On Sunday, the Washington State Legislature approved the 2019-21 capital budget. The $4.9 billion budget funds public works projects statewide, as well as other long-term investments.

Washington’s 25th Legislative District will receive nearly $25 million in local project funding. Some of these investments include:

• A total of $8.8 million for Pierce College Puyallup, which will fund various projects, such as the predesign and design of a new science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) building, parking expansion, building repairs, and more;
• $1.75 million for the Legacy in Motion project by Step by Step, a nonprofit dedicated to helping at-risk mothers and their families;
• $258,000 to improve the play area, ADA accessibility and signage at Tacoma’s Dawson Park;
• $258,000 to upgrade street frontages along the WSU-Puyallup Research and Extension Center campus;
• $258,000 to restore and enhance Wapato Creek and salmon habitats, remove derelict buildings, expand Fife’s trail system, and provide safe routes to school for two neighborhoods; and
• $52,000 to remodel the post kitchen at the Puyallup VFW.

Twenty-fifth District Reps. Kelly Chambers and Chris Gildon, both R-Puyallup, released the following statement:

“The new, two-year capital budget reflects our priorities as a community and state. We continue to make public education our top priority by making record investments of $1.1 billion in K-12 school construction. In an effort to fix the governor’s broken mental health system, we also provide $308 million to improve our state’s psychiatric hospitals and build out our mental and behavioral health safety net. Nearly $975 million is routed to our higher education institutions, while $175 million will help construct affordable housing. Unlike the operating budget, this is a strong, bipartisan budget that will have a positive, long-term impact on our district and state.

“We also worked with fellow 25th District Sen. Hans Zeiger to secure funding for a number of important projects in our communities. These investments will help our most vulnerable and veterans, make our parks more accessible, restore salmon habitat, and much more. We were glad to support this budget, and we look forward to seeing these funds make a lasting difference in our communities.”

For a full list of projects funded in the 25th Legislative District, visit
https://fiscal.wa.gov/BudgetCProjList.aspx and select “25th Legislative District.”

The 25th Legislative District includes Puyallup, South Hill, Summit, Waller, Midland, Fife, and part of Parkland.

The 2019-21 capital budget awaits the governor’s signature.