OLYMPIA… In what amounts to the ninth inning of the 2023 legislative session, more than two-thirds of the state Senate’s majority Democrats have slid an extreme tax-increase proposal into the lineup of bills still in play. Senate Bill 5770 would raise the limit on increases in state and local property...

At the edge of the Senate chamber on Saturday with Sen. Nikki Torres of Pasco, left, and Sen. Perry Dozier of Waitsburg, shortly before one of the longer debates of this session — on the Democratic majority’s bill to ban a specific group of firearms. April 10, 2023 Hello Friends...

  March 31, 2023 Hello Friends and Neighbors, For the second Friday in a row, the Senate Ways and Means Committee is working the late shift. A week ago we were handling bills related to the Senate budget proposal. This time it’s because of the 2023 session calendar: Wednesday was...

OLYMPIA… Sen. Lynda Wilson, R-Vancouver and a member of the Senate Law and Justice Committee, said legislation passed by the Senate today would not do enough to fix the problems with the state law restricting police pursuits of suspected criminals. Although Senate Bill 5352 was passed with a 26-23 vote,...

March 4, 2023 Hello Friends and Neighbors, We spent all this week on the “floor” of the Senate chamber, working until very late last night on legislation that not only came through the policy and fiscal committees. It was a good week for the bills I’ve prime-sponsored: four made it...

Feb. 24, 2023 Hello Friends and Neighbors, I’m glad to be the Republican leader on the Senate Ways and Means Committee, but also glad this week is over. Please keep reading for why. A quick update on the police-pursuit issue from a week ago: it was good to see The...

Feb. 17, 2023 Hello Friends and Neighbors, Today brought the first deadline or “cutoff” of the 2023 legislative session. We’ll hit six more deadlines during the 65 days remaining in the session, with the final one being the day we adjourn. That should be April 23. The cutoffs force policy...

OLYMPIA… It appears Democrats in the state Senate have already decided to keep protecting the ability of Washington’s governor to unilaterally take control of residents’ lives for an indefinite period. Sen. Lynda Wilson, R-Vancouver, said she was informed yesterday – day two of Washington’s 2023 legislative session – that bipartisan...

VANCOUVER… The budget leader for Washington’s Senate Republicans said the 2023-25 operating budget proposal made public today by Gov. Jay Inslee fails to put priority on issues that affect Washington families most. Sen. Lynda Wilson, R-Vancouver, offered this assessment of the $70.4 billion proposal, which will be submitted to the...

July 2022 Hello Friends and Neighbors, By now you should have received your primary ballot. Don’t forget to fill it out and turn it in on time! There are many important elections to consider, from local (Clark County sheriff) and legislative (all House positions, including our 17th District) to statewide...