Dear friends and neighbors, 

This week, the governor finished signing bills from this session. Below, I’ll share an update on some specific items: how our transportation budget helps ferries, some of the community projects I’m pleased the Legislature could support, and an update on my bills.  

Save the Date: Town Halls April 18 

First of all, I want to invite you to our Town Halls: April 18, one in Poulsbo, one on Bainbridge. 

Reps. Tarra Simmons, Greg Nance, and I will discuss what we accomplished this session and take your questions.   

  • 9:30-10:30 a.m. at Poulsbo First Lutheran Church (18920 4th Ave NE, Poulsbo) 
  • 1:30-2:30 p.m. at Bainbridge Island City Hall (280 Madison Ave N, Bainbridge Island) 

Help for Ferries  

Over the last few years, we have finally started to prioritize our ferries as the marine highways that they are. Our transportation budget fulfills our commitment to build three new ferry vessels scheduled for delivery between 2030 and 2032. This will get us closer to a fleet of 26 boats (up from 21 today), which is what Washington State Ferries believes will give us reliable service. The budget also directs an additional $31 million to fully fund the electrification of three terminals, ensuring our new hybrid-electric ferries can recharge at multiple locations. The plan assumes that these terminals will be able to serve up to four electrified vessels by 2032. This means we will spend less money on fuel (especially important given what’s happening to fuel prices right now), emit less CO2, and have several new, modern ferries that should serve us for decades to come. 

Just as important, we have to preserve and maintain the fleet we have now. The budget also increases spending on ferry preservation by $28 million over the next six years. As our ferries age, we have to dedicate enough funding to preserve and maintain them to maximize their lifespan. Investments in Eagle Harbor will allow the facility to speed up repairs on ferries pulled from service so they’re back in the water sooner.  

High School Road Roundabout 

I do not support the proposed roundabout at High School Road. I have lived here a long time, and I have never heard anyone suggest that the High School Road intersection is unusually dangerous. I share the concerns that many of you have shared with the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT): ferry traffic will back up in both directions, it will be difficult for pedestrians to cross with a roundabout, it may make it harder for emergency vehicles (the Bainbridge Island Fire Department wrote a letter with this exact concern).  

Over the interim, I plan to work with the WSDOT to suspend planned construction of the High School Road roundabout and urge them to look for other ways to improve safety at the existing stop light. I proposed an amendment to prohibit WSDOT from spending money on the High School Road Roundabout and instead consider other alternatives; but I couldn’t get it written into the final budget. I have already spoken with WSDOT so they understand my opposition; I will write them over the interim and encourage them to look for alternative ways to make this intersection safer while maintaining the existing stoplight.  

More Affordable Housing; More Health Care Facilities; More Trails and Forests; More Places for Our Youth  

Reps. Tarra Simmons and Greg Nance and I secured funding in our 2026 supplemental capital budget for several local projects that will make Kitsap County more affordable, keep us healthy, and give us all more places to enjoy the outdoors, including: 

  • $600,000 to help Housing Resources Bainbridge build out the infrastructure for its permanently affordable homeownership project on Bainbridge Island called Finch Green. Bethany Lutheran Church donated the land. The project will include 22 permanently affordable single-family units. 
  • $927,000 to help Crossroads Neighborhood Church cover the pre-development and design phase of an affordable housing project in Bremerton called Crossroads Village. The project is expected to provide 74 affordable units for families and domestic violence survivors. 
  • $366,000 to support the pre-development phase of an affordable housing project in Kingston called Howerton Place. 
  • $236,000 to help the Bremerton Boys & Girls Club replace its HVAC system to keep the program running. 
  • $258,000 for the City of Poulsbo to begin repair work on the Liberty Bay Waterfront Boardwalk. First constructed in the late 1970s, it has seen decades of wear and tear.  
  • $1.5 million to support Peninsula Community Health Services and Silverdale Community Center Foundation’s retrofitting of a combined community center and primary care clinic in Silverdale. 
  • $773,000 for Kitsap Community Foundation to facilitate the purchase of timbered forest in Port Gamble Forest Heritage Park. The project is expected to conserve the forest while increasing available recreation activities in the area. 

Update On My Bills 

  • Banning Dangerous Nitrous Oxide. HB 2532, now signed into law, bans the retail sale of nitrous oxide (sometimes called whippets or Galaxy Gas) in Washington. The fact that the dangerous inhalant is being sold at gas stations and convenience stores in large canisters with bright colors and candy-like flavors is unacceptable. I’m grateful to have partnered with the Suquamish Tribe and Rep. Joe Timmons on this bill. Learn more. 
  • Keeping ICE Out of Schools, Daycares, and More. SB 5906 (the SAFE Act) would have helped keep ICE out of the nonpublic areas of schools, daycares, health care facilities, and more without a warrant signed by a judge. The House ran out of time to pass the bill before a key deadline so it won’t become law this year. We already have policies in place at public colleges, public schools, and public hospitals under the Keep Washington Working Act to prevent ICE from entering without a warrant. My bill would have expanded those protections to daycares, nursing homes, private health care facilities, and more. We’ll keep working to get the bill across the finish line next session. 
  • Protecting Against Fraud. SB 6215, the Fraud Prevention Act, was included in our supplemental operating budget. It requires the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee to review auditing, accountability, and risk management practices across Washington’s state agencies and report back to the Legislature on findings and recommendations by June 30, 2027. I had an initial call with the nonpartisan staff who will oversee this project, and I asked them to focus first on areas that have been the subject of fraud investigations (and even convictions) in Minnesota and other states. We absolutely owe it to the public that when we are spending public money we are careful, frugal, and on our guard against fraud, and I am absolutely committed to making sure we have strong protections in Washington state against those who would steal public money and take advantage of state programs. Learn more. 

As always, please reach out to my office anytime. It’s an honor to serve you, and I hope to see you at our April 18 Town Halls!  

Sincerely, 

Drew Hansen