E-Newsletters

Dear friends and neighbors, It has been an honor to represent you and the entire 5^th Legislative District this year. We are in the final hours of the legislative session and even though I am seriously disappointed that we have yet to pass a supplemental budget, I am confident we will ...

Dear friends and neighbors, In last year’s transportation revenue package, I was able to secure funding for a new interchange at Highway 18 and I-90. Congestion at this location is maddening, and this project will go a long way toward speeding up the flow of traffic. However, completion of this project ...

Dear friends and neighbors, As the father of four daughters, I know how stressful it can feel when planning to save for college. What families need are options. That’s why this session I co-sponsored Senate Bill 6601, which establishes the Washington College Savings Program. This bill creates a 529 defined-contribution savings ...

Dear friends and neighbors, Too often down here in Olympia, when groups are on different sides of an issue, we see competing legislation offered from each side and then long, drawn-out arguments without resolution. Throughout my legislative career, I have worked hard to bring groups together to find compromises to the ...

Dear friends and family, Last Friday, without any warning, the Senate Republicans voted not to confirm Lynn Peterson, the head of the Department of Transportation (DOT). Essentially, they fired her. This was the first time since our State was founded in 1889 that the Senate has exercised its right to fire ...

Dear friends and neighbors, During the recession, lawmakers temporarily hiked the amount of money schools could raise through property tax levies so that school districts could survive possible statewide funding cuts. This temporary increase is set to expire at the end of August 2017, posing a serious problem for school districts ...

Dear friends and neighbors, Statewide, we have a serious teacher shortage. School districts are struggling to attract teachers to the profession and retain them once they are hired. Some districts have started the year with as many as 30 classroom vacancies. They’ve resorted to filling these holes with principals and scarce, ...