My son Lucas served as a Senate page.

BUDGET
The Senate passed supplemental operating, capital and transportation budgets today that invest in opportunities for our families and the future of the state of Washington.

If you’re interested in what’s funded in the budget specifically for Spokane, please skip to the end of the newsletter.

Educating the work force of tomorrow

• We invest more than $95 million in K-12 and early learning opportunities, including:

• Helping students meet the high standards of the WASL ($28.5 million);
• Helping schools receive WASL results earlier in the year ($5.1 million);
• Catching up K-12 employees’ to the COLAs missed when I-732 was not funded in 2003 ($15 million);
• One-time assistance to school districts for increased fuel prices ($7.7 million);
• Restoring levy equalization funds a year ahead of schedule, ($4.8 million);
• Providing remediation for students falling behind in math ($3.4 million);
• Creating a cabinet-level Early Learning Department ($2.5 million); and
• Enhancements to the school breakfast program ($2 million).

• We invest more than $38 million in higher education opportunities, including:

• Adding 497 new enrollments ($7.5 million):
• Funding life sciences research at UW and WSU-Spokane, and providing start-up costs for the Life Sciences Discovery Fund ($4.3 million);
• Providing new work force education Opportunity Grants ($4.1 million); and
• Work force training ($3.2 million, plus a $1.5 million tax credit).

Ensuring a healthy population

• We invest more than $107 million in the health of our citizens, including:

• Shoring up our mental health treatment system ($46 million);
• Funding Medicare, Part D prescription drug co-pays ($18.2 million);
• Expanding the Basic Health Plan by 6,500 enrollments ($11.2 million);
• Adding nearly 10,000 enrollments to the Immigrants Children’s Health Program, bringing total enrollment to 14,000 by 2007 ($10.7 million);
• Increasing funding for nursing homes ($10.1 million);
• Preparing pandemic influenza response plans ($2.1 million, plus $7 million federal);
• Home care agency workers pay parity ($6.2 million); and
• Helping community health clinics serve more of the uninsured ($1.5 million).

Keeping our communities together

• We help our neighbors in need by:

• Supporting reforms to the WorkFirst program ($51.6 million);
• Expanding the Low-Income Heating and Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) for an 14,000 additional families ($7.6 million);
• Strengthening the Washington Housing Trust Fund for low-income housing ($14 million, plus an additional $7 million in capital budget).

Keeping our families safe

• It’s easy to commit to being tough on crime, but harder to pay for it. We do both, by providing funds for:
  • The 2006 comprehensive sex offenders legislative package ($1.6 million); and
  • The 2006 omnibus meth bill ($4.9 million).
• To ensure adequate and timely disaster relief, we fund emergency management and preparedness efforts ($2 million).

Protecting Washington’s natural resources

• We invest significantly in projects preserving our natural resources, including:
  • Toxic cleanup efforts around the state ($59 million in capital budget);
  • Columbia River Basin management plan and reservoir construction ($10 million in capital budget);
  • Hood Canal and Puget Sound cleanup efforts ($13 million in capital budget).
• We also eliminate the day-use fees at state parks ($3.1 million).

Keeping Spokane vital

• North Spokane Highway: $32 million.
• Washington State University:
  • $10 million to begin construction on a $63 million new bioscience lab complex in Pullman.
  • $800,000 for an agricultural weather network.
  • $1 million for WSU’s Institute for Systems Medicine, a Spokane biomedical research program.
• Eastern Washington University:
  • $400,000 to design the remodeling work on Patterson and Martin Williamson halls.
  • $100,000 for the Northeast Autism Center.
• Spokane County Conservation District: $2 million loan for a biodiesel seed crushing facility in the Spokane Valley.
• Spokane River cleanup:
  • $1.1 million toward cleanup of the Spokane River.
  • An additional $1.2 million to speed up the cleanup of toxic contamination in the area.
  • $750,000 for the Little Spokane River
• Figure Skating: $100,000 for Spokane’s 2007 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, plus a promise of an additional $500,000 in the next budget if the city wins its bid to host the 2009 World Championships.
• Baseball: $2 million for repairs to Avista Stadium.
• Second Harvest: $300,000 for food bank refrigeration at Second Harvest.
• Trade: $100,000 for Spokane’s International Trade Alliance.
• DSHS settlement: $520,000 to settle a Spokane County claim against the Department of Social and Health Services.
• Partners with Families and Children: $150,000.

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY
In honor of International Women’s Day on Wednesday, March 8, I distributed the lyrics to “Bread and Roses” – written in 1912 as an organizing song for mill workers – to my colleagues on the Senate floor.

WRAPPING UP
We adjourned Wednesday, March 8 – one day ahead of schedule.

I’m really looking forward to getting back to Spokane. When I get settled, I’ll be sure to send out a full report of what I believe was a truly remarkable session.

Sincerely,
Lisa

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