IN THE NEWS: Looking at Olympia in rear-view mirror
April 08, 2016
I pulled into my driveway in Sunnyside late on the afternoon of March 31. The final day of this year’s regular legislative session had been scheduled for March 10, but the stubborn support for tax increases on the part of the Democrats who control the House of Representatives had unnecessarily... Read More...
Sen. Jim Honeyford’s Olympia Update – End of session edition
March 31, 2016
Although the legislative session was scheduled to end March 10, it took an additional 20 days for the Democrats in the House of Representatives to finally drop their pursuit of new taxes. In the end, we agreed to an operating-budget update that was restrained in its spending, contained no new taxes... Read More...
DeRuyter brothers serve as pages for Sen. Honeyford
March 14, 2016
Jaymin and Brendon DeRuyter, both home-schooled high school students from Zillah, recently spent a week working as pages for the Washington State Senate at the Capitol in Olympia. The brothers were two of 29 students who served as Senate pages for the eighth week of the 2016 legislative session. They... Read More...
IN THE NEWS: House delaying up capital budget OK
March 14, 2016
When I pulled the pickup truck into Olympia in early January, I was hopeful this “short” 60-day legislative session would truly be just that — 60 days. However, here I am at my Newhouse Building desk on day 60-something, with the Senate and House still miles apart on supplemental operating... Read More...
Senate approves ‘true’ supplemental capital budget
February 26, 2016
The Senate today gave a strong endorsement to its proposed supplemental capital budget, voting 39-10 for a collection of changes totaling $87 million. The budget would provide funding for new classrooms, mental-health support and environmental cleanup, without tapping the state’s rainy-day fund or relying on a new revenue source. “It was... Read More...
IN THE NEWS: Pioneering lawmakers are making history
February 25, 2016
Late in November 2012, I traveled to our state Capitol for the biennial re-organization of my Senate Republican Caucus. Held in even years shortly after each general election, “re-org” is our equivalent of a board meeting: Caucus members vote on leadership positions and set the agenda for the upcoming session.... Read More...
Senate’s sensible supplemental capital budget built on solid principles
February 24, 2016
The Senate’s capital-budget chair said the $87 million supplemental capital-budget proposal released today focuses squarely on supporting new classrooms, providing temporary mental-health housing and addressing an environmental-cleanup emergency, all within available revenue. “This is a true supplemental budget, not a laundry list of new projects. The supplemental is meant to... Read More...
Honeyford to lead Senate ceremony Wednesday honoring Civil Air Patrol
February 19, 2016
Sen. Jim Honeyford, a lieutenant colonel with both the Civil Air Patrol’s Washington Wing Legislative Squadron and Yakima Composite Squadron, sponsors a Senate resolution each year to honor the Civil Air Patrol’s service to communities and country. This year the recognition ceremony, set for Wednesday, Feb. 24 will feature something... Read More...