Dear Friends,

I am writing mostly to let you know that my district office has moved, but thought I’d also update you on some of the issues I’ve been working on most recently.

New District Office

My office is now located in the newly renovated Saranac Building, an expansion of the Community Building, where my office used to be. I am excited about this new location because the renovation was guided by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) “green building” standards.

Building green has environmental, economic and health benefits. Green buildings:

• Increase student test scores by 20 percent;
• Reduce worker absenteeism by 15 percent; and
• Cut energy and utility costs by 30 percent.

You might recall that in 2005, Washington became the first state in the nation to adopt a green buildings law, which requires that new government and school buildings be more water and energy efficient.

Our new address is 25 W. Main St., Suite 239. Please stop by to see our new space. If you’d like to talk to me about something specific, you can schedule an appointment with my assistant Neil Beaver, who can be reached at 456-2760.

Hot Topics

Some issues we are currently tracking in the office include:

• Investigating the cost increases of long-term care insurance, in an effort led by Sen. Chris Marr, who was elected last fall to represent our neighboring 6th Legislative District.
• Examining the recently announced federal cuts to the maxillofacial program and asking Department of Health Secretary Mary Selecky to try to find bridge funding until the Legislature meets in January to consider supplemental funding for this small but vital program.
• Considering the possible conversion of Empire Health Services from a nonprofit to a private, for-profit company.

Recent visitors to the office include members of the Bicycle Alliance and Washington Credit Union League, as well as Nick Beamer and Maria Hernandez-Peck, both of whom represent the Area Agency on Aging.

Education Finance Task Force

I traveled to Olympia earlier this month to attend the first meeting of the Joint Task Force on Basic Education Finance. Created this past session by SB 5627, the task force, of which I am a member, is charged with reviewing and making new proposals about our definition of basic education, as well as options for new funding structures.

We will report our findings to the governor and the Legislature by next September.

September Committee Days

I’ll be back in Olympia at the end of this week for a preview of issues likely to be before us when the Legislature convenes for the 2008 session in January. I will share with you what comes out of those meetings soon.

Sincerely,
Lisa

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