November 21, 2022
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Last week, I concluded the second portion of my sixth annual 12th District listening tour. Traveling throughout our district with my staff has become an annual tradition every fall, the time of year when legislators begin planning for the upcoming legislative session. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the past two listening tours consisted primarily of remote meetings. This year’s listening tour included in-person meetings with remote meetings available as an option.
This year’s listening tour was split between the eastern and western portions of the new 12th District. The first portion of the tour took place September 13-16, with visits to Cashmere, Leavenworth, Chelan, and Wenatchee. The second portion of the tour took place November 14–18 in the King and Snohomish counties portion of the new 12th District. I enjoyed my stops in Skykomish, Index, Gold Bar, Monroe, Sultan, Carnation, North Bend, and other communities to discuss issues with local leaders.
 This year’s “Listening Tour” included stops in Skykomish, Index, Gold Bar, Sultan, Monroe, Carnation, and North Bend. During my Carnation stop, I enjoyed a great conversation with the city council, which included a detailed discussion of SR 203 and an alternative pathway through Carnation for freight traffic.
Listening tours have become an annual tradition
Past listening tours have taken me all throughout the 12th District and helped connect me with issues important to our legislative district with visits to several communities, such as Leavenworth, Cashmere, Quincy, Wenatchee, East Wenatchee, Pateros, Twisp, Chelan, Grand Coulee, Bridgeport, Waterville, Rock Island, Mansfield, and Mazama. Many of these areas will no longer be within the 12th District boundaries, which is why this year’s stops included Cashmere, Leavenworth, Chelan, Wenatchee, Monroe, Sultan, Carnation, North Bend and other communities. It is always helpful to hear directly from you, the people I serve, on issues important to your community. During this year’s listening tour, issues that were discussed included the state budget, health care, education, land use, wildfire, outdoor recreation, and more. This feedback will be very helpful for me when casting important votes in Olympia.
Listening to you helps me serve you better
Hosting a listening tour each year allows me to hear directly from you in preparation for the upcoming session. Ideas shared during past listening tours have even turned into successful legislative action. A few examples: a suggestion by Leavenworth officials to dispose of brush and yard clippings resulted in a bill that became law in 2018. A funding request related to the Saddle Rock trail in Wenatchee became reality when it was included in the state capital budget two years ago, and a road-paving project to a popular fishing location in Okanogan County was recently funded. All were ideas first discussed with constituents during past listening tours. The information shared with me in communities in the new 12th District, which now includes portions of Snohomish and King counties, is so valuable to me and could also lead to legislative action. Besides legislative ideas, I also collect helpful comments that prepare me to make better decisions in Olympia.
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Thank you to Mayor Geoffrey Thomas and the City of Monroe for welcoming me so graciously during last week’s listening tour. I had a great discussion with the mayor and staff about city issues and enjoyed quality time with the council and department leaders prior to the November 15th City Council Meeting.
Looking ahead to the 2023 legislative session
As I reflect upon discussions from this fall’s listening tour and look ahead to the legislative session, I will be better prepared to represent us in the Senate. When legislators convene in Olympia in January for the 2023 legislative session, the primary focus will be developing and approving budgets for the 2023-2025 biennium. This two-year period covers July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2025. Legislators will be approving all three budgets for the two-year period. These budgets, as currently approved, include the operating budget ($64.1 billion), transportation budget ($12.2 billion), and capital budget ($7.8 billion). In addition to the approval of the state budgets, lawmakers will also be considering approval of new laws and adjustments to existing laws. While traveling to Olympia during the session can be a long trip, I welcome your visit.
 The 2023 Legislative Session begins on January 9th and is scheduled for 105-days. If you have any questions about legislative issues during session, please contact me.
Thank you for your support
I hope you were able to participate in this year’s listening tour. The visits to the new communities in the 12th District were fantastic, and I look forward to many more in future months and years. The encouragement and support have been terrific throughout my six years of listening tours. Whether you were able to participate this year or not, please know that my position exists to serve you. Please feel free to reach out to me and my office anytime, either here at home or in Olympia. I appreciate hearing your thoughts and ideas about state government.
I look forward to serving as your state senator.
Sincerely,
 Brad Hawkins
State Senator Brad Hawkins
12th Legislative District
Website: senatorbradhawkins.org
107 Newhouse Building - P.O. Box 40412 | Olympia, WA 98504-0412
(360) 786-7622 or Toll-free: (800) 562-6000
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