Two wins for Rockefeller: House passes Puget Sound Partnership, College Bound bills

OLYMPIA – The House of Representatives today passed two bills prime-sponsored by Sen. Phil Rockefeller, D-Kitsap County, to establish a new agency to protect the Sound and to provide hope to college bound students. Both bills are expected to be signed into law by the governor.

“Because I want to ensure that our future is secure, two of my top priorities this session were to protect the future of our most precious assets – our Sound and our children. I am thrilled to see the efforts of these two bills come to fruition.”

Senate Bill 5372 creates a new independent agency to be known as the Puget Sound Partnership to pull together current recovery efforts, develop an action agenda, and promote strong involvement of citizens around the Sound. Among the goals are cleaning up toxic sites, preventing future contamination, assuring water quality, repairing damaged habitat, and recovering depleted fisheries.

“Our Sound is one of our most precious resources. This bill allows our State to coordinate and scale up our efforts to achieve a healthy Sound by 2020,” said Rockefeller, the measure’s chief sponsor.

Rockefeller also sponsored Senate Bill 5098 reducing barriers to higher education for low-income students. Children of families with income at or below the standard for free and reduced-price lunch in seventh grade are eligible for the College Bound Scholarship to pay for tuition and fees not covered by other state aid, along with an annual book allowance up to $500.

“Creating the College Bound Scholarship is a worthwhile investment in our future. This legislation removes the financial barriers that stand in the way of many of our low-income families trying to provide their children with the opportunity to obtain post-secondary education and training,” Rockefeller said.

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