OLYMPIA — Bob Ferguson’s first action as Washington’s 24th governor will be to issue three executive orders, he announced Wednesday during his inaugural speech.
Ferguson’s day one orders will direct various agencies and stakeholders to evaluate current housing and permitting processes for efficiency, and will create a roundtable to review and recommend strategies to protect “reproductive freedom” — signaling what may be in store during the upcoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump.
The orders will:
“We’ll establish quick and transparent deadlines for all agencies to meet — and if an agency doesn’t meet its deadline, they’ll refund your application fee,” he said.
The signing of all three executive orders will take place immediately following the end of his speech, he said.
Ferguson also reiterated his priorities Wednesday as the state’s top chief, including housing affordability, universal free lunches for all students and public safety.
Lt. Gov. Denny Heck, who has supported the Legislature in the past few sessions on housing issues, recently presented Ferguson with a 42-page report outlining recommendations to combat the state’s housing crisis. Adopting those recommendations, Ferguson said, is a top priority. Many of those policies are currently part of the Legislature’s efforts to expand housing, and include efforts to expand transit-oriented projects, providing local governments with the tools they need to expand housing supply and protecting both renters and small landlords.
Ferguson is calling on the Legislature to adopt legislation to make school lunches free for all students in the state, and said he is working with Sen. Marcus Riccelli, D-Spokane, and Rep. April Berg, D-Mill Creek, to ensure the proposal passes this year.
“Right now, if you’re a single parent working full time making 19 bucks an hour, your child doesn’t qualify for free meals,” said Ferguson. “That’s unacceptable. That needs to change. This will improve learning for kids, and save time and money for working parents.”
He also noted that any budget he signs “must” include funding for the hiring of more law enforcement officers in the state. Ferguson proposed $100 million in his budget outline released last week, and Sen. Jeff Holy, R-Cheney, has already introduced Senate Bill 5060 as the vehicle for the funding of the grant program. The bill directs the Criminal Justice Training Commission to develop and implement the program to support Tribal and local governments.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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