Tom Dent reveals re-election bid

 

Last updated 5/5/2018 at 4:37pm

Tom Dent (R), 13th District state representative, has announced plans to seek a third term in the state House of Representatives. Rep. Dent, who lives in the Moses Lake area, is currently serving his second term.

Rep. Dent tackles concerns that impact the families and businesses of his area and the entire state of Washington. To find sustainable solutions that provide good outcomes, he is heavily involved in committee work and in forming caucuses to further address public matters. Some of his current work includes:

• Serving as ranking minority member on the Early Learning and Human Resources committee which is responsible for setting policies around early learning, foster care, Child Protective Services and mental health issues for young people. As part of this work he sits on the Early Learning Advisory Council, the Children's Mental Health Study Work Group, the Youth and Families Oversight Committee and the Joint Select Committee on the Early Achievers Program. He worked as the caucus lead on the formation of the new Department of Children, Youth and Families. This new department is a combination of the Department of Early Learning and Children's Administration. Juvenile Rehabilitation is slated to become part of it later on. He is a member of the Board of Trustees for THRIVE Washington, an organization whose vision is that every child in Washington state is ready to succeed in school and life.


• Organizing a group of legislators and concerned citizens into the Kid Caucus to work on and evaluate foster care along with other issues that impact children. Kid Caucus members are committed to finding pathways to success for young people who have experienced a less than opportune start in life.


• Serving as the assistant ranking member on the Ag and Natural Resources committee which handles issues and policies surrounding agriculture, water and natural resources. Because of the devastating blazes that have plagued Washington, Rep. Dent formed the Wildfire Caucus. "I began an effort to encourage the use of single-engine air tankers as an initial attack force on fires, with the goal of being on the fire in two hours, not two days." With interest within the legislature focused on this problem, the purview of the Wildfire Caucus grew to include evaluating forest health, fire suppression, salvage and restoration efforts. "Burning up our natural resources is inherently wrong; we can and must do better". He is a very active member of the Pesticide Application Safety Committee.

• Serving on the Joint Transportation Committee Air Cargo Study Work Group. Rep. Dent has a passion for air travel and is very involved with the Aviation Caucus. He continues to push to improve the aeronautics infrastructure in Washington.

Rep. Dent passed several pieces of common-sense legislation since taking office. He believes that establishing a foundation of respect and trust is the cornerstone to relationship building. This outlook has assisted him in finding common ground with legislators on both sides of the aisle. "I feel I have accomplished a great deal since taking office, and I am excited to continue the work the voters sent me here to do. I am honored to serve and wish to continue to act on behalf of the people of the 13th district."

 

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