The legislative session begins

The 2014 Legislative Session is underway, and it is great to be back in Olympia. There have been some changes in my position here since last session. I have been appointed Vice Chair of the House Health Care & Wellness Committee, and I was just elected by my peers to serve in the leadership role of Deputy Whip. It is hard to be away from home, but I am continuously inspired by the energy and dedication of the people that come from all across Washington to take part in the Democratic process.

Before returning to Olympia, I met with dozens of community advocates, including students, teachers, human service providers and business leaders. Click here to watch a video of some of the folks I met with sharing the exciting work that is going on in the 3rd Legislative District.

Now that I am back at the Capitol, I will continue to champion our shared values of healthy families, strong communities, and opportunity for all in Washington state.

Public Investments? There’s a map for that!

I believe that transparency lies at the heart of good government. Last year, I sponsored House Bill 1733 to increase transparency for investments in public transportation and infrastructure. The bill was intended to increase public access to state budget data online by requiring a one-stop location for the information and simple, user-friendly navigation. The core of the legislation was passed into law as House Bill 2058.

Going into my second year in office, it is exciting to see that legislation having a real-life impact on access to public information. The Legislative Evaluation and Accountability Program (LEAP) committee launched the map last week. You can check out the map here or by clicking on the image above to see what transportation and infrastructural investments are at work in our community. (If you’re having trouble viewing the map, make sure your browser is set to compatibility view.) If you get a chance to try it out, I would love to hear what you think.

Telephone town hall

What issues are important to you? I believe good governance begins at home, and I want to know what you think. There are several ways to pass along your message, even if you can’t come all the way to Olympia. You can call my office at (360) 786-7888, shoot me an email at Marcus.Riccelli@leg.wa.gov or send me a letter at PO Box 40600, Olympia, WA 98504.

Also, be sure to tune in to our upcoming telephone town hall with your 3rd District Legislators. Under the telephone town hall format, thousands of constituents will receive automatically generated telephone calls to their homes in the 3rd Legislative District just before 6:15 p.m. Wednesday, January 22nd. I know it can be hard to make it over to Olympia to advocate. The telephone town hall is an opportunity to listen in and ask questions about how your legislators are representing our community.

Next update, we’ll talk about some of the priorities for the session and my priority bills. I look forward to hearing from you as we work toward healthy families and thriving communities in Washington state. It is an honor to serve you.