Dear friends and neighbors,

One of my top priorities in the Legislature each year is working to secure funding for vital community programs and resources that improve lives in Spokane. Over the last several years, I have worked hard to fund Maddie’s Place, a Spokane treatment center caring for infants born to mothers struggling with addiction. Maddie’s Place is one of only a few facilities in the country providing specialized care that treats infants and parents together during the critical post-birth period. Of the 49 moms and dads who stayed at Maddie’s Place full-time with their infants, 88% are in recovery today, in custody of their infant, and housed.

I’m proud to have secured $7.3 million for the facility since it opened in 2022, but it’s clear we need a long-term sustainable funding model to keep this critical service available in our community. I’ve introduced Senate Bill 6094 this session to direct the State Health Care Authority to seek long-term federal funding from Medicare and Medicaid. The bill would also provide bridge funding from the state to keep the facility operational until federal funds kick in. Last week the bill received a public hearing in the Senate Health Care Committee. I was thankful to see so many people from Spokane testify in support and tell stories about vulnerable families in our community who now have a fighting chance to live healthy and productive lives. You can watch the hearing here and read more about the bill in this Spokesman Review article.

Connecting with community

I am always grateful for the opportunity to meet with Spokane leaders who make the trip across the state to advocate for important local and state priorities. This week, Greater Spokane Incorporated and the many business and non-profit entities in their membership brought the passion of the Inland Northwest to the Capitol to talk about how the state can support our local business community, invest in important community projects, create jobs, and show the rest of the state that Spo-CAN thrive!

Telephone Town Hall on Tuesday

Your 3rd District legislators will be holding a telephone town hall on Tuesday, Feb. 3 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. I’ll be joined by Reps. Timm Ormsby and Natasha Hill answering your questions. If you don’t automatically get the call, you can join by calling 855-756-7520 and entering the ID code 130011# after the prompt. I look forward to connecting with you and providing an update on the 2026 legislative session.

Thanks for taking the time to read my newsletter. Follow me on Facebook and Instagram for more updates and please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at Marcus.Riccelli@leg.wa.gov.

It’s an honor to serve you!

 

Sen. Marcus Riccelli