Washington State Senate Democrats: Ken Jacobsen

Statement from Sen. Jacobsen on his retirement from the Legislature

Senate Democrats — Mon, 17 May 2010 20:32:00 GMT

"After careful thought and consideration I have decided that this year will be my last year serving as a state legislator. Therefore, I will not be seeking re-election to the Washington State Senate.

"It has been an honor and privilege to represent the 46^th Legislative District for the past 28 years. The job has been wonderful, but at times very stressful. My high blood pressure has forced me to reassess my priorities, especially after it was responsible for a brief stay in the hospital this past October. I'm proud of my work on behalf of veterans, the environment, higher education, holocaust education, gender equity in college sports and helping to solve my constituents' problems.

"This has been the best job of my life, and I'm honored that voters of the 46^th Legislative District have supported me for so long. I have strived to serve with dignity, integrity and passion.”

After 28 years of service, Sen. Ken Jacobsen, D-Seattle, has many legislative accomplishments to his name, including:

The establishment of the Veteran’s Conservation Corps, which provides natural resources restoration training and volunteer for veterans to. The program not only helps to prepare veterans for future employment, but studies have shown working in outdoor settings aid veterans who are dealing with stress and PTSD issues. Sen. Patty Murray recently introduced similar legislation on the federal level
The creation of Salmon Recovery Funding Board, the state’s primary system for salmon recovery. Its work has increased spawning Chinook salmon in the Puget Sound by 84 percent.
Closing the gender divide by requiring colleges to provide athletic opportunities for men and women at the same rate as high school participation. The measure also provided incentives to encourage schools to expand athletic programs for women.

Blog: Federal health care reform

Senate Democrats — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 18:30:00 GMT

This week Congress passed the biggest piece of legislation that our country has seen since Medicare passed in 1965. The very next day, Attorney General Rob McKenna announced that he would be joining a host of other AGs around the country in challenging this measure in court. Gov. Gregoire, the Speaker of the House and Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown denounced these efforts. You can find the letter Sen. Brown wrote to the AG here.
I applaud their efforts.

Skyrocketing health care costs are a drain on our economy and our state budget. The federal legislation will, in time, drive down costs and make the system work for everyone.

News: Forestry conservation incentives bill protects public resources and private working forest lands

Senate Democrats — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 21:07:00 GMT

The Legislature unanimously passed ESHB 2541 (companion bill was SB 6256), the forestry conservation incentives bill last week, which recognizes the multiple conservation values that occur for the public from a vibrant working forest land base, as well as an important source of jobs and revenue to the state. The bill finds that working forests are important for the quality of life of all Washingtonians, and sustainable forestry practices will help to preserve Washington’s natural landscapes and ecosystems by keeping forestry as a priority land use.

The legislation, co-sponsored by Sen. Ken Jacobsen, D-Seattle, promotes development of conservation incentive proposals that support forest landowners in maintaining their land in forestry.

“It is absolutely in our best interest to support the $17 billion forest products industry. This industry provides over 100,00 jobs, many in districts that have very little other economic opportunities,” Jacobsen said.

Jacobsen’s bill recognizes the importance of emerging ecosystem services markets and places emphasis on accessing capital to finance ecosystem services. The bill also requires the Department of Natural Resources to develop a report on conservation incentives which protect, restore and maintain the ecological values that the public enjoys, such as recreation, clean water, renewable energy, carbon storage and habitat for fish and wildlife.

The report developed by the Department will be in consultation with the Forest Practices Board, Indian tribes, small forest landowners, conservation groups, industrial foresters and state, federal and local government. The proposals will be presented to the Governor and Legislature by December 31, 2011.

News: Senate passes bill to help preserve falconries in Washington

Senate Democrats — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 23:00:00 GMT

Falconers would be able to raise money for their 3,000-year-old sport through a new fee program under legislation passed today by the Senate.

“Falconry is an art. Falconers must train a bird to fly free, hunt for prey and willingly return to captivity,” said Sen. Ken Jacobsen, D-Seattle. “It’s a historic sport. You find references to it in the Magna Carta. We should do everything we can to support it.”

Senate Bill 6644 creates a $100 falconry 2- year permit issued through the Department of Fish & Wildlife. This permit will be available only through the state department once the federal government discontinues their falconry permit.

Jacobsen was moved to propose the legislation after a fall visit with the Washington Falconers Association.

“It’s not very often that groups ask to pay for permits, but with state and federal funding drying up the falconers knew that this would be a responsible way to ensure that they continue to enjoy their sport,” Jacobsen said.

The measure passed the Senate 38-8 and now moves to the House of Representatives for consideration.

Present state initiative process hinders state governing

Senate Democrats — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 19:28:00 GMT

Note: this opinion editorial was originally published by the Mercer Island Reporter and other local weekly newspapers

In 1912 some simple language amended our State’s constitution and created the initiative process. Ninety-eight years later, the process has rendered our state almost ungovernable by shifting power to a narrow spectrum of people whose aim is not to govern, but to strangle government altogether.

