Letter from Leadership

This week began with Children's and Presidents' Day, and ended with policy committee cutoff today. The time in between included a lot of committee work. Our next important deadline is March 1 -- fiscal committee cutoff.

Our number one priority this legislative session continues to be jobs. The governor and Democrats talk about the economy; we have a plan to get Washington working. You can learn more about it here.

We hope you have a great weekend. 

Sincerely,
Rep. Paul Harris
17th District
Whip

In the news

• Gas tax, bike fee fuel House Dems’ transportation plan (The Seattle Times)
• McKenna joins law firm, will remain involved in politics (The Seattle Times)
• Taxapalooza! — $38 billion in Democratic tax-hike proposals get a courtesy hearing in the Senate, and maybe there’s a back-handed message (Washington State Wire)
• Land sale to lawmaker raises ire (The Everett Herald)
• Health-care-law backers worry about jump in premiums (The Seattle Times)

The Current (past editions)

• Feb. 15
• Feb. 8
• Feb. 1
• Jan. 25
• Jan. 21

“We need to see how we can make our (gas) tax dollars go further before we reach further into taxpayers’ pockets.”

- Rep. Ed Orcutt, ranking Republican on the House Transportation Committee, in response to the House Democrats' plan to raise the state gas tax by 10 cents. To read his statement, click here.

Tell us what you think here.

Children's and Presidents' Day

We celebrated children and presidents on the House floor Monday. This is always one of the best days of the legislative session.

Rep. Elizabeth Scott, pictured above with daughter Libby, and Rep. Brad Hawkins, pictured below with sons Tyler (left) and Luke (right), provided resolution speeches for us. 

The week ahead

Next Friday is fiscal committee cutoff.  There will be several additions to the fiscal committee agendas throughout the week.

• Tuesday
  Volunteer firefighter and reserve officer death benefits. House Bill 1180. House Appropriations Committee. House Hearing Room A. 1:30 p.m.
• Tuesday
  Eliminating periodic license plate replacement. House Bill 1387. House Transportation Committee. House Hearing Room B. 3:30 p.m.
• Tuesday
  Prohibiting ferry vessel and facility design changes without legislative directive. House Bill 1880. House Transportation Committee. House Hearing Room B. 3:30 p.m.
• Wednesday
  Allowing toll violators to explain mitigating circumstances. House Bill 1941. House Transportation Committee. House Hearing Room B. 3:30 p.m.

How we get Washington working 

Too many of our friends and neighbors are out of work, underemployed and have seen their finances diminish. If families and communities are going to be prosperous, we need a vibrant economy.

For too long, majority-party Democrats have neglected the economy. This year, they have sponsored several bills to establish new, or raise, taxes. A group of Democrats also filed a lawsuit to throw out the voter-approved initiative requiring a 2/3 vote of the Legislature to raise taxes.  

This sends the wrong message to struggling consumers and employers. 

Our economic solutions would create private-sector jobs, grow the state economy and help incomes rise. To learn more about our plan, click here.

Freshman spotlight:
Rep. Brandon Vick 

In the last six months, Rep. Brandon Vick has started new roles as a dad and state representative. The 18th District lawmaker has deep family roots in Clark County. To learn about the line of work Brandon is in and which  university his family roots for, click here.

Video: A Look at the Washington State Initiative Process

Click here to watch a video from the Washington Secretary of State's Office.