Keeping our promise to 1.1 million school kids

When House Democrats released their budget proposal this week, we called it a “families first” budget. We call it this because not only does it fulfill our moral and constitutional duty to fully fund our K-12 public schools, it invests in the programs and services that address homelessness in our communities, help struggling families stay on their feet, and provide quality care for seniors and people with developmental disabilities.

Our budget makes $7.1 billion in additional K-12 investments over the next four years, paying for things like fair compensation for teachers, more guidance counselors to help students succeed in and out of the classroom, proven programs to close the opportunity gap, and parent engagement coordinators to keep families involved in students’ success.

We’ve also introduced a bold, progressive revenue package to make these necessary investments in education without cutting the programs and services Washingtonians expect. Our plan cuts taxes for families and small businesses while making Washington’s tax system more fair.

More funding for medical and dental education

There’s a lot to like in the House budget proposal, but as someone who represents Spokane I’m particularly excited about the additional investments in medical and dental education. These would directly benefit our community and ensure more people get the care and treatment they need to be healthy. Some highlights include:

• Funding for a second year of dental curriculum through the Regional Initiatives in Dental Education, or RIDE, program. This partnership between the University of Washington and Eastern Washington University helps train dental providers in Spokane, where they are needed.
• Funding to support the inaugural class of 60 students at the Washington State University Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine, who will begin their medical studies this fall. There’s also funding for another 60 students to begin in the fall of 2018.
• Funding for 20 additional students in their third and fourth years at the University of Washington’s Washington, Wyoming, Alaska,  Montana, and Idaho medical education program in Spokane, in partnership with Gonzaga University.
• In the House Capital budget, which will be released next week, I am pushing for investments in a dental residency program in Spokane that would increase access to dental care by providing treatment to 12,000 patients per year. A majority of these would be Medicaid-eligible patients.

Transportation budget also unveiled

The House also released its Transportation budget this week, which contains $125 million for Spokane projects. It continues funding for the Spokane Central City Line to connect the U-District to Browne’s Addition, the U-District Pedestrian Bridge project, and further progress of the North Spokane Corridor.

There’s also new funding in the budget for:

• The Monroe-Regal High Performance Transit Corridor

• The Spokane Falls Community College Transit Station

Additionally, I passed an amendment in committee that would provide $300,000 for the Riverfront Park – Triangle Truss Bridge project.

The Triangle Truss Bridge in Riverfront Park is a 172- foot long pedestrian bridge that was built in 1974 for the Expo. It spans the north channel of the Spokane River, and is essential to tourism, providing pedestrian and bicycle access to the 3 million annual park visitors. My amendment goes towards replacing the deck of the bridge.

As we head into negotiations with the Senate, I am confident we will come away with a final Transportation budget that keeps Spokane moving forward.

If you have any questions or concerns about the topics covered in this newsletter, or any other legislative issue, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

GO ZAGS!

Representative Marcus Riccelli
3rd Legislative District – Spokane