Initiatives are a big business in Washington. Since 2002, nearly $7.2 million has been paid to companies whose only business is gathering signatures to put measures on the ballot – and these measures always promise lower taxes. Sometimes they fail but when a measure passes, it ties the hands of your elected representatives. Of course, whether they pass or fail, these companies still make money.

At times, the results are absurd. In 2007, voters approved I-960 limiting the state’s ability to raise revenue by requiring a two-thirds vote by the Legislature – the same supermajority that is required to amend the constitution – or a vote by the people. But voters are concerned with more than just lowering their tax bills. They also approved I-728 to require smaller class sizes in schools. They also upheld the estate tax, dedicating its revenue to education. In the same year they passed I-960, they approved a measure that requires new levels of training for homecare workers that carried a $49 million price tag.

The combination of popular demand for policy mandates and initiatives that restrict revenue is crippling. Tying the hands of public officials threatens the very existence of programs approved by voters. Like all Washington voters you want better schools for your children, access to health care and the social services that make our communities strong, and you consistently vote for representatives who work for these ends. But these days there’s always someone telling you, in effect, that you shouldn’t have to pay for it.

For several years, I’ve introduced a constitutional amendment to end these initiatives. My ongoing efforts are not about taking the power away from the voters. In fact, I have always trusted voters to make their opinions known every November. What I don’t trust is the profit-making dynamic that has hijacked and mutated our initiative process.

The I-960 process undermines our constitutional right to a representative democracy by giving the minority the ability to determine policy. It also prevents logical and fair changes to our tax system as we work to address our state’s $2.6 billion shortfall. The initiative is so broad that it makes it nearly impossible to end tax loopholes that serve very narrow special interest groups to the detriment of our broader community. The value of some tax credits has evaporated over time, yet they continue to waste taxpayer dollars but are virtually impossible to eliminate after they have become obsolete. A return to majority rule with minority rights will reaffirm the rule of law as established by our state’s Constitution. Let your representatives do the job you elected them to do. Let them make the sometimes difficult decisions necessary to preserve your quality of life.

Amending I-960 is the first common-sense step.

News: Sen. Jacobsen introduces bill to create Washington Food Policy Council

Senate Democrats — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 23:55:00 GMT

Citing concerns with the safety and sustainability of our food chain, Sen. Ken Jacobsen, D-Seattle, introduced legislation today to create the Washington Food Policy Council.

“There is no single entity tasked with monitoring our food system; it falls to different federal, state and local agencies. This results in an inefficient and ineffective regulatory mess for our farmers and an unsafe food chain for our consumers,” Jacobsen said.

Jacobsen’s legislation would establish a Washington Food Policy Council tasked with working across all sectors of Washington’s food system to coordinate the expansion of production, consumption and access to Washington grown food.

“Washington spends $2 billion annually on obesity-related, preventable illnesses because many lack access to nutritious and affordable food. Our state is facing a record budget deficit. It’s time we take a look at solutions that will create long-term solutions,” Jacobsen said. “Promoting a healthy, sustainable food supply is good for the farmer, the consumer and the state’s budget coffers.”

News: 4th graders’ work pays off; Olympic marmot becomes state endemic mammal

Senate Democrats — Thu, 14 May 2009 17:02:00 GMT

OLYMPIA — An exercise in democracy came to fruition today when Gov. Chris Gregoire signed into law a bill proposed by the fourth-grade students of Wedgwood Elementary School in Seattle.

The students had contacted Sen. Ken Jacobsen, D-Seattle, to propose a bill declaring the Olympic marmot the endemic mammal to Washington. In response, Jacobsen introduced Senate Bill 5071 and invited a group from the class of fourth graders (now fifth graders) to come testify in favor of the bill.

When the governor signed the bill into law, many of the students were in attendance.

“It was a thrilling day for the students, their families, and their school,” said Jacobsen. “No education is better than a hands-on education. It has been such a pleasure to work with these students as they navigated the legislative process.”

Only 800 Olympic marmots are thought to be in existence, on the Olympic Peninsula and mostly on Hurricane Ridge. They are highly social creatures that form gregarious bonds between individuals in a family, identifying each other by touching noses and smelling cheeks.

The fifth graders’ travelled to Olympia and testified in front of Jacobsen’s committee. The field trip to Olympia was the culmination of their classroom’s state government unit.

“First and foremost, these students developed a true interest in this underappreciated mammal,” said Jacobsen. “This interest inspired them. They truly were dedicated to ensuring the Olympic marmot was recognized and honored by the state of Washington.”

The Olympic marmot joins the Willow Goldfinch, Steelhead Trout, Green Darner Dragonfly, Pacific Chorus Frog and Orca whale as official state animals.

