Dear friends and neighbors,
Thank you to everyone who participated in our 1st Legislative District telephone town hall last week! Reps. Shelley Kloba and Davina Duerr and I truly appreciate you taking the time to ask questions. Hearing directly from you provides important guidance as we finish our work in Olympia.
The Senate’s operating budget
As vice chair of the Ways & Means Committee, I’ve spent a lot of my time this session working with my colleagues on the Senate’s supplemental operating budget proposal, which passed the Senate on Friday. We made adjustments to the biennial budget to account for rising costs and increased demand for programs like Apple Health and the Washington College Grant, ongoing federal uncertainty, and federal cuts to health care and food assistance.
The Senate’s proposal makes proactive investments in wildfire response, technology investments to improve cybersecurity and reliability of our state systems, and funding to streamline and improve the effectiveness of state government.
We also had to make cuts, including administrative reductions across all agencies; those decisions were not made lightly. As we work to negotiate with our House colleagues on a final budget agreement, our priority will remain protecting key services Washingtonians rely on, preserving our education system (early learning, K-12, and higher education), and building toward long-term fiscal stability that allows us to continue investing in our communities. The cuts made this year and last year underscore the need to take a step forward in fixing our upside-down tax code by passing the Millionaires Tax. Asking those making more than $1 million in a year to pay a little more will help fund public schools, health care, and higher education and put our state on a more sustainable path.
Update on key bills
Senate Bill 6248 would establish a regulatory framework for travel insurance in Washington consistent with most other states. That framework would include licensing and registration requirements, consumer disclosures, and standards for how travel insurance and travel protection plans can be offered. As travel insurance becomes more common, we must ensure stronger protections for consumers, better transparency, and competition in the market. The bill has passed the Legislature and now heads to the governor for his signature.
House Bill 1128 would establish a Child Care Workforce Standards Board that will make recommendations on minimum employment standards to help improve staffing, recruitment, and retention in the child care sector. The board would include early educators so they have a voice in shaping the future of the profession. The bill passed the Senate this week and is one step closer to becoming law (I sponsored the Senate version of the bill).
House Bill 1155 would prohibit employers from imposing non-competition agreements. Taking a new job with better pay or leaving a company to start your own business shouldn’t be met with interference from your current employer. The bill passed the Senate on Thursday and is one step closer to becoming law. (I sponsored the Senate version of this bill too and the 2019 law that began to limit non-competes).
Please continue reaching out with questions and feedback as we finish our work.
Sincerely,
Derek Stanford
