Gov. Gregoire�s response to federal emergency supplemental bill

For Immediate Release: June 30, 2008

OLYMPIA � Gov. Chris Gregoire today issued the following statement regarding congressional and presidential approval of the federal emergency supplemental bill:

�I applaud our congressional leaders, especially our state delegation, for moving so quickly to pass � and have the President sign � important legislation to allow us to continue to provide health care benefits to society�s most vulnerable and to provide extended benefits to the unemployed.

�Earlier this year, I testified before Congress calling on members to block draconian rules promulgated by the Administration that would have adversely affected health care for kids and our citizens who rely on Medicaid. If the rules were allowed to go into effect, they would have further eroded foster care services to over 200,000 children across the state and stripped more than $36 million a year now spent on programs for older adults and people with developmental and other disabilities. I am pleased to see these and other rules to protect health care benefits will remain funded.

�The extension of unemployment benefits will provide affected Washingtonians with an additional 13 weeks of benefits. Although our state�s economy is in better shape than most of the nation, there are areas of our state where it�s harder for people to find work, and these benefits will provide additional support for affected families. Our Employment Security Department is preparing to contact everyone who is eligible for the extended benefits so they can get the help they need.

�While the emergency supplemental bill provides some needed relief to domestic programs, I continue to call on the federal government to invest in a second economic stimulus package to fund ready-to-go infrastructure projects that will make our economy stronger and generate jobs and paychecks.�

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