Dear friends and neighbors,
Hope you are enjoying the holiday season as we close out 2025. I’m grateful to be home with family in Kitsap while preparing for the upcoming legislative session. In this newsletter I’ll share what I’ve been working on and invite you to join an upcoming townhall in your neck of the woods. We’ll talk ferries and policies the state can pursue to expand affordable childcare, healthcare, and housing for everyone in our community.
Join me for a Fix our Ferries town hall!
We’re about to head back into a short 60-day session and I want to hear from you. Your concerns, complaints, and suggestions guide my work in Olympia and help me better represent you.
Please mark your calendars and join us at an upcoming Fix our Ferries townhall!
What matters most to you? Take the survey to share your priorities and concerns.
How can Washington work better for you, your family, and our community? I hope you’ll take a few minutes to fill out this short survey as we head into 2026 to tell me how we can make Kitsap a better place to live.
Committees and Key Priorities
Every December the House and Senate gathers for Committee Assembly Days in Olympia. This is a great time to check in with colleagues, see what folks have been working on, and align on priorities for the upcoming session.
I’ll still serve on the same committees as last year and will be pushing key priorities forward on each. Here’s a refresher:
- Transportation – working to restore reliable ferry service while investing in safe routes to school and Kitsap Transit
- Agriculture & Natural Resources – working to protect Puget Sound and ensure that everyone in our community has enough food to eat
- Higher Education & Workforce – working to build Washington’s skilled workforce by investing in West Sound Tech modernization and Olympic College healthcare pathways
Running for mental health
When I’m not meeting with neighbors in Kitsap, I love adventure running. On October 30th I finished a 2,000-mile run down the length of the Mississippi River from Minnesota to Louisiana. Averaging a marathon per day for 72 days downriver was tough on my quads but an amazing opportunity to mobilize champions for youth mental health. We know that kids across Washington (and the country) are struggling with mental health now more than ever. Covid-19 lockdowns, smart phones, and social media have contributed to widespread anxiety, depression, and substance abuse. As a teen who shared that struggle, I know that caring adults – teachers, coaches, mentors, parents – make all the difference. We need to step up together.
Resilient Workforce
The state can do more to support youth mental health at school and at work. Data shows many graduating apprentices struggle with the transition into their first roles. The stress and pressure of a demanding career can lead to burnout and addiction. Working alongside union leaders, I’m sponsoring legislation to provide mental health training and resources for construction apprentices. This will help construction workers better navigate challenges on the job, so they can continue building the future of Washington – affordable homes, roads, bridges, and ferries.
Protecting Puget Sound
Dungeness Crab die-offs
Crabbing is not just a hobby for many Puget Sound residents; these ten-legged crustaceans are an iconic PNW species and are Washington’s top fishery (besting salmon, geoduck, clams, and oysters), anchoring our $940 million seafood export market!
Unfortunately, officials have flagged a Dungeness crab die-off in the Salish Sea. There could be a few reasons for that – ocean acidification, warming waters, nearshore development, and the arrival of European green crab. One factor I’m learning about is the role of derelict crab pots. It’s estimated 175,000 harvestable Dungeness crabs will be caught in abandoned crab traps annually, generating an economic loss of up to $50 million and an even greater ecological loss to a fragile ecosystem.
This is a big issue impacting livelihoods for local fisherman, environmental sustainability, and economic stability in the seafood industry. I’m working with conservationists, marine biologists, local officials, and Tribal leaders to understand the challenges then build out legislation to support and sustain Washington’s Dungeness crab.
Mosquito Fleet Act
Last year I introduced the Mosquito Fleet Act to spur an increase in passenger-only ferries across Puget Sound waterfront communities. The bill passed the House 87-8 but hasn’t cleared the Senate yet. I’ve been working with stakeholders – including commuters, first responders, small business owners, whale watchers, boat builders, and maritime workers – to see how we can keep passenger-only ferries moving forward, giving folks in our region more affordable transportation options and providing relief to our aging ferry system as we wait for new vessels to arrive. We’re building support from the San Juans, Whidbey, Vashon, Olympia, Tacoma, Seattle, Kitsap, and the Olympic Peninsula.
One opportunity I’m excited about? Imagine airport express fast ferries departing from Kingston, Bainbridge, and Bremerton with direct service to Sea-Tac via the Des Moines marina.
Want to help make it happen? Please join an upcoming townhall.
Wishing you and your loved ones a safe, peaceful holiday season. Please reach out if you or someone you know needs help accessing state resources (food assistance, disability, unemployment, Apple Health etc.), my office can help point you in the right direction.
As always, it’s an honor to represent the Kitsap community that helped raise me.
Merry Christmas and happy 2026!
