Oak Harbor

Dear neighbors, 
I’m happy to report that we made progress in the 2024 Legislative Session on fundamental issues that affect all of our families. 
This e-newsletter covers public safety, housing, health care, treatment for mental health and addiction, and education. 
I hope you find this informative—and please reach out if you have questions or ideas about specific issues! 

Public Safety 
 
Everyone deserves to feel safe in their community, and the new state budget supports our justice system and improves public safety. Our local law enforcement agencies are facing significant challenges with hiring new officers.  
I’m pleased that the legislature invested $9 million to fund new law enforcement regional training academies and $8 million to help local jurisdictions pay for the training of new public safety officers. I continue to lead local bipartisan efforts to bring a regional training academy to our community. This will allow local recruits to become officers without traveling to South King County. 

Housing 
 
I know how the high cost of housing is hard on families and on our economy. The legislature made progress this year on housing, with $127.5 million in the construction budget for the Housing Trust Fund and a number of new reforms passing both chambers and becoming law. That includes the Workforce Housing Accelerator Program (House Bill 1892), which creates a loan program to speed up the construction of affordable housing throughout the state.  
Another reform (House Bill 2071) makes it easier to build middle housing by putting triplexes, quads, and other options under the residential code instead of the costlier and more time-consuming commercial code. 

Healthcare 
Inhalers and epinephrine injectors (epi-pens) are lifesaving devices. They’re also ridiculously expensive today. I wrote House Bill 1979 to cap the cost of inhalers and epi-pens at $35 for a 30-day supply. This new state law will soon help to reduce healthcare costs. Our state’s healthcare costs are rising faster than other states, so a new effort (House Bill 1508) adds more consumers to the state’s healthcare cost transparency board and improves data-sharing between agencies to help identify coordinated ways of reducing healthcare costs. 

Treatment for Mental Health and Addiction 
Many of you have spoken to me about the need to prioritize behavioral health outcomes, including improving mental health services and substance use disorder treatment. This session, we increased funding in the operating budget to invest in treatment and prevention.  
I’m very pleased to report that the capital budget includes three important local projects that help address behavioral health:  

$1.9 million for the Holman Recovery Center in Arlington 
$250,000 for the Skagit County Crisis Stabilization Center 
$93,000 for the Ituha Stabilization Facility in Oak Harbor 

New laws include a statewide drug overdose prevention and awareness campaign in public schools (House Bill 1956) and higher education institutions (House Bill 2112). The operating budget also funds housing for people in recovery and tribal support and outreach. 

Education 
Photo: Katherine B. Turner, UW
Earning college credit while in high school is a great way to reduce the cost of higher education. I’m happy to say the governor signed my law (House Bill 1146) requiring schools to notify students and parents about dual credit options.  
We also boosted special education funding by $29 million, expanded career and technical education opportunities for students (House Bill 2236), and made it easier for certificated teachers from other states—such as the spouses of service members—to work in Washington state (Senate Bill 5180). 

New Local Projects and Jobs 
 
The $1.3 billion construction budget funds infrastructure here in the 10th District and across the state. It helps tackle two of our toughest challenges: affordable housing and the pressing need for behavioral health facilities.  
Here’s a partial list of new local projects:  

$1.6 million for Generations Place workforce housing in Langley 
$36,000 for sidewalk improvements to the Coupeville Boys and Girls 
$600,000 for the Langley Library Historic Preservation 
$77,000 for a fire alarm system for the Camano Lutheran Childcare Center 
$100,000 for the Stanwood Police Station 
$3 million for the Lagoon Point Community Forest 
$273,000 for Jensen Park improvements in Arlington 
$2 million for estuary and salmon restoration in the Lower Maxwelton Valley, Port Susan Bay, and other locations in the 10th District 

Keep in Touch 
This is my last e-news before the election restrictions start in May—but you can still contact me, and I can respond to your questions, ideas, and comments. 
It’s been a pleasure talking with so many of my neighbors at community meetings and events, and I hope to see you soon! 
As always, it’s an honor to serve as your state representative.