EXPANDING ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL
Unemployment Down to 4.8%: The unemployment rate in Washington has declined from 8.3% to 4.8% since 1993. 413,900 New Jobs: 413,900 new jobs have been created in Washington since 1993 -- an average of 64,504 jobs per year. 372,200 New Private Sector Jobs: Since 1993, 372,200 new private sector jobs have been created-an average of 58,005 jobs per year, compared to an average of just 45,600 private sector jobs per year in the previous administration. 22,200 New Manufacturing Jobs: 22,200 new manufacturing jobs have been created in Washington since 1993 -- an average of 3,460 jobs per year. In contrast, an average of 1,500 jobs were lost each year during the previous administration. 33,600 New Construction Jobs: Since 1993, 33,600 new construction jobs have been created in Washington, an average of 5,236 jobs per year. 61,000 to Receive a Raise: 61,000 Washington workers benefited from an increase in the minimum wage-from $4.75 to $5.15 -- on September 1, 1997. Poverty Has Fallen: Nationally, the poverty rate has fallen from 15.1% in 1993 to 13.3% in 1997.In Washington, the poverty rate has fallen from 12.1% in 1993 to 9.2% in 1997--down 2.9% under President Clinton. [Census Bureau] Home Building Up 2.4%: Home building has increased by an average of 2.4% per year since 1993, after falling over 3.1% per year during the previous administration. A $500 Child Tax Credit to Help Families Raising Children: To help make it easier for families to raise their children, the balanced budget included a $500 per-child tax credit for children under 17. Thanks to President Clinton, the Balanced Budget delivers a child tax credit to 586,000 families in Washington. Over $25,000 of Reduced Federal Debt for Every Family of Four: The national debt will be $1.7 trillion lower in FY99 than projected in 1993 -- that's $25,000 less debt for each family of four in Washington this year. EXPANDING ACCESS TO EDUCATION
Nearly 10,000 Children in Head Start: Nearly 10,000 Washington children were enrolled in Head Start in 1998. In FY99, Washington will receive $69.2 million in Head Start funding, an increase of $31.7 million over 1993. More High-Quality Teachers With Smaller Classes for Washington's Schools: Thanks to President Clinton, the final FY99 budget provides for the first year of the President's new initiative to hire 100,000 new, well-prepared teachers, to reduce class sizes in the early grades to a national average of 18. Washington receives $19.6 million in 1999 to hire about 504 new public school teachers. And, under President Clinton's proposal, Washington would receive $23 million in FY00 to support a total of 617 teachers. Nearly $8 Million in Goals 2000 Funding: This year [FY99], Washington receives nearly $8 million in Goals 2000 funding. This money is used to raise academic achievement by raising academic standards, increasing parental and community involvement in education, expanding the use of computers and technology in classrooms, and supporting high-quality teacher professional development. $6 Million for Technology Literacy: This year [FY99], Washington receives $6.0 million for the Technology Literacy Challenge Fund, which helps communities and the private sector ensure that every student is equipped with the computer literacy skills needed for the 21st century. Connecting Washington's Schools and Libraries to the Internet: The E-rate program is part of the Administration's effort to connect every classroom and library to the information superhighway, giving every child access to the resources and knowledge available online. This program helps schools and libraries by providing discounts of 20 to 90 percent on telecommunications services, internal connections and Internet access - with the largest discounts going to the poorest urban and rural schools. In the first year of funding alone, Washington received over $29.9 million in E-rate discounts. $111 Million for Students Most in Need: Washington receives $111 million in Title I grants providing extra help in the basics for students most in need, particularly communities and schools with high concentrations of children in low-income families [FY99]. This is an increase of $2.8 million over FY98 funding. 69,900 Students Will Receive Pell Grants This Year: This year [FY00], Washington will receive $135.6 million in Pell Grants for low-income students going to college, benefiting a total of 69,900 Washington students. Expanded Work-Study To Help More Students Work Their Way Through College: The FY99 budget includes a significant expansion of the Federal Work Study program. Washington will receive $15.5 million in Work-Study funding in 1999 to help Washington students work their way through college. Over 4,300 Have Served in Washington through AmeriCorps: Since the National Service program began in 1993, 4,327 AmeriCorps participants have earned money for college while working in Washington's schools, hospitals, neighborhoods or parks. [through 11/98] Tuition Tax Credits in Balanced Budget Open the Doors of College and Promote Lifelong Learning: The balanced budget included both President Clinton's $1,500 HOPE Scholarship to help make the first two years of college as universal as a high school diploma and a Lifetime Learning Tax Credit for college juniors, seniors, graduate students and working Americans pursuing lifelong learning to upgrade their skills. This 20% tax credit will be applied to the first $5,000 of tuition and fees through 2002 and to the first $10,000 thereafter. 109,000 students in Washington will receive a HOPE Scholarship tax credit of up to $1,500. 133,000 students in Washington will receive the Lifetime Learning Tax Credit. [fully phased-in FY00 estimate] Expanded Job Training to Washington's Dislocated Workers: Thanks to President Clinton, the FY99 budget includes a significant expansion in the dislocated worker program. Washington will receive $25.7 million in 1999 to help 15,240 of Washington's dislocated workers get the training and reemployment services they need to return to work as quickly as possible. FIGHTING CRIME AND VIOLENCE
