The 2007 Legislature made landmark advances in education, health care and the environment. Below is a summary of 36th District priorities identified by 1,293 respondents in a February survey, along with outcomes achieved in the legislative session.
BUDGET
Highest priorities for the new budget were mental health and chemical-dependency services, a constitutional rainy-day fund and affordable housing.
Outcome: The budget includes $12 million for community-based mental and children's health services, $3 million for substance abuse help, $13.3 million for outpatient treatment vendor rate increases and $130 million for the housing trust fund. We send the constitutionally protected rainy-day fund proposal to voters in November. There are no new taxes, $29.3 million in tax cuts, $558 million in reserves and $165 million in the rainy-day fund.
EDUCATION
Respondents requested improving math and science curricula; raising teacher salaries; addressing K-12 funding inequities; reducing class size; adding high-demand college enrollments; and creating college grants for low-income adults.
Outcome: We made monumental achievements. We phase in all-day kindergarten, send to voters the simple majority requirement to pass school levies and boost the basic education funding formula. We create alternative assessment pathways for students to meet WASL standards, and extend the math and science WASL graduation requirement to 2013. Also added are $39 million for specialized training and $6.6 million for more teachers. High-demand enrollments in public colleges are boosted by 3,650, and teacher salaries are increased by 3.7 percent for the 2007-08 school year and 2.8 percent for 2008-09. Financial aid is increased by $37 million for 81,500 students.
TRANSPORTATION
Respondents' preferred option for the Alaskan Way Viaduct was the elevated structure.
Outcome: Viaduct discussions are still in progress. For the 520 bridge, the $3-billion transportation budget includes $870 million in federal and state funds, and up to $1 billion from another pool. For public transportation, the budget directs $25 million to paratransit and special needs passengers; $40 million for park-and-ride lots, bus rapid transit and transit centers; $8.6 million for vanpools; $15 million for rural mobility grants; and $18 million for pedestrian and bicycle safety projects.
HEALTH CARE
Suggestions included adding low-income kids to the Children's Health Program and residents to the Basic Health Plan; providing Medicare Plan D drug co-pays for low-income seniors; improving support and training for long-term care workers; creating a paid family leave program; and clarifying what constitutes a legal supply of medical marijuana.
Outcome: We fund insurance coverage for an additional 39,000 children and add 3,000 to the Basic Health Plan. We continue to cover the "dual eligibles," or those who qualify for Medicare and Medicaid. We also give small businesses affordable insurance options and require them to offer mental health insurance coverage on a par with coverage for physical illness. We add $5.5 million for training, respite care, kinship care and other services for long-term care workers. We passed my bill furthering protections for patients whose physicians recommend medical marijuana.
ENVIRONMENT
Recommended were cleaning up toxic sites; phasing out PBDEs, or toxic flame retardants; protecting wetland habitats; and restoring damaged shorelines.
Outcome: All four of the environmental community's goals were achieved: Clean Air/Clean Fuels, Save Our Sound, $100 Million for Wildlife and Recreation Program and Eliminating Toxic Flame Retardants. The coup de grâce is $220 million to clean up Puget Sound and promote salmon recovery. We also create the Puget Sound Partnership with $1 million to focus on restoration efforts. The budget includes $9 million for toxics control, $4 million for Puget Sound action plans and $2 million for wetland bank mitigation. We passed legislation to ban products containing PBDEs.
PUBLIC SAFETY AND CONSUMER PROTECTION
Many measures were important. The most popular were requiring background checks for gun show purchases; prohibiting the use of auto-dialing systems ("robocalls"); strengthening background checks to ensure the safety and well-being of children and vulnerable adults; and increasing safety standards and requirements for cranes and crane operators.
Outcome: We passed the background safety measures, the crane safety bill and my bill requiring school districts to address cyberbullying in their anti-harassment policies. Measures also passed preventing insurance companies from unreasonably denying insurance claims and allowing consumers to proactively freeze their own credit.
DOMESTIC PARTNERSHIPS AND MARRIAGE EQUALITY FOR SAME-SEX COUPLES
The majority of respondents supported both.
Outcome: The governor has signed into law the domestic partnerships bill.
OTHER MEASURES
I am pleased to have prime sponsored other milestone bills that passed: creating the crime of commercial sexual abuse of children; improving worker protections in the vocational workers compensation and industrial insurance programs; improving childcare quality and safety; preventing sexual harassment in the workplace; and studying the underground economy. I am especially pleased we passed the paid-family-leave insurance bill, which I co-sponsored, and funded a $4.6-million grant for Seattle public schools to help close the achievement gap.
These were some of the session highlights. I appreciate receiving the many helpful responses from so many constituents. As always, it is my pleasure to represent the residents of the 36th District.
For more information on the budget, visit http://leap.leg.wa.gov/leap/budget/detail/2007/so0709p.asp
For more information about my priorities and accomplishments, visit http://www.sdc.wa.gov/kohlwelles.htm
Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles, D-Queen Anne, is chair of the Senate Labor, Commerce, Research & Development Committee. She also serves on the Senate Health & Long-Term Care, Rules and Ways & Means committees.[[In-content Ad]]
