With his final legislative session as governor underway, Gov. Jay Inslee echoed his father Tuesday and vowed to “run through the tape.”
“Just as I know you’ll give this state your best work, I’ll give mine,” Inslee told lawmakers. “This is not a farewell speech. These are not famous last words. I’m not riding into the sunset.”
The remarks came during Inslee’s 10th and final “State of the State” address, an annual opportunity to outline the state’s progress and guide its direction. While not his final speech, Inslee used the State of the State address to highlight many of his accomplishments during three terms as the state’s top executive.
“I’m happy to report we have been, we are, and we will always be the strongest state in the nation,” Inslee said. “In fact, the state of our state is stronger than ever.”
The speech touted increased funding for public education, additional environmental protections, population gain and increased economic output during Inslee’s time in office.
“In an era of tremendous transition and change, Washington has emerged as a beacon of progress in this nation,” Inslee said. “This year, we are going to make sure that light shines brighter.”
During the speech, Inslee highlighted Washington’s inclusion in the Northwest hydrogen hub and the federal funding that will expand the hydrogen sector in Lewis County and beyond.
In October, Inslee announced that the Pacific Northwest would be one of seven designated “hydrogen hubs” across the country, with up to $1 billion in funding.
As the state weans off of fossil fuels in the coming years, Inslee said, “the folks who worked at places like TransAlta” will be trained “for jobs in this new clean energy economy.”
“The new Pacific Northwest federal hydrogen hub will create 8,000 jobs alone for the production and distribution of green hydrogen to reduce pollution,” Inslee said.
Still, on the second day of his final legislative session, Inslee said more must be done, including additional resources for law enforcement.
“Washington state also needs more police officers, and that’s what this budget would do. My budget funds more state troopers and forensic scientists, an organized retail theft task force, and more funding for drug trafficking investigations,” Inslee said Tuesday.
Inslee’s supplemental budget proposal for 2024 includes funding for the Washington State Patrol and adds a class for training cadets. The proposal also includes $10 million in grants to local government agencies to support recruitment and retention.
The speech highlighted Claudia Fuentes, an officer with the Pasco Police Department who recently graduated from the state’s regional training center in Pasco. In total, the Criminal Justice Training Commission will open four regional complexes in the state, including one in Vancouver.
“It was impossible for a parent to spend four and a half months away from home for training in Burien. But because we invested in these training centers, Officer Fuentes got to go home from the academy every night,” Inslee said. “And because she had this resource, the people of Pasco are safer.”
In the speech, Inslee called on legislators to enshrine abortion access into the state’s constitution, a proposal that would require two thirds approval from both chambers. If both chambers approved, a majority of voters would also need to support the amendment.
“Most in this room are committed to protecting that right, but none of us will hold these seats forever,” Inslee said. “We must face the reality that there are forces in our nation and in our own state intent on destroying the right of choice.”
During the speech, Inslee signaled his intention to address both high fuel costs and utility bills, which includes a proposed $200 utility credit for low and moderate-income residents. The speech touted a state program geared towards farmworkers, which funded new rooftop solar panels for Elisa Garcia, a farmworker in Toppenish.
“Her home now produces 100% of its energy from her own roof,” Inslee said. “Her family’s energy bills are zero and it would not have been possible without this Legislature.”
Following a summer of gas prices that at times were the highest in the nation, Inslee called for additional “price transparency.”
“I understand why people are frustrated about gas prices,” Inslee said. “The oil and gas industry’s books are closed to the public. It’s time for transparency and accountability.”
