the BLOG

02/29/08

Dear Friends,

Today marks a new beginning for my website. I’ve invited members of the Cabinet and others to join me in creating a blog. We’ll discuss issues of the day and why they are important to the people of Washington. Be sure to check out these pages on a regular basis to hear these interesting and insightful perspectives.

Last week I joined my peers at the annual winter meeting of the National Governors Association in Washington, D.C. In addition to attending the meeting with my fellow governors to discuss common challenges and solutions on a host of issues, I also had the pleasure of co-chairing the NGA’s Economic Development and Commerce Committee. At this meeting we discussed transportation infrastructure and the future of the Highway Trust Fund with U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters.

While in Washington, D.C., I lobbied hard for:

• An economic stimulus package to provide funding for critical infrastructure projects that will put people to work earning regular paychecks.
• Reauthorizing the State Children’s Health Insurance Program and to prevent proposed regulations that will deny kids this essential health care coverage.
• Funding to pay for cleanup costs at Hanford that the federal government is responsible for and is slow in delivering.
• Funding for Byrne-JAG grant dollars to local sheriffs and police departments, dollars that are vital for collaboration among law enforcement, corrections, treatment and prevention programs.

In the coming weeks you will notice other changes to this website. We’re doing some spring cleaning and remodeling to make the site more useful, easier to navigate and better organized. I hope you will find this informative as we work together to build a better future for Washington families.

Chris