Dear neighbors,
This is a quick update on three issues here in the House of Representatives: my legislation to bring the Imagination Library to our state, the Day of Remembrance, and the proposed transportation package to make our state’s transportation system more modern, sustainable, and accessible.
I hope you find this information useful and I look forward to hearing from you!
Imagination Library
On Dolly Parton’s 76th birthday, I introduced a bill to bring her Imagination Library to Washington state!
One of the best indicators of a child’s education, health, and happiness later in life is whether they have books around them in our earliest years. Dolly is a national treasure, and we’re honored to have her Imagination Library bring books directly to the hands and homes of our tiniest readers.
Day of Remembrance
Day of Remembrance marks the anniversary of Executive Order 9066, which resulted in thousands of Japanese Americans along the west coast being incarcerated in concentration camps.
Yesterday, the House passed House Resolution 4645 so that we never forget this tragic injustice and never let it happen again.
This was my speech on the House floor.
Transforming our state’s transportation system
The House and Senate have come together on a $16 billion transportation package, Move Ahead Washington, that delivers historic investments to preserve our roads, reduce carbon emissions, and provide safe, accessible, and affordable options to get around.
House Democrats hosted more than 90 listening sessions to hear the top transportation priorities from communities across the state. This proposal addresses the concerns we heard and reflects our focus on meeting the needs of every community in Washington.
This proposal does NOT include a gas tax. Instead, we are meeting our state’s needs with a one-time transfer from the state’s general fund, federal dollars from the Infrastructure and Jobs Act, and investments from the Climate Commitment Act.
Major investments and improvements include:
- $3 billion to fix our existing infrastructure. By honoring our responsibility to complete projects we’ve started, we’re also creating good, family-wage construction jobs to make repairs across the state.
- $5.4 billion toward electrification and the expansion of affordable, accessible options to get from point A to point B. Our community deserves diverse choices so we can use what works for us—whether walking, rolling, driving, or riding—while reducing our carbon footprint.
- Fund to expand reliable transit service, create bike and pedestrian routes, and increase opportunities for good jobs in the transportation sector.
- Our package also directs 35 percent of funds from the Climate Commitment Act into projects serving disinvested neighborhoods and communities often left out of the policymaking process.
Hearing from you
Thank you for reading this.
Please get in touch with my office if you have a question, comment, or idea.
