2007 session comes to an end

To say Democrats had a successful legislative session this year would be an understatement. And our state will be better for our efforts.

We passed a budget that builds security for Washington’s future today. With the state at its peak, we had an opportunity to make significant investments in education and health care, and set aside money for the future.

We passed several forward-thinking policies, not the least of which include:

Rainy Day Fund. I am pleased that both chambers passed my bill (Senate Joint Resolution 8206) to let voters decided if the state should have a constitutionally mandated Rainy Day Fund. If approved, each fiscal year, 1 percent of general state revenues – or about $130 million – would be deposited into the account. That money could be tapped by a majority vote of the Legislature if:

• Forecasted state employment growth for any fiscal year is less than 1 percent; or
• The governor declares an emergency resulting from a catastrophic natural disaster that requires immediate government action to protect life or public safety.

Simple majority. After nearly 15 years of working to eliminate the current supermajority requirement to pass school levies, we finally succeeded! House Joint Resolution 4204 now heads directly to the November ballot.

Climate change. Consistent with our efforts in previous sessions to be a national leader in tackling climate change, we passed Senate Bill 6001, which, if signed by the governor, will roll back Washington’s emissions to 1990 levels by 2020.

Family leave. After years of trying, we finally passed a bill that will grant up to five weeks of family leave to those seeking to care for newborn and adopted children. While it’s not the version I would have preferred (which included leave to take care of foster children and ill family members), Senate Bill 5659 is another endeavor that puts Washington at the forefront on the national level.

Offender re-entry. To curb recidivism and increase public safety, we passed a comprehensive offender re-entry bill, which, among other things, would:

• Fund increased incarceration costs, community transition coordination networks, individual re-entry plans and expanded evidence-based treatment services ($25 million);
• Fund juvenile evidence-based treatment services ($14 million);
• Require the Department of Corrections (DOC) to provide educational programs and vocational training during incarceration;
• Create pilot programs for offender housing;
• Create a community transition coordination network pilot program to assist counties in community re-entry efforts and encourage collaboration between local government and DOC efforts to supervise offenders; and
• Require an offender under community supervision who gets arrested to be confined until there is a DOC hearing or formal charge by the prosecutor. An offender must, with certain exceptions, return to total confinement in a state correctional facility and serve up to the remaining portion of the sentence if he or she is found to have committed a violation of supervision.

Spokane fares well in final budgets

Our compromise 2007-09 operating and capital budgets include a significant amount of funding for the Spokane area, including:

Operating

• WWAMI/RIDE: $11.2 million to establish extensions of the University of Washington schools of medicine and dentistry in Spokane. The medical school extension will educate 20 first-year medical students each year in cooperation with Washington State University and will result in an 80-student expansion of the medical school in the next four years. The dental school expansion will educate eight first-year dental students each year in cooperation with Eastern Washington University and will result in a 24-student expansion during the next four years.
• WSU applied science laboratory: $3 million to promote the development of the Spokane-based lab into a strong, self-sustaining research organization.
• Spokane Intercollegiate Research and Technology Institute: $3.3 million.
• Community colleges job skills programs: $5.45 million.
• Child advocacy centers: $1 million, some of which will go to Spokane’s Partners with Families and Children.

Capital

• Eastern Washington State Veterans Cemetery: $7.8 million for the construction of this much-needed cemetery.
• Spokane East Central Community Center: $150,000 for a new garage for the center’s vans.
• Spokane Emmanuel Center: $500,000 for this center, which will provide day care, classes, computers and a food bank in southeast Spokane.
• Spokane Northeast Community Center: $1 million for design work to expand medical, youth and child care services.
• Fox Theater: $2 million for continued renovations to this historic art deco landmark.
• Fish Lake Trail: $1 million for this scenic biking and hiking trail near downtown Spokane.
• Spokane Valley Community Center and Food Bank: $260,000.
• Spokane YWCA/YMCA Joint Project: $2.5 million for this new downtown facility.
• YMCA of the Inland Northwest: $800,000 for this planned facility.
• Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture: $1 million for work, including a security system update.
• N.A.T.I.V.E. Project, community wellness center: $375,000 to renovate and expand this west-central area facility, which provides alcohol and drug treatment and counseling for adolescents.
• The Salvation Army: $275,000 for a Family Services Resource Center.
• Spokane Whitewater Park: $530,000 for water access.
• Eastern Washington State Historical Society: $1.26 million for various improvements and maintenance projects.
• Spokane Community College: $6.21 million for various maintenance projects.

Contact me at my district office

After 105 exhausting – but truly rewarding – days of session, I am back in the district, and look forward to getting your feedback on our performance.

You can contact me at:
35 West Main, Suite 375
Spokane, WA 99201
Phone: (509) 456-2760
Fax: (509) 835-3867

And you can also reach me via e-mail: brown.lisa@leg.wa.gov.

Sincerely,
Lisa

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