Dear friends and neighbors, As the owner of a pizza restaurant and ice cream parlor, I see firsthand the impact that small businesses have on their communities. Small mom-and-pop shops provide jobs, sponsor little league teams and provide places to gather. These shops truly define a community’s character. After all, what ...
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Dear friends and neighbors, This is the time of year when high school students across the state put the finishing touches on their college application packets and begin to research financial aid options. Needless to say, applying to college can be stressful and daunting for both students and their parents. What shouldn’t ...
Read MoreDear friends and neighbors, On Tuesday, I introduced Senate Bill 5825 that offers a moderate approach to fully funding our schools and resolving the state’s McCleary lawsuit. One of my top priorities this session was to work hard to protect your local investments and find a way to make sure ...
Read MoreDear friends and neighbors, Often when people think of the work that the Legislature does in Olympia, they think of big budgets, massive transportation projects and complex public policy. In reality, a lot of the work we do flies under the radar. One of the parts of my job that I value ...
Read MoreDear friends and neighbors, This week the House passed legislation that would protect local school levy dollars for one more year while the Legislature continues to works on a school funding overhaul. It was the first bill passed by the House this year and it should be the first bill the ...
Read MoreDear friends and neighbors, In last week’s e-newsletter, I mentioned that my number-one priority this session was to keep traffic moving. Yesterday, I sent a letter to the chairs of the Senate and House transportation committees urging them to accelerate the timing of the SR 18/ I-90 interchange project so production ...
Read MoreDear friends and neighbors, The 2017 legislative session kicked off on Monday and I’m happy to be back in Olympia. On Monday, I may have been the first legislator in the history of the state Senate to be sworn in while on crutches. In case you missed it, I was involved ...
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