Dear Friends and Family,
We’re now past the half-way mark for this year’s legislative session. For the past week, we have spent days and nights debating countless bills on the House floor. As of this writing, the House has passed 270 bills.
As a second-year legislator, I’ve learned that it takes enormous effort, time, and advocacy to pass a bill through the legislative process. Democracy works because good ideas take time, and bad ideas die quickly. The reality is that the legislature passes only a fraction of the bills that members introduce. And of those bills, many take years—even decades—to pass. Oftentimes, advocacy groups travel to Olympia year-after-year to make incremental progress towards bill passage.
Pushing legislation through the process is much more difficult than most of us think—even when a bill isn’t controversial. And this process slows down even more during a short legislative session—like this year.
That’s why I truly appreciate your advocacy and involvement in our political process. I will continue to champion your voice as we fight to pass legislation that helps our communities and district. And with your advocacy and support, we’ve been especially effective and productive! Here are our bills that passed the House, as well as a few of the many, many bills that I co-sponsored that now move to the Senate.
Finally, I hope you’ll join me at one of two (or both!) town halls I’m hosting on Sunday, Feb. 25.
Our Bills on the Move
Four Bills Passed the House, On to the Senate
I’m happy to report that four bills of ours passed the House and are now with the Senate for further consideration. Their House vote tallies—overwhelmingly bipartisan—are in parentheses below:
- House Bill 1768 (89-0): Provides a public utilities tax exemption to light and power businesses using green hydrogen (a clean energy source). This will foster private-public partnership and innovation that spurs local economic development, and create less demand for other inefficient energy options.
- House Bill 1924 (95-2): Requires the state to pursue technology like fusion energy so that we can ensure a clean environmental future that creates good-paying jobs, lowers energy bills, and supports a path toward energy independence.
- House Bill 2023 (84-13): Requires voting materials to be translated in counties with more than 2.5 percent of citizens who don’t speak or understand English. Our democracy is stronger with all of us participating, and this bill ensures that every citizen can fully take part in our elections.
- House Bill 2236 (97-0): Creates a high school health care program to encourage a new generation of young adults serving in critical health care roles. This program will use hands-on learning to provide our students with greater career opportunities that address health care workforce gaps.
Co-Sponsored Bills that are In Motion
I’ve co-sponsored 94 bills during the 2023 and 2024 legislative session. Here’s a look at some of those bills—with their (overwhelming bipartisan) House vote tallies in parentheses:
- House Bill 2003 (95-2): Provides a leasehold excise tax exemption for public lands used for affordable housing—to incentivize projects that help our low- and moderate-income households.
- House Bill 2357 (97-0): Requires a longevity bonus of $15,000 to state patrol employees—that serves to recruit and retain our dedicated law enforcement officers.
- House Bill 1956 (97-0): Directs a statewide drug overdose prevention and awareness campaign in our schools. We have a fentanyl crisis, and this is a big step towards educating our students about the dangers of methamphetamines and opioids.
- House Bill 1915 (97-0): Makes financial education instruction a graduation requirement—ensuring that our students have the fiscal knowledge to be successful.
- House Bill 1943 (97-0): Expands the eligibility to spouses and dependents for the Washington National Guard Postsecondary Education Grant Program. Our military families sacrifice to keep us safe, and they deserve to receive education benefits.
Join Me at a Town Hall
Join me at one of two (or both!) town hall meetings we’re hosting on Sunday, Feb. 25. The first one is set for 11 AM-12 noon in Coupeville, with the second one happening from 3-4 PM in La Conner. This is my chance to hear from you as well as update you on my work in Olympia on your behalf. I hope to see you there!
Honored to Serve You
Thank you for 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,
Rep. Clyde Shavers