Dear neighbors,
This is a quick update about what’s happening in Olympia and why it matters back home in the 24th District.
It’s also an invitation to our telephone town hall. We traditionally have the highest participation rates in Washington state and I hope you can join us!
Good news about the Hoh Rain Forest
A landslide wiped out the only road to this beautiful part of our state. Fixing the road before tourism season is essential for the local businesses who rely on tourism to survive and for all of us who enjoy hiking and recreation in that area.
I’m happy to say we worked together and found a solution. You can read about it here: Governor Ferguson orders $623K in Strategic Reserve funds to reopen Hoh Rain Forest access
Bills that passed the House
I’m happy to report that four of my bills passed the House of Representatives. Whenever possible, I have sought to work in a bipartisan manner, and that is reflected in the broad support from Democrats and Republicans for my bills off the floor of the House.
Childcare—The Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program is a vital service that ensures all children in Washington have the resources to get a fair start in life. House Bill 1351 allows children slightly older than the required age to fill extra available spaces. This legislation allows children in need to access the services they require as soon as possible. This bill unanimously passed the house on March 4 by a vote of 96 to 0.
Wildfires—For thousands of years, local tribes managed our forests with prescribed burns to prevent out-of-control wildfires. House Bill 1563 creates a pilot program to increase support for prescribed burns. The bill passed off of the House floor on March 7 by a vote of 96 to 1.
Supporting the timber industry—House Bill 1389 extends the expiration date for reporting requirement on timber purchases. It passed the House on March 10 by a unanimous vote of 93-0.
Cutting red tape—House Bill 1439 modifies motor vehicle and driver licensing laws to align with federal definitions, as well as making technical corrections and streamlining requirements for the Department of Licensing. The House passed it off the floor on March 4 by a unanimous vote of 95 to 0.
Improving ferry service
We’ve made great progress on two major fronts: putting ferries back in the water and passing innovative reforms to improve ferry service.
Gov. Ferguson announced two full-size auto ferries are returning to service. He’s accomplishing this by halting the long process of converting them to hybrid-electric and putting them back to work. We can return to the job of switching these ferries after new boats get delivered.
This is great news for everybody who relies on our ferry system. Two more full-size ferries will boost the number of routes we can do every day.
Second, the House of Representatives passed the Mosquito Fleet Act (House Bill 1923) by Rep. Greg Nance, which opens up great possibilities for passenger-only ferries.
Our state law prohibits the state ferry system from operating passenger-only ferries. Yet it only allows two counties to run passenger ferries. This law lets ports, tribes, transit agencies, counties, and others to establish passenger ferry routes.
We know this works because years ago, a mosquito fleet of little passenger ferry boats operated all over the Puget Sound.
Passenger-only ferries can take the load off our over-burdened ferry system, and I hope the Senate passes this bill and sends it to the governor to get signed into law.
Keep in touch
It’s an honor and a privilege to serve as your representative.
Please share your ideas, stories and comments by contacting my office!
