Search Results for: town hall
An October update from Rep. Leonard Christian
On October 7th, the world witnessed a barbaric attack against the citizens of Israel that will go down in history as one of the darkest days for the Jewish state. Hamas terrorists indiscriminately targeted innocent noncombatants, including women, children, and the elderly. The victims and their families are in my prayers. I will be supporting a Joint Memorial, along with my fellow House Republicans, on the first day of the next legislative session calling on Congress to provide full and unequivocal ...
Newsletter: How did school districts spend $1 billion in student aid? We're not sure
An audit by the U.S. Department of Education found that Washington state school officials had little oversight in how school districts spent $1 billion in student funding, 20% of which was intended to help students catch up from learning loss as a result of COVID shutdowns. The Seattle Times reported that state Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal said he thought the districts' reporting was in compliance with federal law, but the reports tfice of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) posted ...
35th District lawmakers to hold town hall on Highway 3 Freight Corridor (Belfair Bypass) project
OLYMPIA – 35th District lawmakers will host a town hall meeting Nov. 9 in Belfair to put the spotlight on the soon-to-launch Belfair Bypass project on State Route 3. Sen. Drew MacEwen and Reps. Dan Griffey and Travis Couture will be joined by representatives of the state Department of Transportation. State officials will discuss the project route and timeline and answer questions. The meeting begins at 6 p.m. Nov. 9 at The Hub, 111 Northeast Old Belfair Highway, in Belfair. The Bypass is moving forward as the result of ...
Opening our doors – and our hearts – to Ukrainian refugees
When war broke out in the Ukraine, I sponsored a $19 million budget amendment to support Ukrainian refugees in Washington state. Now it’s time to ask – how are we doing? Note: The following e-newsletter was sent to Sen. Chris Gildon’s subscribers Sept. 25, 2023. To subscribe to Sen. Gildon’s e-newsletters, click here. Ukrainian refugees told us their stories at a public forum Aug. 29 at Life Christian Church in Tacoma. Joining me were Ukrainian community leaders and lawmakers who have sponsored ...
Newsletter: Gas prices expected to increase again -- by 6 cents per gallon
Dear Friends and Neighbors, As I shared in my previous newsletter, I suspected the carbon-pricing auction held by the Washington State Department of Ecology on August 30 (as part of the Democrats' "cap-and-tax" plan) would result in another increase in the price of fuel. The results of that auction were made public yesterday and confirm my suspicions. The cumulative hike the price of gasoline due to selling "carbon allowances" is now expected to equal 51 cents per gallon, up from the 45 cents ...
Braun: Legislature has duty to reconvene Redistricting Commission
OLYMPIA…Senate Republican Leader John Braun shared the following comments on the heels of two recent court decisions saying Washington’s legislative district maps, which were created by the Washington State Redistricting Commission during the 2022 redistricting process and went into effect this year, must be redrawn for the 15th Legislative District. The judge in Soto-Palmer v. Hobbs determined that Latino representation in the district is insufficient to satisfy the federal Voting Rights Act. Currently, the 15th District is at least 51.1% Latino ...
Braun: Legislature has duty to reconvene Redistricting Commission
OLYMPIA…Senate Republican Leader John Braun shared the following comments on the heels of two recent court decisions saying Washington’s legislative district maps, which were created by the Washington State Redistricting Commission during the 2022 redistricting process and went into effect this year, must be redrawn for the 15th Legislative District. The judge in Soto-Palmer v. Hobbs determined that Latino representation in the district is insufficient to satisfy the federal Voting Rights Act. Currently, the 15th District is at least 51.1% Latino ...
Republican ag leaders highlight hypocrisy of Democrats on gas-price debacle
Sen. Perry Dozier OLYMPIA… Agricultural-policy leaders from the Senate Republican Caucus are weighing in on attempts to gaslight the public on why Washington’s gas prices remain highest in the nation. While Gov. Jay Inslee and other Democratic elected officials tried to lay blame on the oil and gas industry during a news conference today, Senators Ron Muzzall, Judy Warnick, Perry Dozier and Mark Schoesler pointed out the hypocrisy of Democrats about their “cap-and-gouge” carbon-pricing scheme and its impact on the state’s agricultural ...
Join me for Town Halls!
Greetings Friends and Neighbors, The 2023 legislative session is behind us but there is still a lot going on. During the interim I'm staying busy meeting with constituents here in district and participating in numerous task forces and commissions around the state. During the session my House seatmates and I held a virtual town hall, but I'd like to invite you to our upcoming in-person town halls. Our district is still fairly large and with the recent redistricting we have new areas ...
Join us for a town hall meeting Tuesday evening
25th District lawmakers to hold meeting June 27 at Puyallup fairgrounds Note: The following e-newsletter was sent to Sen. Chris Gildon’s subscribers June 22, 2023. To subscribe to Sen. Gildon’s e-newsletters, click here. Dear Friends and Neighbors, I want to invite you to a town hall meeting I will be hosting Tuesday evening with my House seatmates, Cyndy Jacobsen and Kelly Chambers. We’ll be discussing what happened during the 2023 legislative session, how it affects the 25th Legislative District, and what’s in store ...
