Sen. Nathan Schlicher: Celebrate Washington State Parks' Centennial at Kopachuck, Joemma and Penrose

Hello Neighbors,

Together we often find better ideas and solutions than we can alone, and that is certainly the case in the Legislature. I want to thank you for your feedback and encourage you to stay in touch.

Let me know what you think

Getting out into the community and meeting with the men and women we represent is the best way for legislators to do their jobs. I value every opportunity to talk to you and look forward to our next meeting.

This Friday we will be meeting for our Coffee on the Corner at The Coffee Oasis in Bremerton from 3:30 to 5 p.m. I encourage all who have questions, concerns or suggestions to attend and I hope to see you all there.

Please stop by for a visit

If you aren’t able to make it out to our Coffee on the Corner but find yourself in Olympia, by all means stop by my office. Meeting and speaking to the men, women and children of the 26th district helps me get the best results for you and your neighbors.

On Tuesday I had the chance to meet with Kitsap County Assessor Jim Avery, local business owners Jeff and Suzanne Mehlert, their children Matthew and Makena, and their Italian exchange student Serena. What a fantastic opportunity to meet and talk with local leaders and business interests while at the same time showing children and visitors from other countries the beauty of our state Capitol. We have one of the most beautiful legislative buildings and Capitol campuses in the country and I encourage you to stop by and see for yourself.

Try your hand at balancing the budget

In the coming weeks, my colleagues and I will propose general fund, transportation and capital budgets for debate and passage. Last week, we learned that state revenue projections continue to hold steady without major losses or gains. While this does not make the already difficult situation worse, the state still faces a budget deficit of more than $1 billion. Combined with the need to meet the obligations of the McCleary decision, the Legislature will need to find more than $2 billion in reductions to produce a balanced budget for the 2013-15 biennium.

Earlier this month, the Seattle Times offered its readers an opportunity to face the challenge of balancing the state budget. Their budget calculator allows you to add revenue and cut programs in an attempt to balance spending and income. I encourage you to try your hand at balancing the budget and experience for yourself the challenge before us as you weigh the various services provided by your state government.

Washington businesses earn tax credits for hiring hard-to-place job seekers

Washington businesses received a record $66 million in tax credits from the federal government for the 2011 tax-filing season for hiring hard-to-place job seekers.

The Work Opportunity Tax Credit rewards employers who hire military veterans, the disabled, ex-inmates, food-stamp recipients and individuals who receive Supplemental Security Income.  The tax credit can range from $2,400 to $9,600 for each eligible new hire.

The state’s Employment Security Department administers the program here in Washington. The department received nearly 49,000 applications for the 2011 credit from more than 2,000 Washington businesses, and it certified that 25,300 of the hires qualified for the tax credit.

This program is a win-win – it helps employers with their taxes and it helps people find jobs.

Celebrating centennial of Washington State Parks

This year we celebrate the 100th anniversary of Washington’s state parks system, which was created March 19, 1913. The 26th district’s Kopachuck, Joemma Beach, Blake Island and Penrose Point State Parks, join more than 100 developed state parks covering more than 110,000 acres and we need to make investments in them to ensure that they are preserved for generations to come to enjoy them just as we do.

In the last few years, budget cuts have prevented us from making improvements necessary to keep our parks affordable, accessible and of high quality. Our priorities are to fix and maintain the parks we have now, upgrade capacity at our parks to meet growing demand, and add new trails and services and work toward opening new parks in the future. Through a mix of public funds, user fees and privately raised money, we can keep our state parks as wonderful resources.

As always, if you have an idea or a concern, send me an email or give me a phone call. I want to hear from you.

Thank you,

Nathan

-Office of Sen. Nathan Schlicher