Olympia Report

Forming the Aviation Caucus
November 22, 2013
As you know, I’m a proud member of the Civil Air Patrol. One thing I’m particularly excited about is the formation of the Aviation Caucus at the Washington State Legislature and the impact it will have on public policy and in the aerospace industry as a whole. I was asked... Read More...
Meeting with the Russian chairman
November 22, 2013
During the interim, I took a trip to Russia (at no taxpayer expense) to meet with their Chairman of the Committee for Culture of the Russian State Duma, Stanislav Govorukhin (pictured above). The Russian government is interested in various “heritage sites” within the United States, including some right here in... Read More...
Second special session begins with no budget agreement
June 13, 2013
On Tuesday, the Washington State Legislature adjourned Sine Die (it’s Latin for “without a day” and pronounced “SIGH-nee-DYE”) for the second time this year. Yesterday, we began the second special session of 2013 – our third session of the year – with only one priority: pass a state budget. While... Read More...
Budget negotiations continue as Senate mourns lost colleague
June 08, 2013
The special session has kicked into a higher gear as we approach June 11th, the 30th and final day of the special session under Washington’s constitution. Earlier this week the governor voiced how he likely would call a second special session to begin immediately if Tuesday comes and goes without... Read More...
New House budget proposal presents victories, challenges
June 08, 2013
Earlier this week, the House released a new $33.7 billion spending proposal…a sign that they are finally taking budget negotiations seriously. The proposal released this week represents an improvement over the original House budget but while the lower level of spending is welcome, it’s unconscionable that more than 75 percent... Read More...
No support for higher gas taxes
June 08, 2013
On April 19 the Senate Transportation Committee approved a bare-bones, no-new-taxes transportation budget for 2013-15. Three days later the House Transportation Committee adopted a separate bill that would impose a 10-cent hike in the state portion of the gas tax over three years, and create or increase an array of... Read More...
15th Dist. Olympia Report for May 2, 2013
May 02, 2013
The deadline for the Washington State Legislature to end its business and go home was Sunday, however since no budget agreement could be reached in time, taxpayers will now be forced to foot the bill for yet another special session (which seems to be an annual tradition in Olympia). I... Read More...
Bridging the gap between unmanned aircraft hype and hysteria
March 26, 2013
Washington State has always been on the leading edge of the aerospace industry. We set the stage by building the large bombers that helped us win World War Two. Now we are designing and manufacturing some of the smallest aircraft to meet the demands of the future. Washington-based aerospace companies... Read More...
Halfway to the finish line of the 2013 session
March 26, 2013
We’ve passed the middle of the 2013 legislative session, and at this point the most significant deadline was reached on March 13. Known as “floor cutoff,” it was the last day most bills could be considered by their body of origin. In other words, all Senate bills considered not necessary... Read More...
Status of my bills in the House of Representatives
March 26, 2013
I am pleased to report the Senate passed 11 of my bills and sent them to the House of Representatives for consideration. Currently, 10 of my 11 bills have public hearings scheduled in various House Committees. The most important bill I sponsored this year is Senate Bill 5445 that provides... Read More...