Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Sorted by date Results 1 - 8 of 8
On Monday, the governor announced COVID vaccine mandates for most state employees and health care workers or they could lose their jobs. While employees will be able to apply for religious or medical exemptions, I believe this is heavy-handed and unnecessary. Many of you know I contracted COVID, but I have since been vaccinated, given experience I had and the seriousness of this virus. I would add, the most important part of my job as your state representative is being able...
On Feb. 29, 2020, Gov. Jay Inslee proclaimed a state of emergency due to the COVID-19 coronavirus. With this unknown and highly contagious virus, most folks agreed with his precautionary measures. His reasoning was to protect and not overwhelm the health care system and keep our people alive and healthy. He shut down most of our economy, allowing only "essential" businesses to operate and told everyone to stay home and protect themselves. Unfortunately, we are once again deali...
The gavel fell on the night of March 8 adjourning the 2018 legislative session. The Legislature was able to reach an agreement on all three supplemental budgets – operating, capital and transportation – to avoid a special session for the first time since 2014. It was a whirlwind of a session. We were able to pass a Hirst solution and capital budget in the second week. As the session progressed we dealt with many contentious issues and there were a lot of late nights. Like any...
Dear friends and neighbors, On Monday, the gavel fell to start the 2018 legislative session. Each session, walking into the Capitol Building is humbling. It gives me pause and provides me the opportunity to reflect on how fortunate I am to represent the folks of the 13th District and Washington state. Thank you for sending me to Olympia to represent you! Hirst and capital budget I said it many times last session, and I will continue to say it until we pass a solution. The...
Special sessions have become the norm in Olympia, and we are currently making our way through our second special session this year. However, a couple of things to remember: If we are protecting taxpayer dollars then the extra sessions are worth it. And, the past few special sessions have produced strong, bipartisan operating budgets. That provides us reason to be optimistic. The K-12 education negotiators are making progress. They have a monumental task of reaching agreement...
The 2017 legislative session is now underway, and I am a couple of weeks into my second term. The opening ceremonies were a great reminder of what an incredible honor it is to be in Olympia representing the folks of the 13th District and Washington state. While the first week was busy with the swearing-in ceremony, the governor’s State of the State address, and the inaugural ball, it was still 0-60 m.p.h. in no time flat when the session got underway. Our days have been f...
I recently had the opportunity to travel around the 13th District with Sen. Judy Warnick and Rep. Matt Manweller to visit our local newspapers. Meeting with editors and reporters, we discussed the successes and challenges of the 2015 legislative session, and also provided a preview of our goals for the upcoming 2016 session. I was proud to pass several bills this year that will help folks in our district and state. If you have some thoughts on legislation that would make a...
It took longer than any of us would’ve liked it to, but after 176 days and three special sessions, we were finally able to adjourn last week. Although we needed three special sessions, I am proud of many of the things we accomplished as a Legislature for the people of Washington state. My first session in Olympia truly exceeded my expectations. I made it my mission to build solid relationships with people on both sides of the aisle throughout the session, because I know how mu...
