Issues

Fiscal Responsibility and the State Budget

Transparency * Accountability * Efficiency

As a performance engineer at Microsoft, I used data to drive improvement and efficiencies. As your Senator, I have used these same techniques – working with State Auditor Brian Sonntag to reduce wasteful spending in state government and supporting new performance audits.

In the legislature, I wrote and passed the bill that links budget data and performance. My bill also required the Governor to provide Washington residents with easy, user-friendly online access to the state budget, including searchable links and pie charts, so you can see how your tax dollars are being spent. You can see the results at www.fiscal.wa.gov

Jobs, Taxes and the Economy

Create jobs * Reduce taxes on small business * Close special interest tax loopholes

I am committed to helping small businesses grow and create jobs. That’s why I worked to cut taxes for small businesses and will continue to fight to eliminate the anti-competitive and regressive Business & Occupation tax.

I voted to close tax loopholes for out-of-state companies and Wall Street banks in order to save our taxpayer dollars. I will continue to fight for our local businesses and work to level the playing field with their out-of-state competitors.

I will continue the fight to modernize our tax structure to reduce the burden on families and small businesses, and eliminate special deals for special interests.

Education Reform

As a father of two young children (and another on the way!), I am committed to keeping our local schools strong. I helped write an innovative education reform bill making schools and teachers more accountable and helping boost student achievement. By tracking performance and effectiveness, we can make evidence-based decisions and reward academic programs that work.

My bill also creates work groups to make public school financing more efficient. Historically, the arcane funding formulas have rewarded inefficient allocation of resources among small school districts. We must do better with the money we currently spend.

This historic legislation represents the first major education reforms in more than thirty years.

Our state Constitution makes clear that education is the “paramount duty” of our state government. That is why I fought to prevent devastating cuts and teacher layoffs in K-12 education.

Healthy Communities and the Environment

I know that strong and healthy communities are essential to our children’s success in life. I worked to eliminate pesticides on playgrounds and in parks and dangerous chemicals in classrooms. I fought to ensure that schools serve healthy, nutritious lunches. I will continue working to expand wellness and fitness programs and push for more organic and local farming.

I led the effort to rein in the state’s largest polluter – a coal plant – because, not only am I strongly committed to protecting our air, water and quality of life, but I also oppose counter-productive tax incentives that reward dirty business.

In the wake of the tragic murder of four police officers in Lakewood, I fought to make our families and communities safer by helping pass a new law allowing judges to deny bail to dangerous and violent offenders.

Transportation and Easing Congestion

Many of you spent last summer stuck in traffic on the 520 bridge. I spent last summer stuck in meetings on the other side of the bridge. I helped broker the deal to begin construction on our side of the bridge. We get started in October. I will continue to push for real solutions that ease gridlock in the short term, while working toward innovative solutions for the future.