Sen. Andy Billig, D-Spokane, was elected Deputy Leader of the Senate Democratic Caucus by his colleagues today. As deputy leader, he will work to lead the Senate in passing legislation to fund education and early learning and make investments in our transportation system.

“I’m looking forward to the coming legislative session and working on solutions for the challenges facing Washington state,” said Billig. “We know our priorities – to invest in the next generation, our children, with a fully funded education system that supports students from early learning and pre-school, through K-12, and into a higher education system with tuition that families in our community can afford. We know that we need to invest in our transportation infrastructure and create jobs in our community. We know that we need to protect our health by keeping our air and water clean. A lot of this won’t be easy, but I’m confident that we can come together in a bipartisan manner and work across the aisle to produce real solutions for the people of Washington.”

Billig was also elected to serve on the Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee and the budget-writing Ways & Means Committee.

“I plan to work on these committees to make sure that every child gets the opportunity for success in life by getting the support they need, whether that’s a great preschool, food assistance for a hungry or homeless family, small class sizes that help kids learn or the ability to access affordable children care,” said Billig. “We know investments in early education will pay off down the road with more children graduating high school and going to college or a good career. I look forward to getting to work on these and so many other issues.”