Commencement Address<\/b><\/p>\n
Last month, I had the honor of delivering the commencement address for the Spokane Falls Community College graduation ceremony. In my speech I focused on the benefit to being open-minded and quoted Dr. Seuss\u2019 \u201cGreen Eggs and Ham,\u201d one of my favorite stories to read with my daughter when she was little. The message of the story – to be open to new experiences – seems not only important when considering if you will eat eggs of an unusual color but also how you live your life. I know that my life would be very different if I had not been open to the unexpected paths that presented themselves in my baseball and political careers as well as many other experiences. Similarly, I urged the SFCC class of 2014 to guard against closing a door before ever looking to see what’s behind it, especially as they begin a new chapter in their lives. They may just decide they like the green eggs if they just give them a try! I am proud of the accomplishments of the many students I met, and I’m excited about the opportunity that lies ahead for them. Congratulations to the class of 2014!<\/p>\n
In The Communit<\/b>y<\/b><\/p>\n
<\/b>One of my priorities during the interim between legislative sessions is to spend time diving deeper into the challenges and successes in our community.\u00a0 I work toward this goal by meeting with constituents, touring businesses, and experiencing state programs first hand. Here are some of my recent experiences:<\/em><\/p>\n Berg Industries – <\/b>One of the oldest companies in Spokane, I enjoyed a recent tour of this Spokane business that was founded in 1883 and employs 160 people. Berg makes tents and other portable living facilities for the U.S. Government and other entities. <\/b><\/p>\n Spokane Transit\/Central City Line<\/b> – I had a productive meeting with two of the leaders from Spokane Transit to get an update on the Central City Line, Spokane’s planned electric trolley bus service. I strongly support this important transportation infrastructure project and I was pleased to see the STA board last week approved the next step toward the creation of the Central City Line. <\/b><\/p>\n Nurse-Family Partnership Home Visit<\/b> – Nurse-Family Partnership is a successful evidence-based program that helps vulnerable first-time parents achieve healthier outcomes by connecting them with nurses that provide in-home services before and after the birth of their child.\u00a0 After receiving an overview of Nurse-Family Partnership services in our district, I had the opportunity to shadow a nurse during a home visit. It was powerful to see this program in action and get a glimpse of the struggles facing vulnerable new mothers as well as the successful outreach being offered to these families.<\/p>\n Keeping In Touch <\/b><\/p>\n If you have a comment, idea, question or an invitation for me to attend an event or tour a business\/organization in Spokane, please let me know. I would love to hear from you! You can reach me by e-mail (andy.billig@leg.wa.gov<\/a>) or by phone at 509-209-2427. And if you know someone who would like to get their own copy of my weekly e-newsletter, tell them they can go to my website at http:\/\/www.senatedemocrats.wa.gov\/senators\/billig\/<\/a> and click on the link to \u201cSign up for my e-newsletter.\u201d<\/p>\n Onward!<\/p>\n Andy<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Commencement Address Last month, I had the honor of delivering the commencement address for the Spokane Falls Community College graduation ceremony. In my speech I focused on the benefit to being open-minded and quoted Dr. Seuss\u2019 \u201cGreen Eggs and Ham,\u201d one of my favorite stories to read with my daughter when she was little. The message of the story – to be open to new experiences – seems not only important when considering if you will eat eggs of an unusual color but also how you live your life. I know that my life would be very different if I…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":2090,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"disable_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-596","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-e-news"],"yoast_head":"\n