14th District lawmakers support capital budget funding for local projects
Hours before the completion of the 30-day special session in Olympia, lawmakers approved legislation that spends $2.77 billion on capital construction projects throughout the state, including more than $100 million in the 14th District.
House Bill 1497 includes projects funded by cash accounts in the capital budget. House Bill 2020 includes bond authorization and projects funded by those bonds. Senate Bill 5181 sets a statutory debt limit reduction from 8.75 percent to 7.75 percent.
Local projects that will receive funding through the capital budget include: replacement of Eisenhower High School; remodel of Davis High School and Stanton Alternative High School; completion of the Yakima Valley Technical Skills Center; upgrading the YWCA women’s crisis center in Yakima; various repairs to Yakima Valley School; and improvements for the Central Washington State Fair Park.
The capital budget bills received the support of 14th District legislators Sen. Curtis King, Rep. Norm Johnson and Rep. Charles Ross.
“Going into this session, our main priority was to ensure matching funding for our high school bonds would be included in the capital budget,” said King, R-Yakima. “We were successful in going beyond that by securing funds for the vocational skills center, the YWCA and the Central Washington State Fair. All of that is attributable to the hard work of my seatmates in the House and my colleagues in the Senate.”
“This will provide needed jobs for our local community, expand and improve our local schools, ensure security for women and children who are suffering from abuse, and create a better quality of life for the Yakima area,” said Johnson, R-Yakima. “I appreciate the hard work of Representative Judy Warnick, who helped negotiate this budget, and paid close attention to the needs of our local area. It is a great win for the taxpaying families of the 14th District. In this budget, we are bringing our tax money back home to provide needed, important facilities for our local citizens and their families.”
“These are the projects that really are the foundation of our communities. I’m especially glad we were able to secure funding for our local school projects. They will provide tremendous facilities for education for the next 50 years, which is very positive for our community,” said Ross, R-Naches.
House Bill 1497 passed the House 94-0 and the Senate 47-0. House Bill 2020 passed the House 84-10 and the Senate 46-1. Senate Bill 5181 passed the House 79-14 and the Senate 40-1. The bills are being sent to the governor for her consideration.
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For more information contact:
Erich R. Ebel at (360) 786-7395 or erich.ebel@leg.wa.gov,
John Sattgast at (360) 786-7257 or john.sattgast@leg.wa.gov, or
Sarah Lamb at (360) 786-7720 or sarah.lamb@leg.wa.gov.
