Rep. McClintock talks about some of the major issues the Legislature will be addressing this session

[Music] hello and welcome to the 2024 legislative session it's exciting to be back in Olympia working for you I'm honored to be your state representative we're already 10 days into this short session and we Face many difficult challenges which require meaningful solutions to fix Washington one of the major issues we face is the alarming rise in crime in our state over the past 5 years criminal activi is EXP exploded with homicides up 96% since 2019 our state also ranks number two for property crime number three for auto theft and number one for retail theft no surprise we are ranked number 51 in police officers per capita and 61% of crimes go unsolved state and local law enforcement agencies require more officers and sound public policy to provide the resources to properly protect our communities Republicans have have filed several bills this session that would improve Public Safety additionally our state is at the epicenter of a fentanyl crisis the amount of fentanyl seized by the DEA in our state has increased 1,670 per since 2019 opioid deaths have more than doubled since 2019 and we've also experienced the number one largest increase in drug overdose deaths of any state this past year again Republicans have several bills filed that would help address these issues our most vulnerable face homelessness and mental health issues House Republicans have introduce bills to make it easier to build new homes create new tax credit to incentivize landlords to lower or freeze rents and to help local governments address homeless encampments housing and transportation costs 30% more in Washington state compared to the national average and we now pay the third highest gas prices in the nation Republicans have filed several several bills to address affordability including legislation to combat high taxes and burdensome regulations that have driven up costs the climate commitment act or the cap and trade program implemented on January 1 2023 has been particularly harmful and is driving up costs Republicans are working to provide relief through House Bill 2040 known as the carbon auction rebate program this newly introduced bill would give a significant rebate check to the 6.8 million V registered vehicle owners in the state we must provide real solutions to the people we serve by lowering inflated prices for struggling families and businesses creating more affordable housing for those who require emergency help and providing meaningful assistance to help those with mental health needs lastly we must do more for our young people over the past decade K12 spending has grown exponentially while academic performance is plummeted right now 60% of students are failing math and 50% are failing reading scores are even worse for minority and low-income children who fell further behind their peers during the prolonged school closures and public schools have recently lost over 60,000 students suggesting that families are not satisfied with the education they're receiving again we have introduced several bills this session that would help fix education we have a lot to cover in the next 60 days as we work together to make Washington a better place to live for every everyone you can stay up to date with what's happening this session by visiting the web address below I hope you will reach out to me with your ideas and concerns this session it's an honor to serve you