The 40th comes to the Capital!
I always love it when constituents come visit me in my office. Email is great, but it’s refreshing to have actual people in my office, talking about the issues and sharing their ideas. I was lucky to have both students and educators come see me this past week, including some students from Western Washington University.
Thousands of teachers, students, and families rallied at the capitol this past Monday in support of a fully funded education system. I was honored to meet with several teachers who shared their concerns with me–concerns I know well. I am committed to finishing the job and making sure our schools have the resources they need to help our kids be prepared to enter the 21st century workforce.
Protecting Orca Whales
If you’re one of the thousands of Washingtonians who has a new drone to try out, you may be tempted to take it over the water to try to catch some footage of orca whales. But, as we’ve seen time and again, too often people lose control of their drone, or fly to close to an animal or structure, and end up causing damage. Since orcas are an endangered species, and are protected by Washington state, I want to make sure we keep a safe and respectable distance. I’ve introduced a bill that would require drones to stay 200 feet away, which is the same distance commercial whale watchers and other vessels have to stay in order to keep orcas safe.
If you’d like to learn more about the need to protect the Orca Whales in the Puget Sound, I’ve provided a few links to resources below:
Proposed orca-protection zone from the Seattle Times
Opinion on whether drones fall within existing law or not, from the Attorney General’s office
As always, it’s an honor to serve our district. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact my office.