Violent Crime Has Fallen 10%: Since 1992, violent crime in Washington has fallen 10% statewide. In Seattle, between 1992 and 1997, serious crime, as indicated by the crime index, has fallen 13%, with a 18% decrease in the murder rate and a 19% drop in robbery. In addition, murders and rapes have both declined 32% and 43% respectively in Tacoma. [1992 and 1997 Uniform Crime Reports] Juvenile Arrests Down in Washington: Washington's juvenile violent crime arrests have decreased 18% between 1992 and 1997. [FBI, Uniform Crime Report, 1992 and 1997] 1,681 More Police: The President's 1994 Crime Bill has funded 1,681 new police officers to date in communities across Washington. [through 7/99] Reducing Crime with Drug Courts: Working to reduce drug-related crime in Washington, the Clinton Administration has awarded Drug Court grants to the communities of Olympia and Port Angeles. The Administration had previously awarded grants to a number of Washington communities including: Clallam, Mt. Vernon, Macaw, Bellingham, Everett, Neah Bay, Port Orchard, Spokane, Tacoma and Yakima. Drug courts use the coercive power of the criminal justice system to combine drug testing, sanctions, supervision and treatment to push nonviolent, drug-abusing offenders to stop using drugs and committing crimes. $4 Million to Combat Domestic Violence: Through the Violence Against Women Act, Washington received $4 million in federal funds in FY98 to establish more women's shelters and bolster law enforcement, prosecution and victims' services. Nearly $1.2 Million in Grants for Battered Women and Children: In FY98, Washington received approximately $1.2 million in HHS's Family Violence Prevention Program grants to assist women and children fleeing domestic abuse, an additional $220,000 increase over FY98. Over $7.4 Million to Keep Drugs & Violence Out of Washington's Schools: Washington received over $7.4 million in FY99 for the Safe & Drug Free Schools Program, which invests in school security and drug prevention programs. MOVING WASHINGTON FROM WELFARE TO WORK
1123,159 Fewer People on Welfare: There are 112,159 fewer people on welfare in Washington now than there were at the beginning of 1993 -- a 39% decrease. [through 3/99] Child Support Collections Up 77%: Child support collections have increased by $207 million-or 77% -- in Washington since FY92. [through FY98] Encouraging Responsible Decisions-Preventing Teen Pregnancy in Washington: Since 1993, President Clinton and Vice President Gore have supported innovative and promising teen pregnancy prevention strategies, with significant components of the strategy becoming law in the 1996 Personal Responsibility Act. The law requires unmarried minor parents to stay in school and live at home or in a supervised setting; encourages "second chance homes" to provide teen parents with the skills and support they need; and provides $50 million a year in new funding for state abstinence education activities. Efforts are making a difference, adolescent pregnancy rates and teen abortion rates are declining. And between 1992 and 1997, teen birth rates declined 16.5% in Washington. $44.6 Million for Washington Welfare-to-Work: In 1998, Washington received $22.7 million in Federal welfare-to-work state formula grants (the state matched $11.3 million in funding), helping Washington welfare recipients get and keep jobs. In addition, $9.6 million in competitive grants were awarded to Washington localities to support innovative welfare-to-work strategies and Native American tribes in Washington received $926,000 in Federal funding. Part of the President's comprehensive efforts to move recipients from welfare to work, this funding was included in the $3 billion welfare to work fund in the 1997 Balanced Budget Act. Helping People Get to Work: Through the Access to Jobs initiative, the Clinton-Gore Administration is working with communities across the country to design transportation solutions to help welfare recipients and other low-income workers get to and from work. Seattle has received a total of $1.9 million this year to fund an innovative transit project. INVESTING IN WASHINGTON'S HEALTH
Health Care for Uninsured Children: The balanced budget includes the largest single investment in health care for children since the passage of Medicaid in 1965 -- an unprecedented $24 billion over five years to cover as many as five million children throughout the nation. This investment guarantees the full range of benefits-from checkups to surgery -- that children need to grow up strong and healthy. It ensures that prescription drugs, vision, hearing, and mental health coverage now offered at the state level are extended to millions of uninsured children. To expand health coverage to more uninsured children in Washington the Balanced Budget provided $68 million in 1998. This compares to the 1995 Republican plan vetoed by President Clinton that would have denied health care coverage to 129,500 children in Washington. Helping Nearly 145,000 Washington Women and Children with WIC: The Clinton Administration is committed to full funding in the Special Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC). In FY98, Washington received $82.2 million in total WIC grant funding, helping 144,800 women, infants and children in need receive health and food assistance, 47,000 more than in 1994. More Toddlers Are Being Immunized: As a result of the President's 1993 Childhood Immunization Initiative, childhood immunization rates have reached an historic high. According to the CDC, 90% or more of America's toddlers in 1996 received the most critical doses of each of the routinely recommended vaccines-surpassing the President's 1993 goal. In Washington in 1996, 97% of two-year olds received the vaccines for diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis; 93% received the vaccine for polio; 91% received the vaccine for measles, and 