Dear Friends and Neighbors,
It’s week ten of the legislative session—and we’re over halfway through! We’ve been very busy on the House floor the last few weeks, running bills late into the night to push our priorities forward. I’m honored to share that we passed 328 bills, 60% of which were passed unanimously, and 78% of which were passed with 80 votes or more. We’re working hard to better support housing opportunity, workforce development, behavioral health support, education, and climate resiliency in Washington.
The most important part about my job as a legislator is keeping you informed, with transparency, about what we’re working on—and listening to feedback directly from you. Read on for an invite to our upcoming 47th Legislative District Telephone Town Hall!
Community safety and police pursuits
We’ve heard feedback from so many of you that public safety is one of your greatest priorities right now. We’re facing the reality that many communities throughout Washington are lacking the supports to meet their basic needs and thrive. Communities need more housing, more behavioral health support, more substance use disorder treatment, and more financial assistance. Crime is up nationwide, and Washingtonians – especially those in the 47th District – have expressed interest in stronger community safety initiatives. I care deeply about public safety and will fight for safer communities in our district.
I’ve been listening to your feedback, and while I have not had the opportunity to vote on the house floor, I signed on to a bipartisan letter advocating in support of pursuits legislation, HB 1363, this session. As always, I will continue to ensure that legislation prioritizes people’s safety, makes data-informed decisions, and centers safety and human life as the fundamental duty of law enforcement to preserve and protect.
Prioritizing local projects in the budget
Each legislative session, we have the opportunity to submit requests in the state budget for local community projects in-district. This is an opportunity to fund transportation initiatives, local arts and culture, small business endeavors, parks and outdoor spaces, and other projects that will have a lasting positive impact on the health and wellbeing of our community.
I’ve been meeting with folks from around the district, and here are some of the budget projects that I’m strongly advocating for:
- Funding to support critical tribal consultation work at the Burke Museum.
- Replacement of a 1975 patrol helicopter that serves police and other governmental purposes for Helicopter King County
- Funds for nonviolence and ethical leadership training and professional development program provided by the Institute for Community Leadership
- A feasibility study and design of the Covington pedestrian Bridge to promote non-motorized mobility, increased synergy on businesses on either side of the bridge, and improve safety for all road users
- Covington Improve St. Rt.
- Funding to support multimodal connections to housing and jobs, providing more reliable bus service to areas of need in South King County through Kent Rapid Ride 1
- Lea Hill City of Auburn
- Funding for phase 1 of the East Hill North Community Park in the most underserved area of Kent to build out a children’s play area, loop trail, restroom, shelter, public art, parking, and open playfield
- A project in the heart of Covington to provide the critical connection between a trailhead at Jenkins Creek Park and SoCo Park.
- Funding for the Seattle Indian Health Board’s Thunderbird Treatment Center to provide modern integrated patient-centered healthcare services to support the continuum of behavioral healthcare across Washington. This funding will help ensure that individuals have access to wraparound services and social services including gender and violence case management and homelessness prevention and response services
- Funding for the Auburn Ave. Theater to rebuild structural fire damage
Visits to Olympia
I had a wonderful visit with the American Federation of Teachers!
Town Hall Invite!
If you haven’t already, reminder to mark your calendar and register for our Telephone Town Hall on Wednesday, March 22nd, at 6PM.
If you’d like to get in touch but can’t participate in the Town Hall, please feel free to email me at Chris.Stearns@leg.wa.gov or email my legislative assistant at Darci.Suttle@leg.wa.gov to find a time to stop by my office in Olympia.
I hope to hear from you soon!
Sincerely,
Rep. Chris Stearns
State Representative Chris Stearns
47th Legislative District