Rep. Leonard Christian announces 4th District projects in House supplemental capital budget

February 19, 2024

The Washington State House of Representatives unveiled its 2024 supplemental capital budget proposal today.

Rep. Leonard Christian, a member of the House Capital Budget Committee, highlighted projects for the 4th Legislative District, including:

  • $10 million for the Seven Nations Healing Lodge youth expansion to help improve behavioral healthcare.  
  • $1 million for Broadway Senior Housing, a 60-unit affordable senior housing complex.
  • $300,000 to design and implement accessibility for Scale House Market and Kitchen, including ADA parking accommodations and exterior lighting.
  • $258,000 for a playground at Intersection Preschool and Daycare.

“This proposal will reinvest state dollars back into our community,” said Christian, R-Spokane Valley. “I’d like to thank the hard work of everyone on the committee who helped put together this bipartisan spending proposal.”   

The $1.27 billion statewide spending plan invests heavily in K-12 school construction, mental health facilities, housing, and early learning facilities.

About 8% ($101.5 million) of this supplemental budget is funded with general obligation bonds. Article VIII, Section I of the Washington State Constitution requires a three-fifths vote to contract debt, which passed during the 2023 session.  

Statewide highlights from House Bill 2089 include:

  • K-12 School Construction
    • $162 million for the Small District and Tribal Compact Schools Modernization program, which provides planning and construction grants for school districts with fewer than 1,000 students and that have significant building deficiencies.
    • $55 million to improve school districts’ indoor air quality and energy efficiency, with much of the grant funds going to school districts with 3,000 enrollments or less.
    • $18.5 million for the School District Health and Safety program, which makes available emergency repair, urgent repair, and equal access grants to school districts.
    • $13.5 million for Career and Technical Education projects at Skills Centers and Technical Schools.
    • $1 million for the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction to develop a proposal to replace the School Construction Assistance Program with a new formula that recognizes variation in district sizes and debt capacity.
  • Behavioral Health Treatment
    • $83.7 million would be directly distributed to community behavioral health projects across the state, including the purchase of the Madrona Recovery Facility in Brush Prairie.
    • $44.5 million for the purchase and modernization of the Olympic Heritage Behavioral Health facility in Tukwila previously acquired by the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS).
  • Housing
    • $153 million for the Housing Trust Fund, including:
      • $25 million for homeownership opportunities;
      • $20 million for housing for those with developmental disabilities; and
      • $13.5 million for the acquisition and preservation of mobile homes.
  • Department of Commerce Community Grant Programs
    • $50 million for the Early Learning Facilities grant program to expand access to affordable childcare.
    • $44.2 million for local and community projects statewide.
  • Energy
    • $25 million for Energy Northwest to leverage federal funding from the U.S. Department of Energy.
    • $149 million for community electric vehicle charging and renewable energy infrastructure.
    • $13.3 million for local emission reduction projects to convert or upgrade to higher efficiency heating systems.
  • Natural Resources
    • $22.2 million to the Brian Abbott Fish Barrier Removal Board to continue assisting local governments in removing fish barriers.
    • $11.1 million to the Estuary and Salmon Restoration Program for the restoration of shorelines and nearshore habitats critical to salmon.
    • $8 million for the Washington Coastal Restoration and Resiliency Initiative program, restoring shorelines and habitat on the coast.

The House Capital Budget Committee has scheduled a public hearing for the budget proposal on Tuesday, Feb. 20, at 8 a.m. 

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