Dear neighbors,
It’s always refreshing to hear directly from you—your questions, your dreams, and the problems you see every day with your ideas to address those concerns.
Thank you to everyone who have participated in the four roundtable / townhall discussions I have hosted so far. Again, I appreciate your time and ideas, and there are two more on the calendar. A telephone discussion is scheduled for on April 3 and another roundtable on the Key Peninsula on April 12.
Legislative update
The House and Senate have proposed operating and transportation budgets. We’ll also release a state construction budget on Monday, March 31.
Our state always has a balanced budget. We face a budget gap and my concern is that factors out of our control will make it worse and those include—federal budget cuts, tariffs, and inflation. Closing the gap requires a balanced approach. I want to see a budget that is responsible, resilient, and prioritizes affordability while we “batten down the hatches” for stormy weather.
When we reach a compromise on all three budgets and pass them out of the House and Senate, I’ll report back on the final results when it comes to schools, health care, and local construction projects funded in the transportation and capital budgets.
Bills passing the House
I am happy to report that three bills I introduced have passed the House, including this transportation reform bill. You can see my floor speech below.
Fixing our ferries
We need strong action to improve ferry service.
I’m encouraged by three things: first, the recent passage of the Mosquito Fleet Act (House Bill 1923) by Rep. Greg Nance, which I proudly supported. This innovative bill would allow passenger only ferries operated by ports, tribes, transit agencies, and others.
Second, I worked to include language in the House transportation budget to help secure the move by Gov. Bob Ferguson to put two full-size ferries back on the water, while also maintaining support for Kitsap Transit’s fast ferries. Folks standing in line trying to get to their jobs, their college classes, or their doctor appointments need our ferry system to be reliable and consistent.
And third, the reforms and funding provided in the House transportation budget to get our ferries back on track, including investments in the workforce.
Here’s a quick video I made earlier in session about the need to fix our ferries.
More roundtable meetings coming your way
Again, I hope to see you at one of our next roundtables in the district. Details are below!
Keep in touch
Please contact my office if you have ideas, stories to share, or questions about legislation.
