Sen. Sharon Brown sent this bulletin at 01/06/2023 12:55 PM PST
Dear Friends,
I first arrived in the state Senate in February of 2013, nearly a decade ago. It's hard to believe that in just a few short days, I will officially end my service in the Legislature. As I wrap up my time with this final Bridges to a Better Government, I want you to know what a privilege and honor it has been to serve the people of the Tri-Cities.
Second only to the pride I feel having been sent to Olympia by 8th District voters is the deep appreciation and honor I feel having been chosen by colleagues for positions of leadership.
In 2014, I was voted Vice President Pro Tempore, one of two positions elected by the Senate to preside over the chamber during the absence of the Lieutenant Governor.
In addition, my colleagues in both the Majority Coalition and the Republican Caucus selected me to serve as a member of the Leadership Team, as the Deputy Republican Leader.
These honors are not just about titles; they represented important opportunities for the Tri-Cities to have a seat at the table and a greater voice for our families, employers and communities.
Below, you can read about some of the many accomplishments I achieved working together with you over the last decade.
As I leave this role to take on new challenges and provide others the opportunity for leadership, I want to again say thank you to each and everyone of you for helping me to build a bridge away from partisanship and strife, and toward better government.
Sincerely,
Sharon Brown State Senator 8th District
Jobs, jobs, jobs...
In 2013, I shepherded through the Legislature two bills aimed at improving the regulatory environment for Washington businesses. During the 2014 legislative session, I continued my work on behalf of small business and those Washingtonians looking for work by introducing a bill aimed at increasing transparency and predictability in permitting. The Transparency in Permitting Act received broad bipartisan support and the House version of the bill was signed into law.
I followed that up by successfully gaining passage of the Residential Construction Recovery Act, which helps residential builders defer payment of impact fees. I was also proud to create the Invest in Washington Jobs Pilot Program, which provides an incentive for businesses to invest in machinery equipment and job-force training for manufacturing projects by allowing them to defer taxes and use that money up front when they need it most. The program was a huge success and led to the adoption of an expanded, permanent program.
In 2021, the Legislature adopted my bill establishing a statewide industrial waste coordination program. The measure addressed the critical need of industrial businesses to reduce costs and increase profitability, and the public need to improve environmental performance.
Advocating for nuclear, hydro and energy innovation and affordability
As a state and national voice on energy issues, it was my honor to be the Legislature’s top champion for nuclear power. As a member of the Washington State Joint Select Task Force on Nuclear Energy, I introduced several measures aimed at supporting nuclear education and preparing the state to attract more economic development and jobs tied to the nuclear power industry and the growing technology of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs).
In 2017, the Legislature approved my bill to advance research on renewable energy by improving the permitting process for geothermal exploration. The new law is about streamlining the process to make it easier to explore this new clean-energy resource and create great jobs in this industry.
Suicide prevention and addressing the mental health crisis
In response to one of the Tri-Cities’ greatest needs, I embraced enhancement of mental-health treatment and resources as one of my highest priorities.
In 2017, the Legislature passed our Youth Behavioral Health Protection Act (Senate Bill 5779), which streamlines care and better identifies the mental-health needs of children, who often go untreated for serious and even life-threatening behavioral conditions. The innovative measure integrates mental health services with primary pediatric care, and also requires the state Health Care Authority to oversee the coordination of mental-health resources and services for Medicaid-eligible children.
In 2018, I scored several policy and budget victories that help address the state’s mental-health needs, including:
Creation of the PAL for Moms and Kids Pilot Program (Senate Bill 6452), which expands the activities of the children’s mental-health services consultation program and creates a pilot program to specifically address the needs of children, pregnant women and new mothers;
Passage of Senate Bill 6514, a measure that promotes a comprehensive approach to suicide prevention and behavioral health at our higher-education institutions;
$200,000 in the capital budget for the Benton Franklin Community Health Alliance – Youth Suicide Prevention Coalition to renovate and expand the lobby and interview rooms of Lourdes Crisis Services; and
$750,000 over four years in the state budget for the Benton-Franklin local health jurisdiction to combat suicide.
In 2021, I also successfully got a budget proviso for a tip line for students at school to report potential harm anonymously and save lives.
Supporting science, technology and innovation
Support for science and technology should not be a partisan issue. That is why I have worked to create a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers, stakeholders, policy experts, and technology innovators to advance support for new industries.
One of the manifestations of this effort is the SciTech Caucus, which is a group open to lawmakers from either house and any party.
My office was able to spearhead the effort to create a working group to study economics applications for blockchain technology.
"Senator Brown has been a strong, compassionate voice for the people of the 8th Legislative District, and I know that the investments that she has made to impact the Kennewick community will be felt for generations to come."
- Lt. Gov. Denny Heck
"We’re all fortunate to have enjoyed her service for as long as we have, but Cougs everywhere especially should thank the departing Sen. Sharon Brown for her support of WSU."
-Chris Mulik, WSU
"Thanks to Sen. Sharon Brown for SB5345, which creates a ground-breaking statewide program at Commerce to help industrial companies reuse byproducts and material waste. The benefits are good for biz & the environment."
-@WASTATECOMMERCE
"Successful tech ventures don’t materialize in a vacuum. They need talented, skilled leaders and employees, and capital and customers to fund their ventures. And they benefit from supportive policy makers who believe in what they’re trying to accomplish and craft legislation and funding that helps along the way.
This year at the GeekWire Awards we’re delighted to announce [Sens. Sharon Brown and Reuven Carlyle] as recipients of the Public Policy Champion for Innovation Award to recognize outstanding elected officials for their contributions to the tech sector."
