Dear Friends and Neighbors,

We are rapidly approaching Sine Die, the last day of the session, on April 27. That means we are spending most of our time debating bills and passing legislation.

In this update, I wanted to share the latest on where my bills are in the legislative process, some concerns I have with federal actions, and some new ways to engage with my office.

My bills on the way to the Governor’s desk

I am happy to share two of my bills this session are on their way to the Governor’s desk!

Elevating the voices of transit riders: HB 1418 would create a way for transit users to have more say in local decisions about public transit that I think will greatly benefit public transportation systems around the state. This bill passed out of the House and Senate with bipartisan support and is on its way to the Governor’s desk to be signed into law.

Supporting college students with basic needs: HB 1540 will add Northwest Indian College (NWIC) to the list of schools that can utilize the state’s Students Experiencing Homelessness and Foster Youth program. This bill will help NWIC students access resources to assist with basic needs such as housing and food insecurity, helping students stay in school, achieve their academic goals and join our workforce. This bill has also passed out of the House and Senate and is on its way to the Governor’s desk.

Companion bills in the Senate

I sponsored several bills this year that had companions in the Senate. While my version of the legislation in the House did not move forward, a similar version of each of these bills from the Senate side is! Here are a few that have made great progress in the legislative process:

Increasing access to higher education: SB 5543 expands eligibility for the College Bound Scholarship to students who have received a GED, helping even more students access financial support to attend college. This bill passed out both the Senate and House with significant bipartisan support.

Helping more families stay together: SB 5149  expands the Early Childhood Court (ECC) program. Currently, ECC only serves children under the age of 3, and this bill expands the program to serve children under the age of 6. Children from birth to age 5 make up almost 60 percent of all child welfare cases in Washington. Expanding this program will help more families get the services and support they need to stay together and maintain healthy environments for children. This has passed out of both the Senate and the House unanimously and is on its way to the Governor’s desk.

Eliminating medical debt reporting: SB 5480 prohibits hospitals and other medical professionals from reporting medical debt to credit reporting agencies and exempts medical debt from being included on people’s credit reports. Medical debt, which is often unexpected and can grow incredibly fast, can be a significant barrier to people’s financial stability and ability to obtain better rates for loan products, rental agreements, and other transactions impacted by a credit score. This bill will protect Washingtonians from the undue burden of significant medical debt. This also passed out of both the Senate and the House and its next stop is the Governor’s desk.

Addressing disparities in funding for Washington’s Colleges and Universities

Earlier this month I introduced HB 2070, a bill designed to support Western Washington University (WWU) and fix a historical disparity in funding Washington’s colleges. For much of the past three decades, WWU has received the least amount of funding from the state on a per student basis of all state colleges and universities despite being the third largest university in the state.

HB 2070 requests a recalculation of per student funding to ensure parity in our state’s higher education system beginning in the 2029-31 biennium. This would result in $21.4 million, in fiscal year ’23 dollars, in additional state funding for WWU, bringing Western up to par with the second-least funded institution, currently Central Washington University, which receives approximately $900 more per student than WWU. You can read more about this bill and how it would benefit WWU in the Cascadia Daily News.

I am working closely with legislative colleagues and partners at Western to address its current fiscal challenge, and I hope that this bill will provide funding stability for the institution in the long-term. WWU is a leader in our state for student outcomes such as graduation rates, and this funding is critical to ensure Western remains a leader in preparing our students, our region, and our state for the economy of the future. Go Vikings!

Impacts of federal actions and new ways to share your stories with me

 

Like many of you, I am deeply concerned about the impacts that actions from the federal government, including tariffs, are having on Whatcom County residents and businesses. That’s why I co-sponsored HR 4659, a resolution reaffirming the longstanding relationship between Washington and Canada. I am committed to supporting Whatcom County residents however I can in navigating the uncertain economic impacts of decisions by the federal government, and I’d like to hear from you about how these decisions are impacting you directly.

Use this form to share how are federal actions impacting you
For months, I’ve been hearing from constituents all over the district who are concerned about what’s happening at the federal level. While my colleagues and I are working hard to stay informed and assist our constituents, here’s one thing you can do to help us: Tell us your story.

When we know exactly how federal actions are impacting you, whether through budget cuts, layoffs, immigration actions, tariffs or something else, we have more data that can help us respond. Please take a moment to fill out the form here and share your story.

Thank you for your time and attention. Keep an eye out for my next legislative update.

Sincerely,

Rep. Joe Timmons