E-Newsletters

Dear friends and neighbors, While this was the short 60-day session we have in each even-numbered year, it was one of the most productive and successful session of all the years I have served as your state senator.  I know that the challenges we face as a community require hard work and consistent focus in order to bring change and progress. ...

Dear friends and neighbors, I will be hosting a virtual town hall meeting this Monday with my seatmates, Rep. Sharon Wylie and Rep. Monica Stonier, to recap the events of the 2022 legislative session and answer questions from constituents. The town hall starts at 6:30 p.m. and may be viewed live on my Facebook page and on YouTube. You may submit ...

Dear friends and neighbors, Yesterday budget negotiators for the House and Senate agreed on a transportation revenue package that was passed by both chambers of the Legislature today.  It has been my goal to approve funding for an I-5 Bridge Replacement for many years. The I-5 bridge replacement funded by this package is the reason I came to Olympia 10 years ago. ...

Dear friends and neighbors, In 2015, I worked closely with our Children’s Justice Center and children’s advocates to address an inequity in the way suspected child abuse victims are assisted in our state. At that time, suspected victims of child sexual abuse were able to access the state’s Victim’s Compensation Fund for payment of their specialized medical examinations; however, suspected child ...

Dear friends and neighbors, The 2022 legislative session has gotten off to a swift start. In the first week of the new session, my legislation to make sure Vancouver continues to benefit from the state’s Main Street Program cleared the Senate Business, Financial Services & Trade Committee and is now available to be called to the floor for a vote of ...

Dear friends and neighbors, It’s been months since the end of the 2021 legislative session, but little has changed since then in terms of our major needs and priorities. When the Legislature convened back in January, we faced potential economic catastrophe, spiking COVID-19 cases, political violence in D.C. and at home, and the uncertainty of a mostly remote session. At the same ...

Dear friends and neighbors, I will be hosting a virtual town hall meeting this Wednesday with my seatmates, Rep. Sharon Wylie and Rep. Monica Stonier, to recap the events of the 2021 legislative session and answer questions from constituents. The town hall starts at 6 p.m. and may be viewed live on Facebook and on YouTube. You may submit questions in ...

Dear friends and neighbors, The 2021 legislative session accomplished three major milestones: it was the first-ever session conducted mostly remotely, to keep people safe from the pandemic; it was the fourth straight year the Legislature finished its work on time, something that hadn’t happened since 1941; and, most importantly of all, we passed the most laws in recent memory to bring ...

Dear friends and neighbors, The transportation revenue package currently before the Legislature, vitally needed in communities across our state, is even more critical to Southwest Washington. Like past transportation packages, it would sustain our ability to travel smoothly and safely by supplementing the steadily declining gas tax revenues that maintain roads all over our state. More importantly, it commits $1.2 billion toward ...

Dear friends and neighbors, We received great news Thursday when the governor announced that Clark County will be able to move to Phase 2 of the Roadmap to Recovery plan, bringing relief to area businesses that have been wanting badly to reopen. I know how frustrated our local business owners have felt, and I share that frustration. The pandemic has saddled ...