Franz has headed the Department of Natural Resources since 2017, and she has effectively advocated for increased spending on wildfire prevention and response. While the position — which is elected statewide — also involves generating revenue from Washington’s public lands and managing the state’s broad resources, dealing with wildfires is perhaps the most visible aspect of her work. As Sen. Sharon ...
Read MoreIn the News
![Columbian: "Wildfire preparation can protect health, lives"](https://senatedemocrats.wa.gov/shewmake/wp-content/uploads/sites/31/2022/12/Featured-Image-2-scaled-1-1140x600.jpg)
![Bellingham Herald: "Washingtonians must prepare for the impacts of wildfire and smoke. These bills could help"](https://senatedemocrats.wa.gov/shewmake/wp-content/uploads/sites/31/2022/12/Featured-Image-2-scaled-1-1140x600.jpg)
Summer in Washington used to mean clear blue skies, but recently they are mostly remembered for the wildfire smoke. Two bills, in the house and senate, are going to focus on communities that suffer the most from wildfires. The “Cascading Impacts of Wildfire” legislation was proposed by Commissioner of Public Lands Hillary Franz who leads the Department of Natural Resources. The ...
Read More![Cascadia Daily News: "Legislators offer high-speed, low-speed approaches to pursuit reform"](https://senatedemocrats.wa.gov/shewmake/wp-content/uploads/sites/31/2022/12/Featured-Image-2-scaled-1-1140x600.jpg)
Reding and key Democrats in the Legislature prefer Senate Bill 5533, co-sponsored by Sen. Shewmake. Her bill calls for the state’s law enforcement training agency to come up with model vehicle pursuit policy by October 2024. SB 5533 got a hearing in the Senate Law & Justice Committee on Jan. 30. Committee Chair Manka Dhingra ...
Read More![Center Square: "Bills would ease rules to build homes in Washington"](https://senatedemocrats.wa.gov/shewmake/wp-content/uploads/sites/31/2022/12/Featured-Image-2-scaled-1-1140x600.jpg)
“Housing affordability requires an all-of-the-above strategy,” said Sen. Sharon Shewmake, D-Bellingham, who counts affordable housing as one of her key issues, in an email to The Center Square. “Delays and additional costs from permitting drive up the price of homes and reduce supply. She continued, “This has to be part of a strategy of opening up more land to housing, reforming ...
Read More![Capital Press: "Higher fee sought to fund Washington Beef Commission"](https://senatedemocrats.wa.gov/shewmake/wp-content/uploads/sites/31/2022/12/Featured-Image-2-scaled-1-1140x600.jpg)
![Cascadia Daily News: "Democrats, GOP seek unity on state's biggest issues"](https://senatedemocrats.wa.gov/shewmake/wp-content/uploads/sites/31/2022/12/Featured-Image-2-scaled-1-1140x600.jpg)
Another piece that might help solve the complicated homelessness puzzle is affordable housing, and it’s also a high priority for the governor and legislators in northwest Washington.
“It’s a supply problem,” Shewmake said. “We have to build more housing.”
Read more...Read More![Shewmake sworn in as 42nd district senator](https://senatedemocrats.wa.gov/shewmake/wp-content/uploads/sites/31/2022/12/Rep-Shewmake_Sharon-2019-resized-1140x600.jpg)