Dear Neighbors,
The Washington State Legislature has completed the first week of the 2013 legislative session. My week consisted of constituent meetings, committee hearings, opening day ceremonies and inaugural events.
On Monday, January 14th, members of the House of Representatives and Senate took our oath of office. While my colleagues and I all represent different parts of the state, we are united in our commitment to ensuring Washington emerges from the Great Recession leading the way in job creation, educational opportunity for all, and quality of life.
On Wednesday, January 16th, I watched our statewide elected officials get sworn in before a joint session of the House and Senate. It was a real honor to escort Governor Jay Inslee into a joint session of the Legislature for his inaugural speech. Governor Inslee is a longtime family friend.
The governor stressed that our world is changing at a rapid pace, and a new economy is emerging from the recession. He says “Washington… has the potential to lead the next wave of world-changing innovations,” but also that the world will not wait for us to do so. We must step up and lead.
Committees
You may recall that in previous years, I chaired the State Government & Tribal Affairs Committee. We reorganized the structure of House committees in order to even out the number of bill referrals.
I am now chairing the Government Operations & Elections Committee. The committee considers issues relating to the processes of state government, including: state agency rulemaking, procurement standards, e-government and public employment. The committee also considers issues relating to elections, campaign finance, public disclosure and ethics in government.
In addition, I sit on the Education Committee; the Appropriations Committee; and the Appropriations Subcommittee on General Government.
The Education Committee works on bills and issues relating to K-12 education. We have a separate Higher Education Committee.
The Appropriations Committee reviews the governors’ budget proposals and will work on writing and developing the 2013-15 biennial budget that will fund basic state services – other than transportation and construction (Capital Budget) which are covered in separate bills.
This year, we created a Finance Committee with oversight over the state’s revenue and taxation so the Ways and Means Committee became Appropriations. The Appropriations Committee on General Government is a subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee; it will consider general government agencies, primarily those who are not K-12 education, higher education, social and health services, and transportation.
Here’s a list of all the House committees.
Follow all the action
You don’t have to come to the Capitol to be up on what’s happening this session. I’ll do my best to keep you informed with these newsletters, but you can also sign up for email notifications about House and Senate committees, schedules, and other information.
Most public hearings and floor action in the House and Senate can also be viewed online through TVW’s website (click on “Schedule” or “Archives” at the top of the page for current or past audio and video clips).
Confused about how to read a bill online? Here’s a great tutorial.
Want to come to the Capitol and testify for or against a bill, or visit me in my office? Here’s everything you need to know about visiting the Legislature.
More ways to stay informed include:
• Visiting my website for news, video and other information.
• Check out the House Democrats blog, The Advance.
• Follow the House Democrats on Twitter.
• We want to hear from you on our newly-debuted House Democrats Facebook page.
Senator Fraser, Representative Reykdal, and I are honored to serve you as your 22nd District legislators. We appreciate your input on issues before us. I look forward to delving more into the budget and providing you with updates as the session progresses.
Sincerely,
Representative Sam Hunt