For the past 11 years, whenever I arrive at the Capitol, I am in awe.

I am in awe of the opportunity I have had to serve our community and our state. It is my responsibility to do everything I can to make life just a little better for the 7,000,000 people who live in Washington.

My belief in the positive change good government can have in the lives of people is what made the last five years so difficult. I became the Senate Democrats’ leader at a time when we had little power. We introduced bills that we knew would help the state, bills that would truly help Washingtonians, and they went nowhere.

There’s nothing more disheartening than being elected to help your neighbors, only to be stopped from doing your job.

But those five years in the minority gave us a sense of what’s important: Truly putting people first. That is the common thread in all that was accomplished this year with the Senate Democrats in control in the Washington State Senate.

We passed bills to improve access to voting, to expand reproductive healthcare for women, to give financial aid opportunities to our DREAMers and to fully fund basic education. We passed legislation to ensure equal pay for equal work, to ban conversion therapy, and to provide breakfast after the bell.

We took important steps to reduce gun violence, address sexual harassment in the workplace, reform juvenile justice and combat housing discrimination and homelessness.

Within the first two weeks of the 2018 session, we passed a $4.3 billion capital budget.

This budget makes investments statewide in the form of school construction, affordable housing, mental health services and environmental improvements. The budget had been held hostage by the Senate Republicans for a year — so its passage in the first two weeks was a significant win for the people of the state of Washington.

We heard from taxpayers that the Republican property tax imposed in 2017 was too high. With the help of a booming state economy, Democrats implemented a statewide property tax cut.

Our 2018 budget prioritized Washington’s core values: education, mental health and jobs.

I am pleased that, with the help of my colleagues in the House, Representatives Eileen Cody and Joe Fitzgibbon, the 34th District received the benefits of our strong budgets.

This year’s transportation budget includes $100,000 for the ferries that service Vashon Island and West Seattle. A $25,000 investment will provide an additional police officer presence at the Fauntleroy Dock to help with traffic control during the peak season. A $75,000 investment will fund a study to look at how to improve loading procedures at the dock, working in conjunction with the Triangle Task Force’s ongoing efforts.

The supplemental capital budget allocated another $230,000 for a full-capacity generator at Vashon Community Care, which provides assisted living, outpatient rehab and skilled nursing.

We tackled all of this within a 60-day legislative session — this is the first session that has ended on time since 2014. During the last few years, the then-Republican majority failed again and again to meet legislative deadlines, bringing the state to the brink of a government shutdown more than once. That era of government is over.

In 2018, new leadership in the Senate produced a budget that invests in schools and mental health, a property tax cut and a slew of policies that put people first. This is the way government is supposed to operate — driven by the best interests of people, not partisanship.

I am proud of what we accomplished this year. Our shared values drove an ambitious agenda. I am grateful for the opportunity which I have to serve our islands and the 34th Legislative District.

— Sharon Nelson is a state senator; she lives on Maury Island.