OLYMPIA – House Democrats have picked Rep. Marko Liias to continue serving as vice chair of the Transportation Committee. The Snohomish County legislator was first named to the transportation leadership team in 2009.
“The state’s made a lot of progress on transportation issues and infrastructure in recent years, and I’m eager to help us keep moving forward,” said Liias, D-Edmonds.
Liias will work with Rep. Judy Clibborn, chair of the House Transportation Committee, on issues including the ferry system, transit services, project planning and oversight.
As vice chair through 2012, Liias wants to focus on creating jobs, improving transit services and continuing to fight congestion in the Puget Sound area.
“Our state’s historic investment in transportation over the last two years has helped create thousands of good-paying, private sector construction jobs,” Liias said. “I look forward to putting even more people back to work in the next two years.”
Over the last two years, Liias has worked to improve transportation choices throughout the state, including better transit connections in the Puget Sound region.
“The case for reliable and frequent transit options has clearly been made for our communities surrounding Puget Sound,” Liias noted. “People want options that help them save money and beat traffic, especially during this recession.”
Representing the 21st District, which includes communities in south Snohomish County, Liias understands the importance of improving traffic. Many district residents head into job centers like Seattle and Redmond, but the Boeing plant in Everett brings many workers to Snohomish County as well.
“We need to focus on congestion relief throughout the metropolitan area, especially along our major highways, I-5 and I-405,” Liias emphasized. “At the same time, we have to recognize the role of smaller highways like State Route 522 and State Route 9 in our overall efforts to improve commute times for citizens.”
When the Legislature begins January 10, the committee will begin work on policy issues, as well as producing a transportation budget to cover the next two years.