Washington’s Ag industry going strong

Washington’s agricultural production in 2010 was $7.93 billion and it looks like this healthy trend will continue in 2011.

Washington farmers produce about 300 crops annually and we rank first in the nation for production of ten crops including apples, in fact, about half of all U.S. apples are grown in our state. The apple industry alone was valued at $1.4 billion last year.
But other important Washington products also increased in value:

• Milk had a production value of $950 million (39% increase from 2009)
• Wheat, $925 million (56 % increase)
• Cherries, $367 million (59 % increase)

That’s not all the good news for Washington farmers, who will be seeing new trade opportunities and lower tariffs on U.S. goods now that President Obama signed free trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia and Panama.

And on the subject of lower fees, last Friday Mexico canceled the last of the tariffs it had imposed on American goods in 2009. You can read an HDC Advanced post from July to learn how that tariff war with Mexico finally reached its end.

You can also check out this AP story to learn more about how well our Ag industry did in 2010 and what we can expect this year.

Remembering Alex Deccio

House Democrats were saddened to learn of the passing yesterday of Sen. Alex Deccio, whose leadership for the people of Yakima and Washington spanned more than three decades.
 
While Democrats and Sen. Deccio, a Republican leader, were often on different sides of issues, we respected his leadership, his willingness to listen to all sides of public questions and his unflagging dedication to principle. Countless lives in Washington are better off because of Sen. Deccio’s leadership on health care and prescription drugs.  Indeed, many Washingtonians are alive today because of Sen. Deccio’s early, courageous and effective commitment to AIDS treatment and prevention. 
 

If there is ever a Washington State edition of Profiles in Courage, one of the chapters must surely be titled “Alex Deccio.”  House Democrats join our Republican colleagues in the House and Senate in honoring the memory and mourning the loss of Alex Deccio, a Washington leader who will be missed.

Washington blazes trail by linking child development science to better public policy

Our state is #1 yet again.

This time, it's in the area of early childhood development. Earlier this week, the governor's office issued a press release announcing Washington's selection as the first "Innovation State" in the nation by the Early Childhood Intervention Partnership (ECIP), which is affiliated with the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. This means we'll be collaborating with ECIP's Frontiers of Innovation initiative to develop innovative strategies for improving outcomes for vulnerable children. These strategies will be evidence-based and grounded in the emerging science of early childhood development research.

It's no wonder we're leading the way. After all, our own Rep. Ruth Kagi, who chairs the House Early Learning and Human Services committee, has been involved with ECIP for several years now. She was one of eight individuals from around the country selected to help guide the launch phase of ECIP.

Here in the Legislature, Rep. Kagi has pushed for policies that reflect what researchers have long known – that a child's emotional and cognitive development are closely intertwined, and the more effort we put into early learning and developmental screening, the better the educational – and emotional – outcomes for children. This year, Rep. Kagi successfully championed House Bill 1965 all the way to the governor's desk. It authorizes a public-private partnership to support community-based efforts to prevent and address Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). The effect of ACEs on children can be lifelong, as she argues in this Seattle Times guest column.

Thanks to this new collaboration, there will be more good news to report in the coming months about specific proposals that will have positive impacts on childhood development in our state. 

Photo:  Retired admirals and generals join House Early Learning and Human Services Chair Rep. Kagi in advocating for the importance of early learning at the Mission: Readiness event back in March 2011.

State employment - and employee costs - dropping

A recent article in The Olympian and News Tribune by Brad Shannon takes an objective look at all the rhetoric about state workers and spending. It finds that, despite a growing state population, the percentage of spending on state employees is down.

Not up.

Down.

In 2002, the state spent 20.5 percent of the budget on state workers in higher-ed and general government. By this June, that had dropped to 18.2 percent.

Why is it down?

• Fewer state workers. Many have been laid off, or positions have gone unfilled.
• Pay cuts to remaining state employees.

Here’s another way The Olympian compared the numbers: total spending on state workers is about $2.7 billion. The budget shortfall is about $2 billion. Read the story here.

Town Hall Reminders from Kristine Lytton

Anacortes legislator Kristine Lytton will be hosting a series of roundtables and town hall meetings in the weeks to come, beginning with a discussion Tuesday night focused on efforts to increase our state’s energy conservation. That's followed by an education roundtable in Anacortes Wednesday, Oct. 26th. That discussion will focus on the general state of Education in Washington, as well as what to expect from the coming 2012 legislative session.

