Dear Friends and Neighbors,
It has been another busy week of meetings and family time. This has been my Pullman-focused week, and it has been so rewarding reconnecting with my neighbors! With a district as big as the 9th, your legislators spend a lot of time on the road. Mark, Joe and I are committed to our constituents and to spending as much time as possible in the six counties and more than 30 towns that make up our 8,000-square-mile district.
As you know, I’m also gearing up to head back to Olympia November 21 for annual legislative committee days. There are rumors circulating about the governor attempting to call a special session over those days to pass a transportation tax package to fund new and existing projects. I have outlined some of my thoughts below and would welcome your feedback. You can participate in a brief online survey on transportation issues here.
We’re fast approaching the busy holiday season and before we all become busier than normal, I want to take this opportunity to thank you for allowing me to serve you, for always sharing your thoughts with me and encouraging friends and neighbors to get involved with what is happening in state government. We’re a team. I may be one of three 9th District state legislators going to Olympia, but it is your voices we are sharing.
In service to you,
Susan Fagan
Legislative committee days Nov. 21 and 22, possible special session for transportation tax package vote
Each fall, the Legislature gathers for Committee Days to hold hearings and consider ideas on the various issues that may come forward in the regular legislative session. This year, the governor has said he may call a special session of the Legislature to pass a transportation tax package during committee days. As you may recall, a $10 billion transportation tax package failed to pass the Legislature near the end of the second special session last June.
I believe lawmakers should be open to dialogue on this issue because that is how we find solutions that are best for residents. However, we are still waiting for a study to be completed that will tell lawmakers why our transportation projects consistently cost more than similar projects in other states. Before we ask you for more from your wallets, don’t you think we need to fix the system to ensure accountability and efficiency? Without answers that allow us to craft solutions that ensure our gas tax dollars are spent effectively, we should not raise taxes.
What do you think about increasing gas taxes and other fees to fund new and existing transportation projects? E-mail me with your thoughts at Susan.Fagan@leg.wa.gov or take this brief online survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/JYWS2H2.
Gearing up for the 2014 legislative session
While Committee Days is a start to preparing for the 60-day 2014 legislative session, hearing your ideas and solutions helps me be prepared to represent your voice. That’s why this week I visited another school and spent quality time with a teacher to have an in-depth discussion on a broad range of topics that impact her ability to teach, students to learn and parents engage. I also had an extensive meeting this week with the Washington Education Association to hear their priorities and discuss where we could find common ground. Last, I met with regional bankers to hear directly from them about the challenges they are facing and if any of them could be addressed through legislation. With regard to higher education, I met with WSU student leadership members to listen to their ideas and concerns.
Cap and trade agreement signed by governor
Whether you agree or disagree with the governor’s climate action agenda, I think it should concern all of us that the governor signed on to a cap and trade agreement that may obligate Washington state to implement some kind of carbon tax in the future. There is talk that the agreement was “symbolic,” but I continue to be concerned that these types of new tax schemes, symbolic or not, send a signal to employers considering locating in our state and those already doing business here that there may be new and higher taxes on the horizon. Tax uncertainty is a sure-fire way to scare off employers – new or current.
You can read about this agreement here: Inslee joins in West Coast governors’ climate change accord (Puget Sound Business Journal).
I will continue to follow this issue and, hopefully, lawmakers will have a chance to further explore what the agreement will do to our state and what economic impacts it will have now and in the future.
ASWSU leadership – we’re in good hands!
The Washington State University Student Senate and student lobby team welcomed me to campus this week. Suffice to say, the future of our state is in good hands with these informed citizens at the helm! The lobbying team addressed concerns specific to the university system, including keeping the tuition freeze in place. Students and their parents have experienced double-digit tuition increases over the past several years, and that has definitely impacted them in various ways. Students also support in-state tuition for veterans who are not Washington residents. A campus center for veterans was recently approved and temporary space arranged with a goal to construct its facility. The students also support State Need Grant access for undocumented students who meet strict criteria and a potential pilot project for the “Pay It Forward” approach to funding tuition.
Additionally, I was deeply honored and humbled by the “Champion of Higher Education Award” the students presented to me. Much credit goes to the students who come to Olympia well-informed and capable of effectively communicating their message.
I continue to believe that the best way to ensure the next generation is prepared to lead and successful in their endeavors is to ensure higher education is accessible, affordable and the degrees are meaningful in the job market. I look forward to working alongside college students in the 2014 session to improve on what we accomplished in 2013!
A tour of Pullman Community Child Care Center started the week
Thanks to Mary McDonald, executive director of Pullman Community Child Care Center, for the tour of the main facility. It provided me an opportunity to meet staff and learn about activities of Early Head Start, Head Start and the Department of Early Learning as they relate to the children and families who are served in Pullman and outlying communities. We reviewed preschool readiness goals and teaching strategies used by the center. These tours give me the information I need to successfully serve the many constituencies that make up the 9th Legislative District.
Finally connected with Pullman Artesians
The Pullman Chamber Artesians Committee invited me to visit with them this week. The group asked me to talk about “a day in the life of a legislator.” It was fun answering their questions and giving examples of what makes serving the people of the 9th District rewarding as well as some of the frustrations that come with the job. Thanks to Chairman Josh Smart and to Program Chairman Bill Skavdahl for the invitation.
Appointment to Women’s History Consortium Advisory Board
Although I was born in Washington (Seattle, to be exact) and attended grade school in Pullman, I spent the rest of my growing up years in Idaho. I returned to the state when I joined Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories in 1999 and had amazing opportunities to reconnect with my home state. As a legislator, even more opportunities come my way, including an appointment to the Women’s History Consortium Advisory Board. The Consortium is dedicated to preserving and making available resources about Washington women’s history. We have regular conference call “board meetings” and are working on projects that highlight the contributions women have made to our state. This month’s meeting focused on our oral history project. You can learn more about the consortium by visiting the website at www.washingtonhistory.org/research/whc/.
9th Legislative District
E-mail: susan.fagan@leg.wa.gov
Web site: www.houserepublicans.wa.gov/fagan
406 John L. O’Brien Building – P.O. Box 40600 | Olympia, WA 98504-0600
(360) 786-7942 or Toll-free: (800) 562-6000