News: Butternut tree dedication honors MLK, George Washington Bush

Senate Democrats — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 01:21:00 GMT

OLYMPIA – The dedication of a Bush butternut tree in honor of George Washington Bush and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. drew a diverse crowd of community leaders, historians, lawmakers and church leaders today to the Capitol Campus.

“We are here to honor two great men, a century apart, on whose shoulders we are standing,” said Sen. Rosa Franklin, D-Tacoma, one of two lawmakers who arranged the planting and dedication of the Bush Butternut on the west campus between the totem pole and the Veteran’s Memorial.

Sen. Ken Jacobsen, D-Seattle, the other lawmaker, said the 16-foot sapling “will be a real inspiration, and in the future we will meet here on other important occasions.”

Franklin laid the groundwork for the Arbor Day memorial with a Senate floor speech earlier this year on Martin Luther King Day. That speech focused on King, the world-renowned civil-rights leader and 1964 Nobel Peace Prize winner. Bush is less well known but no less important to Washingtonians.

The son of a slave and an Irish maid, Bush was a free African-American who traveled west with other American pioneers from Missouri looking to settle in the Oregon territory. Laws barring the ownership of land by African-Americans forced the party to settle north of the Columbia River in what is now Tumwater — the first Americans in this area. Bush ran a vast farm, opened two local mills and provided charity to other early settlers. Through an act of Congress, Bush would become the first Black man to own his property. Later, he would assist the territory in its bid for statehood..

Bush brought with him a butternut sapling that he planted on his Tumwater-area farm; the tree’s base is now 21 feet in circumference and is believed to be the oldest documented butternut in the nation. The sapling on the Capitol Campus grew from a nut near the original tree, which is among the largest of its species on record.

Many credit Bush, and the various fruits of his massive farms, with helping transform Washington into the major agricultural power for which it owes much of its growth and prosperity in the decades that followed. Many fruit trees from the Bush pioneer farm still live, though most of the farm is now occupied by the Olympia Airport. A monument to the Bush family can be found at the airport’s southeast corner.

News: 4th graders’ work pays off; Olympic marmot closer to being state endemic mammal

Senate Democrats — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 02:23:00 GMT

OLYMPIA — The fourth-grade students of Wedgwood Elementary School in Seattle contacted Sen. Ken Jacobsen, D-Seattle, to propose a bill declaring the Olympic marmot an endemic mammal to Washington. In response, Jacobsen introduced Senate Bill 5071 and invited the class to come testify in favor of the bill.

Tonight that measure was approved by the Senate on a 43 to 4.

There is thought to be only 800 Olympic marmots. The creatures are found on the Olympic Peninsula and in particular Hurricane Ridge. They are highly social creatures that form gregarious bonds between individuals in a family, identifying each other by touching noses and smelling cheeks. During the morning and afternoon on summer days they spend their time sunbathing on rocks and in the evening they return to their burrow.

“I commend these 4th graders for taking the time to learn about this state mammal and learn about the process of proposing a bill,” said Jacobsen. “No education is better than a hands-on education. It was such a pleasure to see them testify in front of my committee and to see their hard work pay off this evening.”

The students’ trip to Olympia was the culmination of their classroom State Government unit.

“First and foremost, these students developed a true interest in the Olympic marmot, an underappreciated mammal,” said Jacobsen. “These students, their parents, their school and I are extremely excited and motivated to see their proposed bill signed into law.”

If passed, the Olympic marmot would join the Willow Goldfinch, Steelhead Trout, Green Darner Dragonfly, Pacific Chorus Frog and Orca whale as official state animals.

News: Jacobsen bill would prohibit electronic billboards, improve safety

Senate Democrats — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 22:24:00 GMT

OLYMPIA — Electronic billboards take three times longer to observe than the amount of time it takes for an accident to occur. That is why Sen. Ken Jacobsen, D-Seattle, has introduced Senate Bill 6102 to prohibit the construction of digital billboards until January 2012.

“We’re hearing more and more concerns about the hazards these electronic billboards pose to drivers,” Jacobsen said. “We need more time to study the concerns.”

The federal government and the American Association of State Highways and Transportation Officials are reviewing the safety hazards associated with electronic billboards, and their reports are set to be released in 2009 and 2010.

Preliminary findings suggest the billboards pose a significant risk to drivers. Studies show drivers who take their eyes off the road for more than two seconds are far more likely to be involved in a crash or near crash. Digital billboards, on average, distract drivers for six seconds. Motorists instinctively stay focused on the signs to see what’s next. Commuters learn to tune out traditional boards because the message remains static, but digital signs change messages frequently, creating fresh, constant distractions.

“There is real concern that the industry will quickly swap out traditional billboards with electronic ones before we have the studies’ findings,” Jacobsen said. “We need to make sure that we do everything we can to ensure safety on our roads. Let’s slow the process down and take a real hard look at this situation.”