Sine Die, Budget Investments in Spokane, and Virtual Town Hall

March 18, 2022

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

The 2022 legislative session is adjourned. I was thrilled to get to finally make it over to Olympia for the last week of the session. This year we passed historic supplemental operating, capital, and transportation budgets as well as a new 16 year, $17 billion transportation package, Move Ahead Washington, that will keep our state moving for years to come. Read on to learn more about how these budgets will impact Spokane.

Budget Investments in Spokane

Operating Investments

Operating Investments in Spokane include:

  • Funding to establish a Bachelor of Nursing program at EWU with 60 new slots located in the University District.
  • $850,000 for Volunteers of America (VOA) for Hope House and Crosswalk.
  • Additional operating funding for the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture, as well as capital funds to help update their buildings
  • $1.5 million for Daybreak Youth Services to open the state’s first receiver agency for sexually exploited youth.
  • $3 million to support the Spokane and Colville Tribes to introduce salmon back into the Upper Columbia River ($300+k in Capital Budget)
  • UW/WSU Behavioral Health Pharmacy Residency slots.

Capital Investments

Crane

The new $1.5 billion state construction budget makes significant investments in housing, economic development, early learning, and broadband internet.

This budget was made possible by $650 million in one-time funding from the state operating budget, $305 million in bond revenue and $329 million from the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act funds.

Capital Investments in Spokane include:

  • $700,000 to create the Northeast Spokane Behavioral Health Center in the former Hillyard Library.
  • $1 million for an early learning facility and health clinic at Logan Elementary.
  • $3 million to construct affordable housing at the Highland Village in Airway Heights.
  • $1.5 million for Rapid Capital Housing at St Agnes Haven.
  • Funding for VOA and Transitions to repair affordable housing units.

Read more about capital investments in Spokane in the Spokesman here.

Transportation Investments

Photo: Spokane Transit Authority

This year, in addition to investments made in our supplemental transportation budget, the Legislature passed a 16 year, $17 billion transportation package, Move Ahead Washington. As one of the lead negotiators for this package, I attended over 90 listening sessions around the state to help us prioritize how we spend our transportation dollars. One of the things we heard repeatedly was that people wanted us to finish what we started and to preserve our existing critical infrastructure like roads and bridges.

This package invests a record $3 billion into preservation and maintenance. It also provides significant funding for the future of Washington’s transportation sector – including funds to allow those 18 and under to ride free on all public transportation services, reducing carbon emissions, and a fulfillment of the state obligation to replace existing fish passages. And it does all of this without raising the gas tax!

Investments in Spokane include:

  • Speeds up the completion of the North Spokane Corridor by 18 months by removing cash flow restrictions.
  • $50 million for the Spokane Transit Authority’s Division Street Bus Rapid Transit line.
  • Funding for the design of the Liberty Park Land Bridge to reconnect the historically Black East Central neighborhood back to the East Sprague Business District.
  • $1.5 million for the Spokane International Airport Transload Facility.
  • $300,000 for preliminary engineering of US 195/Inland Empire Way.
  • Bicycle and pedestrian funding for the Millwood Trail and the Pacific Avenue and Cook Street greenways.

Read more about transportation investments in Spokane in the Spokesman here.

Save the Date: Virtual Town Hall

Join us on Thursday, March 24th for a Virtual Town Hall. I will be joining Sen. Andy Billig and Rep. Timm Ormsby for a 3rd District Virtual Town Hall. The town hall will be streamed live on my legislative Facebook page at 6:00 PM.

What: 3rd Legislative District Virtual Town Hall

When: Thursday, March 24th at 6:00 PM

Where: Streaming live on my legislative Facebook page, as well as the Senate Democrats’ Facebook, Youtube, and Twitter pages.

You can submit questions in advance here or enter them in the comment section live during the town hall.

As always, it’s an honor to serve our community.

Best Regards,

Representative Marcus Riccelli