Remembering Scott White

The HDC would just like to share some of our favorite photos of Scott White, as we mourn his passing.

The service for Senator Scott White will be held at 1:00 PM on Sunday, November 6, 2011 in the Meany Hall Theater located on the University of Washington Campus in Seattle. Meany Hall is located near the intersection of 15th Avenue NE and NE 40th St.

Scott leaves behind his wife Alison and two young children, ages 3 and 5. Memorial gifts may be directed to the college education funds for Scott and Alison's children. Donations may be sent to:

Scott White Memorial Fund
PO Box 95675
Seattle, WA 98145-5675

Or at any Wells Fargo Branch:
Account Number: 1559550528
Routing Number: 125008547

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.

Finally! A preferred option for the Westside

After more than a decade of discussion and planning efforts, the SR 520 bridge over Lake Washington emerged as this session’s biggest transportation story. With SB 6392, the Legislature gave its OK for the ready-to-go Eastside projects to proceed, as discussions continued on the Westside span.

This afternoon, WSDOT came forward with a preferred alternative design that it calls a “major milestone” in the project’s history. State Reps. Judy Clibborn and Scott White joined the press conference.

This announcement is based on a draft environmental impact assessment released in January that has since drawn hundreds of neighborhood, city and agency comments. Recurring criticisms are that the bridge’s proposed design might adversely affect the local Montlake neighborhood and doesn’t allow for sufficient transit.

WSDOT says the preferred alternative addresses these issues, noting that the bridge’s footprint and profile have been scaled back in several areas and that light rail could be accommodated at a future date. Planners made special efforts to reduce traffic and noise around the Arboretum and the Portage Bay Bridge.

Although today is indeed a project milestone, the planning process isn’t over. SB 6392 set up several state-local workgroups to take closer looks at transit and neighborhood mitigation issues and to make recommendations later this year. WSDOT will also use the next few months to settle its plans and issue a final environmental impact statement. Check out more information here or read this morning's Seattle Times story.

House members board the Bus for a ride down the Infobahn

What happens when you combine some higher ed legislative leaders in Olympia with the tech-savvy next-generationers at the Washington Bus?

Synergistic videoconferencing political-forum magic.

The Bus is hosting a video conference tonight with state reps. Deb Wallace, Bob Hasegawa, and Scott White, all boarding the bus to talk public Higher Ed from 6 to 8 pm. Fans of the Bus, the legislators, or technological marvel in general can join in at Grey Gallery and Lounge on Capitol Hill.

The festivities start with a viewing of President Obama's State of the Union address followed by the 2-D legislators talking about your future.

Grey. SOTU. Bus. Good times.

Rep. Scott White's Virtual Town Hall

We're liveblogging in conjunction with Rep. White's tele-town hall tonight at 6:30pm. Take part, listen in, ask questions, pose comments, and learn up on the good member from the 46th LD, and what he has to say about the 2010 state budget and legislative session.

Rep. White joins with local Seattle folks for education discussion

State Rep. Scott White wanted his North Seattle constituents to really understand the funding challenges facing Washington’s schools, so he tried something new: a first-ever joint town hall with Seattle School Board Directors Sherry Carr and Peter Maier.

White’s Oct. 20 Town Hall on Education Funding let people get a complete picture of how state and local budget realities are impacting our paramount constitutional duty to fully fund basic education.

More than 40 people, including parents, teachers, PTSA leadership, the President of the Seattle Education Association and more came to Seattle’s Olympic View Elementary School to listen and speak their minds.

The lively discussion focused on how the current state budget crisis is impacting funding for K-12 and on the future of the education reforms outlined in HB 2261. One point on which everyone agreed: the state needs to do a better job of funding schools—even during recessions.

“Parents and teachers are frustrated and they have a right to be,” White said after the event. “We need to do a lot more to restore trust in the state’s commitment to fully fund our schools, and the proof has to be more dollars, not just more words.”

Rep. White wants to expand hate-crime legislation to protect the homeless

State Rep. Scott White never forgot David Ballenger, a homeless man who was brutally murdered by three teenagers under an I-5 overpass in the Ravenna neighborhood 10 years ago this month.

When the National Coalition for the Homeless released an Aug. 7 report on the growing number of violent hate crimes against the homeless — Hate, Violence, And Death on Main Street USA — White was struck by how closely the murder of Ballenger fit the typical profile of today's growing violence against homeless individuals: the report showed that most (58 percent) of the violent attacks on the homeless are committed by teenagers, and bias is often the only motivation for the attacks.

The new national report also showed that the number of fatal attacks on homeless individuals over the past decade was more than twice the total number of hate-motivated homicides that targeted victims because of their perceived race, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation.

The ten-year pattern of hate crimes against America's homeless, which has claimed 242 lives, convinced White that homeless people in Washington need the protection of the state's malicious harassment laws.

Seattle added homeless people to the city's malicious harassment statute in December, 2007. White said he is proud that Seattle is a leader in fighting hate crimes against the homeless, but that "now it is time to make our state a national leader."

We have a moral duty to do everything in our power to make sure that what happened to David Ballenger never happens again anywhere in Washington.

Rep. White's virtual town hall coming Tuesday night

Residents of the North Seattle neighborhoods of the 46th Legislative District will have the opportunity to talk directly with their state representative, Scott White, via a virtual town hall Tuesday night, July 28th.

Here's Rep. White on the event:

New state budgets–including many severe budget reductions—took effect on July 1st and dozens of new state laws officially took effect on July 26.

As your state representative, I respect your right to ask questions about how these new laws and budgets might impact you and our Seattle neighborhoods—including our local schools and economy.

