Ramel | Strong communities start with stable funding

||| FROM REP. ALEX RAMEL |||

Across the 40th District, the last several months have been a powerful reminder of why sustainable, equitable revenue is essential to our wellbeing. Whether we’re talking about stable access to healthcare, the future of childcare in our communities, or the construction of desperately needed affordable homes, one theme continues to surface: Washington cannot meet these needs without a reliable revenue system – one that is fair, modern, and able to withstand the kinds of federal chaos we have experienced over the past year.

As you know, the recently concluded Republican shutdown of the federal government – and the Trump administration’s budget bill, HR 1  – created deep uncertainty and real harm for Washington families. Even after the government reopened, thousands of our neighbors were still recovering from missed paychecks, delayed benefits, and fear about losing access to basic services. HR 1’s cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act subsidies are especially devastating: nearly all Medicaid enrollees in Washington will have to reapply, 180,000 people are expected to lose coverage entirely, and 286,000 Washingtonians who rely on ACA subsidies face skyrocketing premiums. These cuts will push more uninsured people into emergency rooms, overwhelm rural healthcare systems, and cause some clinics to close.

This is happening at the same time families – particularly in places like the San Juan Islands – are seeing steep increases in insurance premiums and fewer available providers. This makes our work at the state level even more urgent. We must strengthen affordability where we can act. And that requires stable, sustainable revenue.

During this legislative interim, I visited projects across Skagit, Whatcom, and the Islands that highlight how state investment – paired with local leadership, can deliver real, lasting benefits for our communities. Each of these projects is possible only because Washington has continued to protect essential services and invest in people. And each of them is a reminder that we must continue pushing for a revenue system capable of supporting healthcare, housing, childcare, clean air and water, and the services families rely on.

Kulshan View Housing Project – Mount Vernon

I began the interim with Community Action of Skagit County, meeting with Executive Director Bill Henkel, Housing Project Development Director Michele Metcalf, and Community Engagement Director Elizabeth Jennings to discuss the Kulshan View Housing Project. This important effort received $442,000 in the 2025–27 capital budget. In 2022, Community Action acquired a 1.5-acre lot adjacent to La Venture Middle School and near Skagit Valley College. Their plan is a strategic, two-phase development that will create 48 affordable homes – 24 in the first phase and 24 in the second. The partnership with the Mount Vernon School District means these homes will serve families with the greatest need, pairing housing with supportive services designed to help families stabilize, grow, and thrive. This is the kind of project that breaks cycles of housing insecurity, and it relies on sustained, predictable state investment.

The Millworks – Bellingham

Next, I visited The Millworks, a project of the Whatcom Community Foundation, where I met with CEO Mauri Ingram. Backed by prior $3 million in 2025–27 Capital Budget for environmental remediation, Millworks is an example of community revitalization done right.

Mercy Housing, one of the nation’s leading nonprofit housing developers, has supported more than 152,000 people and helped build or preserve over 48,200 affordable homes across the country. Their involvement brings deep experience in providing stable housing for families, seniors, and people overcoming homelessness. Millworks will transform an underutilized site into a vibrant mix of housing, childcare, and workforce development opportunities showing how local ambition flourishes when state partnerships are strong.

Laurel Forest – Bellingham

I also visited Laurel Forest, a brand-new affordable housing community for residents 55 and older. This innovative, multigenerational site includes an adjacent childcare center reflecting the reality that the needs of families and older adults are interconnected. I met with Opportunity Council Executive Director Greg Winter, Laurel Forest property manager Sally Wolff, and Early Learning Director Meghan Willette, who shared how this project is already strengthening community ties.

Families gain greater access to childcare, older adults gain stable housing near services, and the city gains an accessible model of community design that reduces isolation and improves quality of life. These are the kinds of projects we should be replicating statewide.

Samish Child Care & Education Center – Anacortes

Finally, I met with leaders from the Samish Indian Nation, including Infrastructure and Resources Executive Director Todd Woodard and Early Head Start educator Shannon Smith, to see the development of the new Samish Child Care & Education Center. Purchased with state capital budget dollars, and championed by Senator Lovelett, Representative Lekanoff, and me, this center replaces the former D Avenue Nursery, which closed in 2020.

Anacortes faces one of the most urgent childcare shortages in Washington. When this project started, roughly 1,000 children under school age lived in Anacortes, but only 12% had access to full-time, licensed childcare. That’s less than half the statewide average, which is already considered a crisis. Families cannot return to work, and children cannot access the early learning opportunities they deserve, without expanding childcare capacity. The Samish Nation is stepping up to fill that need, and the state must be a reliable partner.

Why Sustainable Revenue Matters Now More Than Ever

These projects: homes for working families and older adults, childcare centers, environmental cleanup, and community redevelopment, are all examples of what happens when our state invests intentionally and sustainably in people. But Washington’s tax code is nearly a century old, deeply regressive, and increasingly unable to support the real needs of a rapidly growing state.

Over the past decade, nearly a million new residents have made Washington home, increasing demand for housing, schools, healthcare, childcare, behavioral health services, clean energy, and transportation. Yet our upside-down tax structure asks the most from working families while the wealthiest pay the least. This starves essential services and leaves our progress vulnerable every time federal instability or a recession hits.

House Democrats have worked for decades to fix this inequity. The revenue package passed in 2025 balances immediate needs with some smart reforms. It modernizes the tax code, took a step toward ensuring the wealthiest households and most profitable corporations contribute fairly, and protects the most critical services our communities rely on.

But this work is not finished. As Washington faces federal cuts to healthcare and public services, we must double down on our commitment to progressive, sustainable revenue sources that protect families, strengthen local economies, and ensure every Washingtonian – no matter their zip code – can thrive.

As the 2026 legislative session approaches, I will continue fighting for a fairer, more stable system that reflects our communities’ values and supports the future we want to build together.