Search Results for: town hall
17th District “Zoom” town-hall meeting March 13
March 4, 2025 Dear Friends and Neighbors, Greetings from Olympia! The 2025 legislative session recently reached another key deadline. Last Friday was the deadline for the Senate’s two budget committees - Ways and Means, and Transportation - to pass Senate bills sent to them. With that “cutoff” for voting behind us, the Senate is now devoting several hours each day to floor sessions that start in the morning and end late in the afternoon or well into the evening. During these floor sessions, ...
19th District lawmakers to host virtual town hall meeting Thursday, March 13
Rep. Jim Walsh, Sen. Jeff Wilson and Rep. Joel McEntire. Sen. Jeff Wilson, Rep. Jim Walsh, and Rep. Joel McEntire are inviting residents of Southwest Washington's 19th Legislative District to join them for a one-hour Virtual Town Hall meeting, Thursday, March 13, starting at 6:30 p.m. Those who wish to participate must register in advance for the meeting. The virtual town hall format allows the public to interact with their lawmakers via their computers, tablets or smartphones. The event will be conducted using the Zoom platform. The ...
Count 'em: 107 bills in two days!
I don’t believe unemployment benefits are meant to be paid to people who walk off the job and go on strike, yet on Friday the majority Democrats on the Senate budget committee endorsed a bill to allow that. To view the public hearing that led to the vote on SB 5041, click here. Dear Neighbor, When I was appointed to the Senate Ways and Means Committee ahead of this legislative session, I figured it would keep me busier than any of my ...
Traffic camera bill offers alternative to road usage charge
Note: The following e-newsletter was distributed to Sen. Leonard Christian's subscribers Feb. 28, 2025. To subscribe to Sen. Christian's e-newsletters, click here. Traffic cameras. /Credit: CC0-WDnet Agency Dear Friends and Neighbors, News reports indicate the city of Spokane is planning to install as many as 10 new traffic cameras around town, ostensibly to encourage motorists to drive slower and safer. The fact that they could generate millions of dollars every year in fines is merely incidental. Some might be suspicious of the city’s ...
Sen. Ron Muzzall and Rep. Dave Paul Announce Joint Bipartisan Town Hall in Oak Harbor
Sen. Ron Muzzall, R-Oak Harbor and Rep. Dave Paul, D-Oak Harbor invite residents of the 10th Legislative District to attend a joint, bipartisan in-person town hall meeting on Saturday, March 15, from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. at the Oak Harbor Library, located at 1000 SE Regatta Dr., Oak Harbor, WA 98277. This town hall provides an opportunity for constituents to engage directly with their state legislators, ask questions, and share their thoughts on key issues facing the community and state. Sen. ...
SRC On Air | Sen. Boehnke | KONA
Sen. Matt Boehnke joined The Bottom Line on KONA to discuss policy cut-off day, highlighting bad bills that failed, concerns over federal funding loss, reduced penalties for violent criminals and looming tax hikes. Town halls ahead. #waleg LISTEN ...
Senate passes Goehner bill to expand local housing options
Sen. Keith Goehner/R-Dryden/Credit: Washington State Senate OLYMPIA… Sen. Keith Goehner’s work to give counties more options for promoting affordable housing received a big boost last Wednesday. The Senate gave overwhelming bipartisan support to Senate Bill 5471, Goehner’s effort to let counties authorize at least one “middle housing” unit on every parcel zoned for single-family homes within urban growth areas. “Since the Growth Management Act (GMA) was enacted decades ago, the state has typically gone too far in limiting local government’s ability to authorize ...
Seen and Heard 6
Sen. Braun The Elephant in the Dome Podcast: Washington Senate Republicans Push for Housing Solutions AUDIO: Washington State Senate Republican Leadership Update with Senator John Braun VIDEO: Legislative Republican Leadership Media Availability | Key Issues & Policy Debates AUDIO: Senate committee backs Braun bill to reduce chronic absenteeism Sen. Boehnke SRC On Air: Sen. Matt Boehnke on KONA Radio in the Tri Cities SRC On Air: Sen. Matt Boehnke on KONA Radio in the Tri Cities Sen. Christian SRC On Air: Sen. Leonard Christian on The Commute with Carlson ...
Overcrowding becomes excuse to reduce juvenile sentences
Note: The following e-newsletter was sent to Sen. Leonard Christian's subscribers Feb. 22, 2025. To subscribe to Sen. Christian's e-newsletters, click here. At work in the Senate Human Services Committee. Wouldn’t you just know it? A poorly thought-out policy in juvenile justice has become yet another excuse to return violent offenders to our communities. This week I found myself doing battle in the Senate Human Services Committee against a proposal that uses overcrowding to justify reduced sentences and early releases for the ...