93% received the vaccine for Haemophilus influenzae B, the bacteria causing a form of meningitis. Increased Funding for Ryan White by $58.2 Million: Between 1993 and 1998, Washington communities received $58.2 million in Ryan White formula and other HIV/AIDS program funds. This funding provides people living with HIV and AIDS medical and support services, including the AIDS Drug Assistance Program which helps those without insurance obtain much needed prescription drugs. [HHS, Health Resources and Services Administration, 12/98] Tobacco Plan Will Cut Smoking and Premature Deaths by 30% in Washington: The Clinton Administration's tobacco proposal, combined with the recently enacted state tobacco settlements, will cut youth smoking and resulting premature deaths 30% in Washington by 2004. Between 2000 and 2004, 48,300 of Washington's youth will be kept from smoking and 15,500 will be spared a premature tobacco-related death. [Treasury Dept., 2/99] 2,550,000 Americans in Washington Cannot Be Assured They Have Patient Protections: Even if Washington enacted all the protections in the Patients' Bill of Rights, 2,550,000 people in Washington cannot be assured they have the comprehensive patient protections recommended by the President's Advisory Commission. This is because the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) may preempt state-enacted protections. That is why the President has called on Congress to pass a federally enforceable patients' bill of rights so that everyone enrolled in managed care may have a basic set of protections. Notably, 1,240,000 Washington women are in ERISA health plans and are therefore not necessarily protected. Women are particularly vulnerable without these protections because they are greater users of health care services, they make three-quarters of the health care decisions for their families, and they have specific health care needs addressed by a patients' bill of rights. PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT
$22.4 Million in Safe Drinking Water Funding: This year [FY99], thanks to President Clinton, Washington will receive $20.1 million for the Drinking Water State Revolving Funds to provide low-interest loans to municipalities to build, improve, and prevent pollution of drinking water systems. In addition, Washington will receive $2.3 million in Public Water Supply Supervision grants to help monitor drinking water quality and enforce health standards. 23 Superfund Sites Cleaned Up: Since the President took office in 1993, the EPA has completed 23 toxic waste site clean-ups in Washington. The sites are located in Colbert, Indian Island, Maple Valley, Yakima, Spokane (4), Fort Lewis, North Bonneville, Oak Harbor (2), Kent, Richland, Renton, Chehalis, Vancouver (3), Everson (2) and Tacoma (2). [through 6/99]. This is more than three times the number of sites cleaned up during the previous two administrations combined. Brownfields-Revitalizing Communities in Washington: As part of the Clinton-Gore Administration's efforts to clean up Brownfields, the EPA has awarded grants to communities in Washington-King County/Seattle, Bellingham, Puyallup Tribe of Tacoma, Duwamish Coalition, Tacoma, Everett and Port of Seattle-for environmental clean-up and economic revitalization. These projects are intended to jump-start local clean-up efforts by providing funds to return unproductive, abandoned, contaminated urban properties to productive use. SPEARHEADING URBAN AND RURAL RENEWAL EFFORTS
Revitalizing Washington's Communities: Lower Yakima, Tacoma and Seattle were all designated Enterprise Communities in December, 1994 and were awarded $3 million each to create more jobs, housing, and economic opportunity for area residents. In 1999, Tacoma/Lakewood was designated a Strategic Planning Community and Collie was named a Rural Enterprise Community. Expanding the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Will Help Develop 2,300 To 2,800 New Affordable Housing Units in Washington Over the Next 5 Years: Last year, the President and Vice President pushed for a 40-percent expansion in the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit. This year, the President and Vice President will try again to enact tax incentives to develop affordable housing. In Washington alone, this proposal would mean an additional 2,300 - 2,800 quality rental housing units for low-income American families during the next five years. Helping Rural Washington Families: Since 1993, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has invested more than $773.4 million in Washington for rural economic development efforts including rural water and sewer, housing and business assistance. [through FY98] PROVIDING DISASTER RELIEF
$317 Million in Federal Emergency Assistance: Since 1993, Washington has received $317 million in disaster relief. This includes $107 million in assistance to recover from severe floods that occurred in January of 1996, and $30 million in assistance to recover from severe floods that occurred in 1997. [FEMA, 12/98] EXPANDING FUNDS FOR TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT
Over $2.4 Billion in Federal Highway Aid: Since 1993, Washington has received over $2.4 billion in federal highway aid. Included in this funding is $204.2 million for emergency relief in response to natural disasters and $2.8 million for scenic byways. These funds have helped generate 105,108 jobs. [through FY98] Over $49 Million in Aviation Funds: From FY93-FY98 Washington received over $49 million in Airport Improvement Program funds to help build and renovate airports, and, when necessary, to provide funds for noise abatement to improve the quality of life for residents who live near airports. Over $529 Million in Transit Funds: Washington has received over $529 million in FTA funds since 1993. Saving Lives and Property: In 1997 the United States Coast Guard saved 124 lives and over $61 million of property in Washington.
Last Updated August 1999
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