Reminder: 4th District Town Hall tomorrow, Saturday, May 27
Tomorrow, May 27th, at 10:00 a.m. Suzanne Schmidt, Sen. Mike Padden and I will host an in-person town hall meeting at CenterPlace Event Center (2426 N. Discovery Place, Spokane Valley). Residents of the 4th District are encouraged to join us for a discussion about the 2023 legislative session and other important topics to the region and state. Sincerely, ...
4th District lawmakers to host in-person town hall on Saturday, May 27
Fourth District lawmakers State Rep. Suzanne Schmidt, Rep. Leonard Christian, and Sen. Mike Padden are participating in a town hall, in which constituents are invited to join them, at CenterPlace in the Spokane Valley on Saturday, May 27 at 10 a.m. to provide a review of the 2023 legislative session and take questions from constituents. Date: Saturday, May 27, 2023Time: 10 a.m. - 11 a.m.Location: CenterPlace Event Center, 2426 N. Discovery Place, Spokane Valley Anyone with questions prior to the town hall meeting can contact Rep. ...
4th District Town Hall on Saturday, May 27
On May 27th at 10:00 a.m. Reps. Leonard Christian, Suzanne Schmidt, and Sen. Mike Padden will host an in-person town hall meeting at CenterPlace Event Center (2426 N. Discovery Place, Spokane Valley). Residents of the 4th District are encouraged to join the discussion about the 2023 legislative session and other important topics to the region and state. Contact: Representative Leonard Christian(360) 786-7984Leonard.Christian@leg.wa.gov Representative Suzanne Schmidt(360) 786-7820Suzanne.Schmidt@leg.wa.gov Senator Mike Padden(360) 786-7606Mike.Padden@leg.wa.gov ...
New drug possession law better, but not perfect | An update from Rep. Leonard Christian
Dear Friends and Neighbors, The Legislature convened on Tuesday, May 16, for a one-day special session and passed a new drug possession law: Senate Bill 5536. While the bill falls short of what Washington needs to curb the substance abuse crisis plaguing our communities, it’s a step in the right direction. It will enact tougher penalties on illegal drug use and possession, protect local control, divert more resources into treatment and recovery, and give law enforcement professionals clear guidance. The soft-on-crime, pro-drug legalization ...
Inslee vetoes show troubling lack of accountability
Senate Republican leader disappointed with snub of special education OLYMPIA…Gov. Jay Inslee vetoed 20 provisos in the 2023-25 operating budget this week, including some that would have improved government accountability. Senate Republican Leader John Braun released comments in response to the governor vetoing the following items: Requirement for the Department of Social and Human Services to notify residents when placing sexually violent predators released from McNeil Island into their communities Special Education Performance Audit, which was designed to look, at least ...
Legislature makes progress in 2023, but big concerns remain on crime and drugs
Fizzle on drug bill could force Legislature to return for special session Note: The following e-newsletter was sent to Sen. Chris Gildon’s subscribers May 1, 2023. To subscribe to Sen. Gildon’s e-newsletters, click here. Session's successes included bipartisan work on budget, housing policy. Above, Lt. Gov. Denny Heck brings down the final gavel in the state Senate, April 23, 2023. Dear friends and neighbors, Our 2023 legislative session ended April 23 after 105 days in Olympia. This year we saw major debates on ...
Please join us for our 17th District virtual town hall on Wednesday
I hope this short letter finds you well. Thank you again for allowing me to serve you in Olympia. I wanted to remind you that I will join my 17th District seatmates this week, Rep. Kevin Waters, R-Stevenson, and Sen. Lynda Wilson, R-Vancouver, for a virtual town-hall meeting to discuss the recently concluded 2023 legislative session. This one-hour event will be held over Zoom on Wednesday, May 3, from 6 to 7 p.m. This will be a great opportunity to learn more ...
An update from Rep. Leonard Christian | Legislature adjourns; unfinished work on drug possession law
Dear Friends and Neighbors, The 2023 legislative session adjourned sine die on Sunday, April 23rd, as scheduled. I am happy to be back in the district and look forward to meeting with constituents to discuss all that happened during those 105-days. Washington’s drug possession law – a Blake fix On Sunday, the majority party brought up a measure to address the state’s drug possession laws, Senate Bill 5536, for a vote. The bill failed to pass by a vote of 43-55, falling seven ...
E-News: 2023 session ends on schedule, but a big problem remains
No one would have seen this in 2021 and 2022, because pandemic restrictions kept the public from being heard when legislators were in session. I'm glad that's over! The people of Washington have the right to come to their Capitol and assemble peacefully, the way we saw last week from supporters and opponents of SB 5599 -- one of the session's most divisive bills. Dear Neighbor, Greetings from…here in the 16th District! This year’s regular legislative session wrapped up on schedule this ...
SRC On Air: Sen. Jeff Wilson on Town Hall on KEDO Radio in Longview
Sen. Jeff Wilson talks to KEDO Radio’s Mike Wallin about his bills on tow truck safety, wind turbine blades, museum guns, charging station vandalism, and catalytic converter theft. They also discuss the ban on some rifles and hard drug possession. ...