Most people agree that it is the job of state government to educate our children and build infrastructure that strengthens our economy. As a representative of the 49th District, I find these are not partisan issues. Our state constitution and state Supreme Court could not be more clear about our duty to fully fund education. Late Thursday night, the Legislature passed a bill that moved beyond one piece of the partisan gridlock that has put us in this second special session. There were very few Republican votes. The hardest part of our job is still in front of us.
If we do not pass the operating, transportation and capital budgets by July 1 we can’t keep our schools open and we cannot create jobs or grow our economy.
The House has put aside not only controversial legislation that failed during the regular session, but also many good bills that simply ran out of time. It was hard to let go of some of these ideas. But now we must focus on funding education, creating jobs and continue protecting our most vulnerable people. We are focusing on Washington’s kids and the economy. Isn’t it time to end ideological battles and do the right thing?
Sharon Wylie
Vancouver
