Today marks the beginning of the 2017 legislative session and I am excited to get back to work.
Throughout session, I will be sending newsletters like this one to keep you up to date on the issues we are tackling that directly affect you and Spokane. If you know someone who would like to receive their own copy of my weekly e-newsletter, please forward them this email and tell them to click here to sign up.
Working for you
Today I was sworn in to begin my second term in the Senate serving the people of Spokane and in mid-December I was re-elected by my colleagues to serve as the deputy minority leader. I enjoy this role because it allows me to help guide the Senate while keeping the priorities of the people of Spokane at the forefront of our discussion.
I am also eager to continue to serve on the Early Learning & K-12 Education committee, the Rules committee and the Ways & Means committee – the committee responsible for writing the budget.
Funding our schools
During the interim, I served on the Education Funding Task Force which was tasked with producing a recommendation to the Legislature on how the state can fully fund our schools as ordered by the state Supreme Court.
My Democratic colleagues on the panel and I put forward a proposal that recommends we build new schools across the state, place high-quality educators in all classrooms and give 1.1 million Washington school kids the opportunity to learn and to achieve their fullest potential. Click here to see our proposal. Frustratingly, our Republican colleagues failed to submit a proposal. Still, I remain optimistic that we will find a responsible bipartisan solution that meets our Constitutional obligation to fully fund basic education and focuses on student success.
Meet the crew
Leading our team again this year is Kate Burke, my legislative assistant. Kate is the key to our success in representing the people of Spokane and we are lucky to have her.
Born and raised in Spokane, Kate is a familiar face in our community. She has served on the board of directors of Project Hope Spokane for four years and is the founder of the non-profit Spokane Edible Tree Project. Kate has also just been voted to serve on the board of YWCA of Spokane.
Our session aide for this year is Reed Simock. This is Reed’s second year with our team, having joined the office last year as an intern. Reed studies political science and history at Washington State University and has attended more than his fair share of Cougar football games. His mom Debbie is a proud subscriber of this newsletter.
Lastly, our intern this year is Cassandra Barrett, a senior at Eastern Washington University. Cassandra was born and raised in Spokane. She is looking forward to serving our constituents and learning how she can help make Spokane an even better place to live.
Keeping in touch
Please keep in touch throughout the legislative session. I value your input as we work to improve opportunity and prosperity in our state. Do not hesitate to contact me if you have a comment, idea or questions.
You can reach me by email andy.billig@leg.wa.gov or by phone at 360-786-7604.
Onward!
Andy
