PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — With the Washington state legislative session now underway, Gov. Jay Inslee delivered his State of the State Address Tuesday afternoon.
The in-person event in Olympia gave Inslee a chance to lay out his legislative priorities which include addressing homelessness, economic disparities, climate change and COIVD-19 recovery for schools.
On Tuesday, Inslee described some of his budget plans on Twitter which includes investing $815 million in safe housing for homeless, housing availability, and behavioral health services.
Inslee also noted issues around housing availability saying “we must pass legislation that removes antiquated barriers to middle housing options in our cities – such as duplexes and town homes – and provides more housing supply to make it available to all income levels.”
The governor’s budget plan also includes a reinvestment of $125 million to reduce poverty and social disparities.
Additionally, the governor proposed a $626 million investment towards climate – including $187 million towards Salmon recovery facing habitat loss and pollution, and nearly $1 billion towards clean transportation programs from federal and state funding.
“Together, we are charting a path to fight climate change by cutting greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030 and get to net-zero by 2050,” Inslee said.
Inslee also noted how students and schools have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and proposed investing $900 million in recovery efforts.
Last week Inslee said he wants lawmakers to pass legislation making it a gross misdemeanor for elected officials and candidates to spread lies about election results.
The Democratic governor spoke forcefully against what he called “a continuing coup” on the one-year anniversary of both the Capitol insurrection in Washington, D.C., and a protest where demonstrators breached the gate of the governor’s residence in Olympia.
In mid-December, Inslee proposed a plan to offer rebates for new and used electric vehicles, on top of the sales tax exemption that currently exists for such vehicles in the state, part of his overall climate plan.