Today brought a final hurrah for Washington Governor Jay Inslee, who is leaving office after 12 years. He gave a farewell speech to a joint session of the legislature.
Jay Inslee recalled that, 35 years ago this week, he became a legislator for the first time. He says a lot has changed since then.
“We used to be a state that didn't fund early child education until a champion named Representative June Leonard started moving the needle. We didn't have outdoor heat protections for our farm workers. We didn't have paid family leave, a public health option, or a strategy to end youth homelessness," he said.
Inslee mentioned Washington's adoption of same-sex marriage as one of many signs that the state is moving forward. He also referred to action taken on his signature issue, climate change, the issue on which he based his short 2019 presidential campaign.
“On the news the other morning from Los Angeles, there was a woman fleeing the fires who turned around to go back to help save her neighbor's house. And they asked her why she did that. She said, I just could not sit there and do nothing. When she said that, I thought of our state, about how we are doing something, a big-time something," he said, referring to the effort to build a green energy economy.
Inslee also looked ahead in his address. He acknowledged that the state faces a multi-billion dollar deficit in its next budget and that some spending should be cut. But he urge legislators to be strategic about it.
“We have a strong economy, so why would we consider cuts to programs like housing or mental and behavioral health services at a time like this? Not when we're finally seeing progress, not when the number of people needing these services is increasing, not when these programs are saving lives and making our community safer and healthier," he said.
Inslee noted that many people listening in the House chamber were new legislators, eager to make their mark on the world.
"To the new leaders here today, I say this, you will inevitably face frustration. You will struggle with the tyranny of the status quo. Do not lose patience. Do not trade in courage for comfort. Never forget that Martin Luther King said, the moral arc of the universe bends slowly but steadily towards justice if we bend it," he said.
On Wednesday morning, Inslee will hand the reins of the governor’s office to fellow Democrat Bob Ferguson. He will take the oath and then deliver his inaugural address.
