OLYMPIA…Sen. Lynda Wilson’s legislation to help domestic-violence victims is on its way to the governor’s desk. Senate Bill 5213, which won unanimous support in the Senate in early February, sailed through the House of Representatives Wednesday. Her bill allows a court to award certain fees to limited license legal technicians,...

Dear Friends and Neighbors, A recent visitor asked me about my top legislative priority. That was an easy one: jobs. Good things happen when more people are employed, and the Legislature can do much through tax policy and regulations to preserve jobs and encourage job creation. As a member of...

Dear Friends and Neighbors, A debate is under way here at the Capitol about reducing your property taxes. I am hopeful that it will lead to what amounts to a tax rollback. This discussion will probably continue until the closing days of the legislative session. Here is some background to...

Dear Friends and Neighbors, 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...

Residents of the 17th Legislative District will have a chance to learn more about the upcoming 2018 legislative session in Olympia and talk with their legislators by attending a district town hall meeting on Saturday, Dec. 9. The meeting, open to the public, will be held from 11 a.m. to...

On Thursday, the governor took a different course on freight rail jobs, signing a measure sponsored by Sen. Lynda Wilson, R-Vancouver, to open Clark County to hundreds and potentially thousands of new rail jobs. The governor previously vetoed a companion version of the bill. “It’s a rare opportunity to get...

Recently, I received a Certificate of Recognition from the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen and Smart Transportation division of the Washington State legislative board. They gave this recognition to me, Sen. Jan Angel, and Sen. Barbara Bailey for our work to support legislation that provides basic safety, oversight, and...

It is a deep honor to receive the Washington Student Association​’s Legislator of the Year award! They’ve been great partners as we work with students and universities to provide world-class higher education in Washington. Thank you to President Maresa Miranda and the Washington Student Association!

After the governor vetoed a critical freight rail jobs bill from the House, he found a capable negotiator in Sen. Lynda Wilson to revive it. The vetoed bill was a companion measure to Wilson’s Senate Bill 5517, which passed in the Senate Tuesday with the compromises negotiated with the governor’s...

Dear Friends and Neighbors, On Tuesday, our first overtime legislative session ended and we’ve already started our second. As I explained in a previous e-newsletter, this is unnecessary and a big disappointment. Our budget negotiators tell me that progress has been made as they’ve met regularly with House negotiators, but...