Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Sunday marked the last day of the 2023 legislative session! Over the last 105 days, the legislature has passed a near record number of bills, with about 80% of them passing with broad bipartisan support. During this last week, we focused on reconciling differences in the House and Senate versions of bills through concurrences and conferences. We also passed our state’s two-year operating, capital, and transportation budgets, which I will dedicate an entire upcoming e-newsletter to in the next month.
Meanwhile, in this issue, I’d like to highlight some of the great bills we have passed, invite you to an upcoming town hall, and discuss the work ahead. I hope you’ll find it useful!
Upcoming Virtual Town Hall
Join your 10th legislative district legislators – Senator Muzzall, Rep. Paul, and myself, for a live virtual town hall on Tuesday. May 2nd at 6 pm. We look forward to sharing a recap of the legislative session and answering your questions on the issues important to you.
You can submit questions ahead of time by following this link. Live questions can also be submitted during the event by commenting on Facebook or YouTube. Register for the event here. I look forward to seeing you there!
Our 2023 Bills That Passed
One of the most important achievements of the 2023 legislative session is the breadth of issues we tackled for our communities. We’ve made historic strides in supporting low-income and working families, providing rural counties and cities with resources to keep our communities resilient, and supporting veterans and military families. I’d like to share some successes we have had this session:
- House Bill 1086 provides better opportunities for our communities to partner with local service organizations.
- House Bill 1346 establishes the Purple Star Award by recognizing schools that support our military-connected students.
- House Bill 1458 studies how to remove unemployment barriers for our apprentices.
- House Bill 1499 allows food banks to carry non-food essentials more easily – like diapers and hygiene products.
- House Bill 1658 provides financial education and allows high school credit for paid work experience.
Another bill I’m extremely proud to have introduced was House Bill 1560 which would’ve expanded property tax relief for senior citizens and disabled veterans. Working with my colleague, Representative Sharon Wylie, we rolled this legislation into her bill, House Bill 1355. Many veterans and senior citizens face housing instability and are at risk of homelessness – and this bill expands eligibility, so they don’t lose their home.
As enacted by the Governor, this legislation protects those who count on Social Security income from being unintentionally disqualified from the property tax credit they currently benefit from due to a pending social security adjustment for cost of living that will increase income just past the threshold. I am honored to have worked with Rep. Wylie on this issue and voted in favor of this bill to help our seniors and disabled veterans.
A final bill I’d like to highlight is Senate Bill 5324. This bill concerns the Defense Community Compatibility Account, which improves collaboration between the military and nearby communities through federal grants. I’m excited that this program will help in the construction and improvement of Crescent Harbor Elementary School and Hand-in-Hand Early Learning Center in Oak Harbor. As a member of the Innovation, Community & Economic Development, and Veterans committee, and the Capital budget committee, I was honored to vote this bill out of both House Committees and vote it off the House floor. For more of my thoughts on this legislation, click here or on the image below.
The Work Ahead
I look forward to next session as we continue to work to improve the lives of families, farmers, small business owners, and veterans in our community. During the end of this legislative session, I have already begun meeting with our community partners to draft legislation.
One such bill is House Bill 1858. This will create a U.S. Naval Academy special license plate, with funding being deposited into an account to support veterans and their families; especially those experiencing homelessness.
Another issue I’ll be working on is increasing language access to voting materials. More communities across the state would be able to receive language support so that we can all take part in our democracy. I am proud to share I have already introduced House Bill 1861 as a result of the feedback I’ve received.
Supporting our farmers and protecting our environment are priorities. The newly introduced House Bill 1857 addresses both by providing a B&O tax credit for farmers using low-risk, environmentally friendly pesticides.
Important work also remains on addressing key workforce shortages, especially in the area of home care aides and caregivers. I continue to work on legislation to expand career and technical education programs in healthcare fields and look forward to introducing legislation soon.
Honored To Serve You
The policies above and those being drafted for next year are only possible if I hear from you on the issues that matter most to you and your family. In the next eight months, I will be traveling around our communities, visiting neighborhoods, and hearing directly from you.
As we move forward, I encourage you to stay involved, stay informed, and continue advocating for the issues that matter to you. Never hesitate to email our office with ideas and suggestions.
Last week, I published an editorial in the La Conner Weekly News highlighting the important role your feedback has in helping craft and direct legislation I’ve introduced. I highly encourage you to read it!
As always, thank you for giving me the opportunity to continue my life-long dedication to public service. As a veteran having attended the U.S. Naval Academy, graduated from Naval Nuclear Power School, trained at a naval nuclear reactor plant, and served in the Middle East and Southeast Asia as a public affairs officer, I am honored to serve you here in the Washington State Legislature.
Always at Your Service,
State Representative Clyde Shavers
10th Legislative District