2016 session is underway! The 2016 legislative session is now underway. We are scheduled to be in session for 60 days, until March 10. I am hopeful that the Legislature’s primary focus this year will be on doing whatever we can to encourage private-sector job growth, adopt innovative new approaches to energy and improve... Read More...

Bridges to a Better Government: That’s all, folks! Legislative year comes to a close with the best education budget in state history! That’s all, folks! On July 10, the special legislative session came to a close and we adjourned for the year. I am happy to report the Legislature was able to complete its work on the 2015-17... Read More...

The Never Ending Session As we worked through the night to finish the bills necessary to implement the budget, all the celebration came to a stop. At 4 a.m. on Wednesday, half of the Senate Democrats broke ranks with the their leadership when they refused to vote for a measure to suspend Initiative 1351... Read More...

Nuclear energy policies still alive in Senate budget As you know, I spent a good bit of the regular session working on bills encouraging nuclear energy and preparing the state and our workers to compete for the jobs tied to this growing and evolving clean energy field. I am happy to report that many of the policies in... Read More...

Nuclear power and House budget and the Auditor, oh my! What a week it has been in Olympia. We are now just one month away from what should be the end of the 2015 legislative session, and finally – on day 75 of the 105-day legislative session, the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives has released its budget proposal. My bills to... Read More...

Bridges to a Better Government: No excuses There are just five weeks to go in the 2015 legislative session. Although we are now two-thirds of the way through the 105-day session, we still haven’t seen a budget proposal from the majority party in the House of Representatives, which is responsible for initiating the budget process this year.... Read More...

Bridges to a Better Government: Reaching 13.1 miles There are many who describe the legislative session as a marathon. It’s a good analogy. We use the interims between sessions to train – taking part in work sessions and preparing legislation. When the race begins, it does so with a bang and a flash, and lots of excitement and... Read More...

Bridges to a Better Government: Dollars & cents in the spotlight as Senate reaches fiscal ‘cutoff’ The 2015 legislative session is nearly halfway through. Tomorrow is yet another key deadline – the cutoff for bills before the Ways and Means and Transportation committees. Bills considered “necessary to implement the budget” are still considered alive even after this deadline. As a member of Ways and Means, the... Read More...

Bridges to a Better Government: Busy week as deadlines approach As we approach one of these deadlines, the pace of action always picks up; however, no matter how busy we get, I always do my best to make time to meet with visitors. This is especially true for those who make the nearly four-hour trek from our district. This week... Read More...