One year ago today, I was sworn in as governor of the great state of Washington — and what a year it has been.

We made historic investments in education — without cuts to vital services. We passed important legislation that will protect the future of Washington’s aerospace industry. We implemented a health insurance exchange that is the envy of the nation.

But the Washington Supreme Court underscored last week that we have a lot more to do. According to the court, we are not moving fast enough to fund basic costs. We must show “immediate, concrete action… not simply promises.”

That’s why I am proposing that this legislative session we approve $200 million for school districts and fund a voter-mandated cost-of-living adjustment for our educators. And I propose we pay for it by eliminating tax breaks and loopholes that, when weighed against our moral and legal obligation to educate Washington’s kids, fall short.

Are you with me? Sign on as a citizen endorser of my 2014 agenda today and show that you’re committed to do what we have to do in 2014 to build a working Washington.

Of course, we also need to pass the DREAM Act, and send thousands more young Washingtonians to college.

We need to pass a new transportation package and prevent dozens of key thoroughfares from becoming structurally deficient.

We need to raise our state’s minimum wage, an immediate step to begin correcting 50 years of widening income inequality.

We need to make good on Washington’s chance to lead our country and the world in realizing the possibilities of a new, clean energy economy.

And we need to build on our momentum and take steps to improve childhood health, drive down the cost of healthcare, and better serve patients by helping integrate care across providers.

None of these will be easy to do — but all of them are worth doing, and I will need your support to accomplish any of them.

Will you sign on today as a citizen endorser of my 2014 agenda, and show that you’re with me?

I know it’s an ambitious agenda for a 60-day legislative session, but I didn’t run for governor because it would be easy. This is Washington, and when we work together, we really can do big things.

Thanks for your continued support, and for joining me today on the next step of our journey together.

Let’s go get ’em!

Jay Inslee
Governor