“The budget is going to pose many challenges for our communities and the state. I value the opinions of my constituents and look forward to hearing from them on their vision for the future of our state,” said Lytton.

Kristine invites all those interested in a general discussion of state government to join her at any one of the venues. Trending topics include education, fostering new ‘green’ jobs, the idea of an investment bank run by the state to fund local projects, as well as a general overview of the state budget situation.

Here are the upcoming dates and details:

• Tuesday, October 25, 6:00—Transition Fidalgo & Friends Seventh Generation Supper Anacortes Senior Center, 1701 22nd Street 


• Wednesday, October 26, 5:30—Anacortes Education Roundtable School District Boardroom, Anacortes Middle School 2nd Floor, 2202 M Avenue 


• Saturday, October 29, 1:00—Orcas Island Mobile Office Orcas Firehouse, 45 Lavender Lane, Eastsound 


• Monday, October 31, 11:00-12:30—Burlington Mobile Office Burlington Library, 820 East Washington Avenue 


• Wednesday, November 9, 4:00—Friday Harbor Education Roundtable Friday Harbor Middle School Commons, 85 Blair Avenue 


• Wednesday, November 2, 1-3—Mt. Vernon Mobile Office Skagit Democrats Office, 300 A First Street 


• Monday, November 14, 2-3:30—Bellingham Mobile Office The Firehouse Café, 1314 Harris Street 


• Monday, November 21, 11:30-1:30—Bellingham Mobile Office Whatcom Democrats office, 215 West Holly Street, Suite B-27

Hard times are hitting our heroes and heroines the hardest

A good many veterans, for all the kowtowing, bumper-sticker-patriotism, are getting the shaft.

Yes, these very men and women who we justly salute as our nation's champions, in theory, are too often treated like chumps, in reality. Take, especially, veterans of the U.S. battles in Iraq and Afghanistan. They're finding it far harder than veterans of earlier wars to make the shift back into civilian life, very much including the finding of a job. Veterans who’ve left military service during the past 10 years have an unemployment rate of 11.7 percent, according to recent numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That's way above the overall jobless rate of 9.1 percent.

Disheartening enough by itself, this unemployment report fits all too well with a recent Pew Research Center survey. The survey says that a good many veterans feel that their military years made them better people, enriching their character, maturity and self-confidence. But more than 40 percent of these men and women who served in the past decade said the transition back to civilian life was arduous. And that's almost twice the rate of veterans who served before them.

You might want to check out this article, Veterans’ unemployment outpaces civilian rate, in the Oct. 16, 2011, Washington Post.

Earlier this year in Olympia, the Legislature approved several measures of keen interest and importance both for veterans and active-duty servicemen and servicewomen, and for their loved ones:

• Electronic voting for overseas Washingtonians (House Bill 1000)
• Meeting professional licensing requirements (House Bill 1418)
• Preferences in Employment (House Bill 1432)
• Helping people who have suffered a traumatic brain injury (House Bill 1614)
• Establishing an “Honor and Remember Flag” (House Joint Memorial 4004)
• Ballots for Military Voters and Other Overseas Voters (Senate Bill 5171)
• Meeting professional licensing requirements (Senate Bill 5307)
• A raffle to help veterans (Senate Bill 5806)

Veterans and other interested folks are always encouraged to review information and resources at the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs. The office is located at 1102 Quince St. S.E. in Olympia. The mailing address is P.O. Box 41150/Olympia WA 98504, and the phone numbers are 360-725-2200, 1-800-562-0132 (toll free), and TDD 360-725-2199 (for hearing-impaired folks).

A message from the wife of Senator Scott White

Senator White’s wife, Alison Carl White, has issued the following statement:

"Scott’s family and I wish to express our appreciation for the outpouring of support we have received since learning of his passing. He was a tremendous husband, father and public official, and we are deeply moved by the nobility and honor with which his professional accomplishments are remembered. We are consoled by the support of friends, colleagues and our community. Your thoughts and prayers are appreciated."

Donations can be made to the Wedgewood Elementary PTSA, EarthCorps, or to the Scott White Memorial Fund, an education fund for his two children, which has been established at Wells Fargo:

Scott White Memorial Fund
PO Box 95675 Seattle, WA 98145-2675
Account Number: 1559550528
Routing Number: 125008547

A public service will be held later this week. Please respect the family’s wishes for privacy at this time.