That’s why I’ve scheduled a special 46th District Tele-Town Hall for Tuesday, July 28, from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Here is how it will work:

I’ll send a very brief phone message to you and other 46th District residents to invite you to the Tele-Town Hall. If you want to listen in, simply stay on the line. If you want to ask a question or make a comment about a new law—or any state issue you wish—you’ll only need to press *3 (star then 3) to have your voice heard. It’s that easy!

If there are more questions or comments than we can cover in an hour (which often happens), you’ll be able to leave a message for me directly, so you’re guaranteed that I’ll hear your question or comment.

Importantly, this special Tele-Town Hall event is only for you and others in our 46th District Seattle neighborhoods.

Virtual town halls - also known as "tele town halls" - aren't a replacement for traditional in-person meetings. But they offer elected officials another method to communicate with constituents, and make it easier for people to have a chance to speak directly with their state representative without having to drive anywhere or arrange for child care.

Governor signs state construction budget

Today’s bill signings in Olympia included the 2009-2011 state Capital Budget, which funds construction, maintenance, and repair of schools and other public facilities.

Rep. Scott White, who sits on the House Capital Budget committee, joined Senator Karen Fraser, chair of the Senate Capital Budget committee, at the Governor’s side as she signed the bill.

Also present was a crowd representing various local jurisdictions and organizations that will receive capital budget funds this biennium. As the crowd poured into the conference room, the Governor asked the two legislators if they were all there for the Capital Budget. They replied that these were folks who were happy with the budget.

“Can they stay?” joked the Governor.

Rep. Hans Dunshee, who chairs the House Capital Budget committee, was unable to attend the bill signing but said he is pleased that in a year when the state’s construction budget took a 30 percent cut in order to keep more teachers on the job, all K-12 construction projects are still fully funded.

“The projects funded in this budget will mean at least 14,000 jobs across the state,” Dunshee said.

The $3.3 billion budget is House Bill 1216.

Governor signs White’s 100-year floodplains bill

In response to recent major floods in Washington state, Rep. Scott White sponsored House Bill 1967 to stop expansion of urban growth areas into designated one hundred year floodplains.

These are the areas adjacent to rivers and streams that are subject to frequent or regular flooding, and are generally considered unstable and potentially dangerous areas. White’s measure only applies to the larger river systems in western Washington and has focused exceptions for communities that already have significant development on floodplains.

"This is a common sense approach that will help us save lives and property," said White. "Encouraging smart growth by limiting development in flood plains benefits our state by creating safer communities and reducing the costs to taxpayers that come with flooding disasters."

Photo - Gov. Gregoire signs HB 1967 on May 5, 2009. From left to right: Tom Clingman, Ecology Shorelands & Environmental Assistance Program; Carl Schroeder, HDC Policy staff; Joe Tovar, Washington Chapter, American Planning Association; Governor Christine Gregoire; April Putney, Futurewise; Rep. Scott White, 46th Legislative District

Mr. Yuk visits the Capitol

March 15-21 is National Poison Prevention Week, so folks from the Washington Poison Center—along with Mr. Yuk—came to the State Capitol this morning.

The goal of Poison Prevention Week is to reduce illnesses, injuries, and deaths due to poisonings; build safer communities; and reduce unnecessary health care costs for everyone.

Ivyanne Smith (12 years old) from Redmond designed the poster capturing this year's theme of the Washington State's Poison Prevention Week campaign, "Is It Time To Call Mr. Yuk?”

What is National Poison Prevention Week?
Public Law 87-319, signed on September 16, 1961, by President Kennedy, designates the third week in March as National Poison Prevention Week. Congress intended this event as a means for local communities to raise awareness of the dangers of unintentional poisonings and to take preventive measures.

“The bright green Mr. Yuk symbol is easily identified by children," said Rep. Scott White. "Parents should take care to secure all poisonous materials and put Mr. Yuk stickers on anything that a child might get into.”

Photo: Ivy Smith; Jim Williams, WAPC Executive Director; Mr. Yuk and Rep. Scott White, 46th Legislative District as they are interviewed by KING 5 News.

WWDD?

According to our parliamentarian brethren across the pond, the word, “Whip” is a hunting term from the 18th century, referring to the hunter’s assistant tasked with rounding up the stray hunting dogs...

Blah, blah, blah. All I know is, here in America, when a problem comes along, we ask ourselves, “WWDD (What Would Devo Do)?” The answer: You Must Whip It.

These days, this task falls to a few newly elected members of the state House Democratic Caucus who must round up our stray colleagues when it’s time to vote. And with so many goings-on here under the dome, that task can sometimes be more difficult than it seems.

The HDC yesterday elected three new Assistant Majority Whips; Reps. Reuven Carlyle, Scott White, and Fred Finn. They’ll play a vital role working with Democratic leadership to organize and coordinate caucus members on the House Floor, ultimately passing an agenda that reflects our philosophy of One Washington.

Here are Reps. Carlyle, Finn, and White on their new leadership role:

Rep. Reuven Carlyle:

“I’m deeply honored to have been asked by leadership and elected by my peers to join the team and work to actively push bold legislation as we tackle the real deal issues facing our state. As we strive to breathe new life into our public service at the state and national levels, I hope this position helps me to play a modest role here in the House to move forward with a 21st Century agenda.”

Rep. Fred Finn:

“It’s an honor to be elected Assistant Majority Whip for the House of Representatives this session. We have a great deal of work to do in the state capital this year, and I look forward to helping keep my colleagues moving in a productive direction.”

Rep. Scott White:

"It is a great honor to be selected by my Democratic colleagues to serve as Assistant Whip. We will face many difficult challenges this legislative session and I am committed to working with Representatives from throughout our great state to find solutions."

And we in the HDC are honored that they will now whip it into shape. Shape it up. Get straight. Go Forward. Move ahead...