Priorities | Governor Bob Ferguson

Bob is fighting to make state government more efficient and effective and center the people in every decision. He’s focused on speeding up government and solving problems. His priorities include making housing more affordable, improving public safety, strengthening education, and reducing costs for Washington families. He’s proposed reforms to address the ferries crisis, increase well-trained law enforcement, and adopt universal free school lunches for all Washington K-12 students. He will protect Washingtonians’ core freedoms, including the right to access reproductive health care.

Education

Governor Ferguson is committed to strengthening K-12 education in Washington. He agrees with the Washington State Constitution which declares that “It is the paramount duty of the state to make ample provision for the education of all children residing within its borders, without distinction or preference on account of race, color, caste, or sex.”

His plan is to invest a higher percentage of the total budget in K-12 education to ensure a strong start for Washington's youngest residents.

Public Safety

The cornerstone of Gov. Ferguson’s public safety plan is to increase the number of law enforcement personnel in Washington– including state law enforcement agencies, and helping local governments hire more police officers. Ferguson’s plan includes a $100 million grant program to help understaffed local governments hire more officers. He will also hire additional Washington State Patrol Troopers dedicated to solving auto thefts and hate crimes, and adding resources to a unit in the Department of Corrections responsible for pursuing at-large offenders with active arrest warrants.

Ferguson’s plan focuses on the following strategies:

Increase the number of well-trained police officers and state troopers.
Continue to use the $1.2 billion settlement Ferguson recovered while Attorney General from opioid companies that fueled the epidemic, to implement a fentanyl crisis response plan that includes treatment and law enforcement cooperation.
Combat gun violence and reduce incidents of gun violence and harm, investing in proven solutions and community violence prevention programs.
Pursue and arrest at-large offenders with active arrest warrants for violating the terms of their parole – individuals who are too often falling through the system’s cracks.
Equip law enforcement with improved technology and data, better training and access to mental health and services that will help improve accountability, advance equity, and focus on crime prevention, not just crime response.
Invest in upstream solutions, including youth engagement and outreach, behavioral health interventions, and non-armed response personnel that de-escalate situations, provide needed support to vulnerable people, and allow law enforcement to focus on crime prevention and response.

Housing

Addressing Washington's housing shortage is key for Governor Ferguson. In the next 20 years, Washington will need 1.1 million more homes, at least half of which will need to be affordable for residents at the lowest income levels. Gov. Ferguson has set a bold and necessary goal of building 200,000 housing units in Washington over the next four years. The plan to build these units is support by:

Making a historic investment in the Housing Trust Fund (HTF) to build and preserve affordable housing for marginalized communities and create new opportunities for low-income home ownership.
Extending affordable housing through the Connecting Housing to Infrastructure Program (CHIP), supporting affordable housing development by funding utility connection and reducing related fees for affordable and multifamily units.
Creating the Supporting Housing Affordability Infrastructure Program which will work in tandem with CHIP to address root causes of housing instability in Washington.

Ferries

Governor Ferguson is committed to improving the reliability of the Washington ferry system. Ferries are an economic lifeline for families, communities, and businesses. Washingtonians rely on our marine highway system to access essentials like health care, childcare, educational opportunities, and jobs.

He plans is to invest nearly $20 million in Washinton State Ferries, increasing reliability through increased retention and recruitment of crew members, renewing year-round interisland services, and increasing winter service on the Anacortes-San Juan route.

Affordability

Governor Ferguson's plan around affordability centers people and benefits families by feeding students and giving families options for childcare. He is committed to driving affordability and wellness for Washingtonians of every age and proposes two investments to affect affordability:

Guaranteed universal school lunches for Washington's public school students

An annual invest of $120 million expands the "Meals for Kids" program to ensure universal free healthy meals at breakfast and lunch. The expansion allows an additional 325,000 Washington students access to free meals. It also reduces the monthly grocery spend by nearly $1,200 annually for Washington families, who have the fourth-highest weekly grocery bill of the 48 contiguous U.S. States.

Expansion of childcare eligibility for employees of small businesses.

Through expansion of the Working Connections childcare program, Gov. Ferguson is supporting families and small businesses. With a $100 million investment, more families with children 12 and younger will have access to lower-cost childcare. Previously only families with an income up to 60% could benefit from the program. Gov. Ferguson's plan includes families with an income that is up to 75% of the state's median income and with at least one parent working for a small business for the program. The expansion supports families and small business growth, as families will have more childcare options, and small businesses will find it easier to recruit and retain talented employees.