Sunnyside Sen. Jim Honeyford’s work to keep state waterways from being infested by non-native mussels and other invasive species was validated when Senate Bill 6040 was signed by Gov. Jay Inslee during a ceremony Wednesday.
By using an integrated-management approach supported by Honeyford’s legislation, the state Department of Fish and Wildlife will be able to effectively address the marauding mussels and other invasive species should they reach Washington waters.
“These mussels reproduce quickly and begin to cover water pumping stations, generator turbines, shoes, boat hulls and motors, anything in their path,” said Honeyford, the ranking Republican on the Senate Agriculture, Water and Rural Economic Development Committee, referring to the zebra and quagga mussels that can infest a body of water in just a few short weeks. “It’s critical to stop them now, before they damage our waterways, and it will cost taxpayers even more to control them.”
The Legislature has now completed the first two weeks of the 2014 session and we’re well underway debating bill proposals and negotiating with our colleagues. Since this is a short (60-day) session, the timeframe to accomplish what we need to do is reduced and everything seems to be getting done in a hurry. I wanted to share an update on the progress of some of my bills before going into detail about a few others. 
