, but Governor Inslee has called us back to Olympia on May 13 to align our budget priorities.

The House budget fully funds education and protects our most vulnerable by closing corporate tax loopholes. I support this budget, because I believe everyone should pay their fair share for the core services that keep our community strong.

Legislative Achievements

I have learned a lot in my first session as a representative, both from my colleagues in Olympia and from my constituents back home. I took the lead on a number of bills that would lead to positive changes for our community and across the state, and several of these bills have been delivered to the Governor to be signed into law:

House Bill 1645 adds an extra member to the Higher Education Facilities Authority, increasing the number of board members from six to seven. The Facilities Authority helps Washington’s private colleges and universities to build, improve, and outfit their classrooms and other facilities. Shifting from an even number to an odd number helps reduce gridlock and makes the entity function better.

House Bill 1534 provides additional money for the impaired dentist program, which helps dentists with substance abuse problems receive counseling and treatment. The funding is provided by a surcharge paid by licensed dentists, and is supported by the dental industry in order to ensure those that need help have resources available to them.

House Bill 1471 updates hospital reporting requirements for health care-associated infections to align them with new federal standards. This bill will improve public health and patient safety.

I have always believed that good policy does not come from democrats or republicans; it comes from legislators that are willing to put policy above politics. This session, I sponsored some bills that were held up in the legislative process, but I worked with my colleagues across the aisle to ensure that the spirit of the bills could become policy.

House Bill 1733 would increase transparency in capital and transportation investments by requiring a one-stop location for the information online in a simple, user-friendly format. This bill never came up for a vote in the Senate, but I worked with a committed co-sponsor of this bill to give the bill a second-chance. House Bill 2058 is the same bill under a different name and sponsor. I believe government needs to do a better job showing people where their tax dollars are going, and this policy will achieve that.

House Bill 1331 would allowed for the creation of student advisory committees at public 4-year universities, to give students oversight over tuition and fee-setting decisions. The bill never came up for a vote in the Senate Committee on Higher Ed, but my seatmate Senator Billig raised it as an amendment to legislation sponsored by one of the bill’s chief supporters across the aisle. House Bill 1736, which has been delivered to the Governor, now incorporates my legislation and will accomplish the exact same policy.

Neither of these bills would be signed into law without true bipartisan collaboration throughout the session. I am pleased to see these two concepts become policy in Washington.

Thank You

Bipartisan collaboration is an important part of the legislative process, but it takes more than committed legislators to make good public policy. As the session comes to a close, I want to take a moment to thank the many people that are integral to making the process work. A central part of my work in Olympia is my legislative team: Michaela Williams, Quinn Majeski, and Krystal Wells. And we couldn’t get the job done without the many staff involved in all other aspects of this work, working behind the scenes to handle security, facilities, computer assistance, policy research, legal counsel, and so much more.

Of course, the most important part of a representative democracy is not the people in the Capitol, but the people back home. My team would like to join me in thanking the many people in our community that took time out of their days to write, call, or visit Olympia to let us know how public policy affects you.

Thank you for making your voices heard. As we head into special session to finalize the budget, I will be depending on your advocacy to ensure that our work truly reflects the values of our community.

Best Regards,

Representative Marcus Riccelli
3rd Legislative District – Spokane