E-news – Session 2020: By the numbers

As of yesterday, we’ve crossed the finish line of our 60-day legislative session – and there is *so* much to be proud of!

All my colleagues at the Legislature worked together to respond to the needs of Washingtonians. We did that by expanding access to quality health care, opening doors to affordable housing, answering the needs of our kiddos and teachers in K-12 schools, eliminating barriers to higher education, taking care of our small and local business owners, and banding together to support cities statewide as we all combat COVID-19 and take care of one another. Our collaborative, community-oriented work and the investments we made are especially important as we adapt to changing public health guidance that affects Washington families, like we’ve seen with today’s statewide school closures. 

I’m excited to give you a full session report card soon but, for now, here’s a quick look at our amazing 2020 session – by the numbers! 

2020 Session Stats

12 of my bills (plus the House “companion” version of my bills) passed

377 total bills passed the Legislature

$1,318,000 total dollars invested in our district

2,500+ emails we’ve responded to (and we’re still going!)

320+ phone calls with community members

12,230+ views on my most widely-shared Facebook post

210 town hall attendees (including our Facebook Live viewers!)

425 constituents who visited with me this session

10 job shadows and Pages I had the opportunity to host

These investments in and around our community will go such a long way for our neighbors – bringing people together, supporting programming for our kiddos, and establishing spaces for people to play and be active. 

Good news: Transportation Projects 

Because of the huge funding hole created in our state’s transportation budget by the passage of I-976, the governor had to pause critical projects all over the state until we figured out ways to fund them. We also started this session worried about potential cuts to key services like State Patrol, Washington State Ferries, and special needs transportation. Luckily both Democrats and Republicans on the Senate Transportation Committee were committed to doing the least damage to our communities as possible. We worked together to comb though the budget and find efficiencies, ensuring that our transit-dependent and rural Washingtonians would not be disproportionately disadvantaged by this abrupt lack of funding. The budget we passed should allow projects that were paused by the governor after the passage of I-976 to be un-paused. Last stop: the governor’s desk. 

Overview: Statewide operating budget investments 

I’m thrilled to say that we worked hard to pass a supplemental operating budget that keeps our four-year budget balanced. It leaves $3 billion in total reserves at the end of the biennium (which is so important in the face of unexpected crises or disasters, like the one we’re all braving right now – we know that we are well-prepared to face challenges head on!). The budget makes big investments in support of working families, and addresses so many of our most urgent needs across the state: public health, housing accessibility, childcare, climate resilience. It does all this while being fiscally responsible and putting both current needs and future needs at the center.  

Looking ahead to interim: coffee hours and community calls 

As much I love being in Olympia and working alongside my colleagues in service of our state, I really love being home with my neighbors – connecting over coffee, buying flowers and veggies at the farmer’s market, strolling the beach in Southworth, shopping in the Harbor, and attending great events on the Key like the Logging Show and Farm Tour. That said, I want to take every possible measure to follow the suggestions of health care professionals encouraging folks to stay home and stay healthy. This means I’m exploring options to continue my weekly coffee hours virtually. Look out for information to come on how we’ll be staying connected while practicing healthy social distancing precautions!