SRC On Air: Sen. Matt Boehnke on KONA Radio in the Tri Cities
Senator Matt Boehnke joined The Bottom Line on NewsRadio 610 to discuss policy cut-off day, highlighting bad bills that didn’t advance, including bans on wood stoves and certain appliances. He raised concerns about potential federal funding loss due to state policies, especially in education, and criticized efforts to reduce penalties for violent criminals. Boehnke warned of looming tax hikes as the state budget process unfolds and emphasized the need for bipartisan solutions to chronic absenteeism in schools. He invited constituents to upcoming town ...
SRC On Air: Sen. Jeff Wilson on Local Matters on Timber Country 94.7 in Aberdeen
Sen. Jeff Wilson joined Local Matters on 94.7 Timber to discuss emergency powers reform, housing bills, EV policies, and state budget concerns. He emphasized keeping state priorities above political feuds and encouraged public engagement. Town halls coming soon! ...
Senate Majority Leader speaks honestly and puts foot in mouth
Note: The following e-newsletter was sent to Sen. Leonard Christian's subscribers Feb. 14, 2025. To subscribe to Sen. Christian's e-newsletters, click here. Dear Friends and Neighbors, Members of the Legislature’s majority party are backpedaling this week after comments from their leader in the Washington Senate stirred outrage among parents across the state. The Seattle lawmaker is trying to claim he was quoted out of context. But let’s give credit where it is due. The Majority Leader did an excellent job of explaining ...
No shortage of ideas about shortage of housing
Dear Friends and Neighbors, As of today, we are one month into the legislative session. The deadline for the Senate’s policy committees to act on bills introduced by senators is Feb. 21…a week from tomorrow. The Senate Housing Committee on which I serve is among those committees, so it’s about to get busier. Today, I’d like to share the details of just a few of those bills and then I’ll invite you to follow a link to an online survey that has ...
Joint 13th District Virtual Town Hall!
The legislators representing Washington’s 13th Legislative District – Sen. Judy Warnick, Rep. Tom Dent, and Rep. Alex Ybarra – invite constituents to join them for a virtual town hall on Wednesday, February 19, 2025, from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. via Zoom. As the 2025 legislative session progresses, the town hall will provide an opportunity for constituents to engage directly with their elected officials, ask questions, and share their perspectives on key issues affecting the district and the state. “Affordability and rural ...
Newsletter | Save the Date | March 15 | 8th Dist. Town Hall
On Saturday, March 15, your 8th District lawmakers will host an in-person Town Hall meeting in the Tri-Cities. I will join my seatmates, Representative Stephanie Barnard and Representative April Connors. We invite you to join us. This is an excellent opportunity to hear from you on the essential things and give you a chance to spend time with your local state lawmakers. Date: Saturday, March 15, 2025 Time: 1o a.m. to noon Location: Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce, 7130 W Grandridge Blvd Ste C, ...
Newsletter | My committee assignments for the Legislative Session
As I begin my first term in the Senate, I am honored to have been selected for three Senate committees as well as the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee (JLARC), the Joint Administrative Rules Review Committee (JARRC), and the Legislative Committee on Economic Development and International Relations (LCEDIR). These assignments provide an exciting opportunity to focus on key issues for our district and the state. As the ranking Republican on the Housing Committee, my primary focus will be improving the ...
Legislative Latte Rescheduled – Update
We have rescheduled the Legislative Latte for Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, from 3 to 4:30 p.m. at the Tri City Regional Chamber of Commerce Business Center. Last Friday night I was caught up in a five-car pileup on Manastash Ridge on I-82 heading home to Kennewick. Thankfully no one was seriously injured. However, the incident caused me to miss both of my Legislative Latte events Saturday morning, which was a disappointment to those that arrived for the meeting. It was difficult ...
E-Newsletter: The 'freeze' is coming!
Dear Neighbor, Greetings from… here in the 16th District! Let me begin with a quick piece of housekeeping. Legislators who declare their candidacy for public office (like being re-elected to the Senate) must abide by a strict set of rules when it comes to communicating using official tools. For me, those tools include my Senate website, my legislative Facebook page, and e-newsletters. Therefore, I can’t update my website and FB page or send you another report like this until after the November election. ...
Sen. Jeff Wilson to host town hall meeting in Longview Saturday, April 27
Sen. Jeff Wilson, R-Longview. OLYMPIA – Jeff Wilson, senator from Southwest Washington’s 19th Legislative District, will host a town hall in Longview Saturday, April 27. The meeting is from 10 a.m. to noon at the Lower Columbia College Student Center, 1600 Maple Street in Longview. The event is free and open to the public, and questions and comments are welcome. Wilson, R-Longview, said he looks forward to discussing the 2024 session and prospects for next year. “This year the people showed how powerful ...
An April update from Rep. Leonard Christian
Dear Friends and Neighbors, Saturday, April 20th is the physical deadline for those impacted by the Grey and Oregon wildfires to fill out U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) loan paperwork to ensure they qualify for all Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) benefits. Those registered with FEMA who have questions or have received correspondence that appear to be denial letters, or need help to start or finish an SBA loan application, are encouraged to visit one of the two in-person disaster outreach centers ...