Hello –

It might be the last month of the year, but we’ve accomplished some huge things this December.

We passed the Respect for Marriage Act to protect the fundamental rights of marriage equality for same-sex and interracial couples under federal law. I was proud to cast my vote in support and even more proud to see this critical piece of legislation signed into law.

The Respect for Marriage Act:

Repeals the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act.
Protects marriage equality at the federal level.
Provides additional protections at the state level by prohibiting any person acting under state law from denying full faith and credit to an out-of-state marriage based on factors of sex, race, and other protected identities.

We built upon the strides we have already made to protect women’s rights, voting rights, and environmental protections but there is still more to do. On protecting our children and families, there are nearly 3 million DREAMers in the US, but only 600,000 are currently protected under DACA. We must call on the Senate to codify the DREAM Act now.

We must also continue to fight for expansion of the Child Tax Credit by the end of this year. I have been a vocal proponent for this legislation that has lifted millions children and families out of poverty, but we cannot allow this critical benefit to continue to lapse.

And lastly for our communities here in Washington – earlier this year we secured $7 million in community projects funding for local projects such as:

Expansion of Sauk-Suiattle Recreation Center
Community and Emergency Operations Center in Carnation
Sky Valley Teen Center
Snohomish Health District Telehealth Project
Early Learning Center at Lake Washington Institute of Technology
Mount Vernon Library Commons and more!

This is what we have been able to accomplish together, I can’t wait to see what the next year brings.

– Suzan