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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
The 2016 legislative session is in full swing as we complete Week 3. I have introduced by first legislation as your state representative for the 30th District. What this means is that I have sponsored bills I am confident will move forward in the legislative process and be adopted as Washington state law. This email update will provide you with information on this legislation.
I had the privilege of hosting Milton's Mayor Debra Perry, photo, in Olympia. Spending time learning about the needs of the small cities I service is important to me.
As always, I thank you for taking the time to read my email updates. I encourage you to stay connected or come visit me in Olympia. Please feel free to share with your family, friends and neighbors, and encourage them to subscribe. They can do so by clicking here. I recommend that you follow my Sound Cloud page to hear audio updates from Olympia. You can do so by clicking here.
I encourage you to join me in the legislative process.
My first legislation as your state representative
The bill is HB 2877. We have many people living within limited economic means, including our elderly population, in our district. It is important that these clients have better access to nutritional products, especially healthy fruits and vegetables under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Currently, the SNAP program only allows recipients to participate during a short ten day window of time. This creates a challenge for distributers to keep shelves stocked and limited supplies for recipients, as well as a challenge for store customer service. My bill asks the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) to extend the current availability timeframe from 10 days to 25 days. It is important that access to food and particularly healthy produce is available.
If you would like to provide a testimony on the importance of this bill, a public hearing in the House Committee on Early Learning and Human Services is scheduled on Feb. 2 at 8:00 a.m.
The power of industry leaders educating our kids
We are experiencing a large teacher shortage in our district and throughout our state. It is important to hire and retain qualified and educated substitute teachers to help fill this void. I have introduced HB 2921 which will increase the career opportunities for industry leaders to become substitute teachers in our schools. My bill will make sure our kids have the best education and aren't just being babysat. It is a true gift to our youth to have industry experts helping educate their bright minds.
Guests from around our district
I encourage everyone to come to Olympia! My door is always open and I look forward to seeing and speaking with you.
Sincerely,
Teri Hickel
