A look ahead to the 2022 legislative session

2021 interim • November 29, 2021

Washington State House Republicans

Dear Friend:

I hope you had a happy Thanksgiving with friends and family.

A lot has happened in the last month. Below are some updates on important issues as we look ahead to the 2022 legislative session. State lawmakers will return to the Legislature in exactly six weeks. Thank you for reading on.  

COVID-19 2022 Session Operations Plan

The state House of Representatives now has a COVID-19 2022 Session Operations Plan. It was approved by the House Executive Rules Committee, with all four Democrats voting in favor and all three Republicans voting against -- including myself. I will send you a link to this plan when it is posted online. 

For the second year in a row, House Republicans put forward ideas that would have created more transparency and opportunities for the public to be involved, in-person, with the legislative process -- with health and safety protocols in mind. Unfortunately, the majority party again chose to limit public access to the Capitol Campus and member offices, and conduct committee hearings remotely.

Despite these obstacles created by the majority party, there are still several ways for you to be involved in the legislative process. This web page is a great resource for you.      

Real solutions 

House Republicans have spent the interim interacting with constituents, meeting with stakeholders, and crafting real solutions to the problems facing our state. As the minority party, our job is to put forward legislation that offers alternatives and contrast with the majority party, and oppose bad policies. 

In the 2021 legislative session, House Republicans:  

In the 2022 legislative session, we will: 

Like every legislative session, we will also continue to oppose bad policies. This is where we really need your help. Please stay tuned and engaged.

Redistricting Commission and process 

The Redistricting Commission was unable to adopt legislative and congressional maps by the deadline. The commission did agree on maps after the deadline and submitted them to the Washington Supreme Court. The issue is now in the court's hands. 

In a statement, I thanked Commissioner Paul Graves for his hard work, integrity, and professionalism throughout the process. I know he was disappointed in the outcome, but this should not diminish his overall efforts and the work of our staff. I also said that I believe the Washington Supreme Court should adopt these maps and respect the public input that went into developing them. The court has until April 30 to approve maps, but everyone is hoping the matter can be resolved well before then.  

New Secretary of State 

On November 10, Gov. Jay Inslee named Sen. Steve Hobbs as Secretary of State to replace Kim Wyman. In a statement that day, I said that Sen. Hobbs provided needed political balance in the state Senate and the governor had removed one of the most effective roadblocks to his controversial policies. That's not good for our state.

I also pointed out that Washingtonians have chosen Republicans with deep experience in running elections to lead this statewide office for years and the governor had broken this tradition. 

I wish both Kim and Steve well in their new roles for our country and state.  

Stay connected  

Due to state ethics laws, this will be the last edition of The Current for 2021. It will resume again every Friday during the 2022 legislative session. In the meantime, this web page offers you several ways to stay connected to House Republicans, the Legislature, and state government. 

Sincerely,

Rep. J.T. Wilcox
House Republican Leader
(360) 786-7912
JT.Wilcox@leg.wa.gov