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Feb. 23, 2007
Electronic Newsletter
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
The 2007 session is nearing the halfway
mark.
Our resolve as session began was to
solve problems, create great public policy, and to address
issues in education, transportation and health care. We are
well on our way to accomplishing these goals, passing a
meaningful budget and ending session on schedule. We are
well on our way to meeting these goals.
Personally, I’m pleased with the agenda
the
Legislature has advanced so far, and I am excited about
the issues I have taken as my own. I have had success
working bills dealing with a variety of topics. I am proud
to report progress on issues that you, the people of the 44th
District, have told me matter most to you.
Earlier today my
SB 5827, a bill that will severely limit the use of
credit checks in the pre-employment process, was passed out
of committee and is one step closer to becoming law. With
very few exceptions, I feel that credit checks should not be
used to judge the quality of applicants. Practices like
these throw obstacles in the path of those who need jobs the
most – the working class. We need to do all we can to
support folks who are working to pull themselves up by their
bootstraps – and that’s what I believe this legislation
accomplishes.
I’m also excited about the progress
we’ve made towards bringing a stand-alone independent
four-year university to Snohomish County. There is a growing
gap between the demand for high-tech jobs and the math and
science related degrees produced by state universities. This
discrepancy is causing some of Washington’s top companies to
look outside the state for staffing.
The problem is not the willingness of
our students – the problem is opportunity. Many qualified
students are turned down for in-state higher education
programs because there simply isn’t room. This is why I
support
SB 5322, a bill that identifies sites and programs for a
new institution of higher education in the Snohomish County
region. I am joined in support of the bill by prime sponsor
Sen. Jean Berkey, Senators Shin and Haugen and
Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon.
I’ve been working with the cities,
chambers of commerce and school districts in the 44th
Legislative District and am happy to report near unanimous
support of our efforts to bring a world-class polytechnic
university to the region.
I am also proud to be the prime sponsor
of
SB 6111, legislation encouraging the development of
clean and renewable energy. One exciting front in this
effort is the field of tidal and wave energy. The Puget
Sound offers the potential to provide an inexhaustible
supply of clean and efficient energy. The voters spoke in
November by supporting I-937, the clean air initiative, and
it is time to examine ways that we can end our dependence on
foreign oil while working to address the concerns of global
warming.
For those of you who follow the
progress of the Legislature through regional media, it may
seem like discussion is dominated by sports facilities and
the viaduct – and while these important issues are on the
agenda – in actuality they are further down the list of
priorities behind healthcare, education and regional
transportation issues.
So far, action has been limited on the
floor – only a handful of bills have passed. We’ve passed
legislation banning protests at the funerals of our fallen
soldiers, we’ve worked towards offering
health care to every child in Washington and we are
working to establish a fiscally responsible
“Rainy Day” savings fund.
Here’s a brief list of other issues I’m
working on:
Commuter Rail in Snohomish County
Development of Skill Center programs
Tuition waivers for teachers
Preventing discrimination against veterans
All-day Kindergarten
Teacher Salary Equalization
As many of you are aware, you can check
in on my daily progress at my legislative blog, located at
www.sdc.wa.gov/hobbsblog.htm. Please feel free to call
me at 360-786-7686 or
email me directly.
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