We are now wrapping up the second week of this short session.  We started the week with packed hearings in the Law and Justice Committee on several firearms related bills that have generated quite a bit of controversy.  I’ve received and responded to nearly 3,000 e-mails in opposition to these bills alone! Earlier this week, I spoke to KIRO Radio in Seattle about these bills. You can listen to this story (my remarks are just before the four-minute mark) for my perspective on this troubling assault on our constitutional rights.

We’ve also spent a couple late nights on the Senate floor passing a long-awaited fix to the Hirst Decision and the Capital Budget, which includes funding for important local projects in the 17th District, such as the Daybreak Youth Center, a much-needed adolescent substance use disorder and concurring mental health treatment center; Cascadia Tech Academy, our local skills center; and the Life Sciences Building at WSU Vancouver, among others.  You can view the full list of 17th District projects by choosing our district from the list drop down. I am proud to say we held strong in the Senate on our “Hirst First” position to get a well-negotiated resolution to this issue in support of the property rights of our rural land owners.

Two of my prime-sponsored bills received public hearings this week, and I am busy preparing for two more hearings next week.  If you have thoughts or comments on enhancing protections for domestic violence victims or the scourge of out-of-state license plates in Clark County, I would encourage you to send them my way or come on up to Olympia to testify next Tuesday.  I look forward to updating you on the progress of these bills later this session.

I am very excited to update you on the ongoing implementation of the bill I passed last session to allow for freight rail-dependent development along the Chelatchie Prairie Railroad. The Clark County Council unanimously voted to approve an overlay map and comprehensive plan changes, which is the first step in the process of bringing much-needed new jobs to Clark County, so our rural neighbors will have the opportunity to work in the same area where they live and play!

Your feedback is important to me.  If you have questions, thoughts, or concerns about any of the issues mentioned in this update, please let me know.  You can call my office at 360.786.7632 or send me an e-mail to Lynda.Wilson@leg.wa.gov

Yours in service,

Senator Wilson with constituents from Public School Employees of Washington.