​On February 22nd, a group of nearly 40 representatives from the Tri-Cities traveled to Olympia to champion our local priorities. We engaged with legislators not only from the Tri-Cities region but also from other corners of the state. They were all eager to hear about our top issues.
 
First on our agenda was the advancement of Small Modular Reactor (SMR) Research and Development. We focused on securing additional funding for this state-of-the-art technology. Additionally, we actively sought support for expanding manufacturing jobs and Target Urban Areas (TUA). State Representative Barnard has worked tirelessly to help us advance these goals.
 
Furthermore, we emphasized the development of an agricultural symbiosis industrial park and the production of green fertilizers. Our session priorities were further complemented by our efforts to garner support for establishing a Hospitality Center of Excellence at Columbia Basin College.
 
During our visit, we were fortunate to receive insights from Derek Sanderson, the Washington State Director of Agriculture, and Chris Green, the Assistant Director for the Office of Economic Development and Competitiveness at the Department of Commerce. Both speakers shared valuable messages with us.
 
In the end, our visit was a resounding success. We had the opportunity to make our voices heard and pave the way for positive change.

​Throughout 2023, the people of Washington State were presented with six opportunities to weigh in on important issues facing the state. These six issues included:

1. Police pursuits (I-2113)
2. The Climate Commitment Act (I-2117)
3. Long-term care (I-2124)
4. Parents’ Bill of Rights (I-2081)
5. Income tax (I-2111)
6. Capital gains tax (I-2109)

All six initiatives received enough signatures to be certified by the Secretary of State, which means one of three things will happen next:

1. The Legislature can adopt the initiative as presented, in which case the initiative is enacted into law without a vote of the electors.
2. The Legislature can reject or not act on the initiative, in which case the initiative is placed on the ballot at the next state general election.
3. The Legislature can adopt an alternative to the initiative, and then both the alternative and the original initiatives are sent to the voters.

Currently, the Washington State Legislature has agreed to review three of the six initiatives, which may trigger option 3 above. The three initiatives being considered for public hearings include:

1. Initiative 2113, also known as the “Remove Certain Restrictions on Police Vehicular Pursuits Initiative,” is a proposed law that aims to modify the conditions under which police officers can engage in vehicular pursuits. Currently, officers can only initiate a pursuit if there is reasonable suspicion of particular violent offenses. The initiative proposes to allow pursuits if there is a reasonable suspicion that a person has violated any law, and the person poses a threat to the safety of others.
2. Initiative 2111, known as the “Prohibit Income Taxes Initiative,” is an initiative aimed at prohibiting state and local governments from enacting any form of personal income tax. It defines income broadly, potentially affecting various state programs. If passed, it could lead to the elimination of popular programs, but protect Washingtonians from additional taxes.
3. Initiative 2081, known as the “Parental Right to Review Education Materials, Receive Notifications, and Opt Out of Sexual-Health Education Initiative,” proposes to provide parents with the right to review educational materials, receive certain notifications, and opt out of sexual health education. It includes provisions for parents to review textbooks, curriculum, and supplemental materials used in their child’s classroom, inspect and receive a copy of their child’s records within 10 days of a written request, and be notified of medical services offered to their child, among other rights.

All three of these initiatives are scheduled to have public hearings by the end of the month.

Legislators from the 8th and 9th Legislative Districts will be holding virtual townhall meetings coming up in the next two weeks.

Sen. Matt Boehnke, Rep. Stephanie Barnard, and Rep. April Connors invite the public to attend the virtual event. Residents in the 8th Legislative District will have an opportunity to engage with their state lawmakers.
The 8th Legislative District lawmakers will hold their town hall on

• Saturday, February 17th at 2:00 pm
• You can register for event by visiting: tinyurl.com/8thDistrictVTH
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Rep. Dye and Rep. Schmick, from the 9th Legislative District are scheduled to have their Virtual townhall meeting on

• Thursday, February 15th at 6:30 pm
• You can register for that event by visiting: tinyurl.com/09-LD-Schmick-Dye
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Also from the 9th Legislative District, Sen. Schoesler, will be conducting his townhall meeting:

• Wednesday, February 21st at 6:30 pm
• You can register for that event by visiting: tinyurl.com/9thLDzoomtownhall
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"Virtual town halls are a game-changer, breaking down barriers and bringing us closer to the heartbeat of our communities," Barnard said. "Connecting in your space means we can zero in on what matters most to you. I'm genuinely thrilled about the impact of these events and can't wait to connect with the people we represent in Olympia."

These townhall meetings are great opportunities to learn about what is happening in Olympia during this legislative session. Lawmakers are eager to hear from their constituents and rely on them in order to make decisions that relevant to our area.
If you aren't sure what Legislative District you are in check out the District Finder. 

Congratulations to the Jubilee Foundation on the groundbreaking ceremony on Tuesday, February 13, 2024 for their Tierra Vida Phase III apartment project. The apartments will be just east of 3209 E. A St. in Pasco.

Congratulations to My Garden Over Floweth on their ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday, February 9. Check out their beautiful shop inside the Public Market at CRW in Kennewick (10 E. Bruneau Ave., Bldg. C).

Thanks to everyone who attended Business After Hours at Jewelry Design Center on Thursday, February 8. We hope you made some valuable new business connections!

​Senators from the Tri-City Region have been busy during the 2024 Legislative Session. We’ve already highlighted a few bills that may emerge from the House of Representative, now we’ll look at a few from the Senate side. 

​​The 8th Legislative District is represented by Senator Matt Boehnke. Senator Boehnke recognizes that tourism is a huge part of the Tri-Cities Regional economy. Sen. Boehnke and Sen Dozier have teamed up to put forth SB 6080 that would make it easier for State tourism funds to automatically be deposited into the State Tourism account. 

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​Senator Mark Schoesler, from the 9th, has been working for the last two years to get a bill passed out of the Senate. SB 5344 would establish a Public-School Revolving fund to issue low-interest or interest-free loans to qualifying school districts for capital projects. 

​​Organized Retail theft is the target of a bill sponsored by Senator Nikki Torres of the 15th Legislative District. Sen. Boehnke and Schoesler have also joined the fight. After two years SB 5160 has made it through the committee gauntlet and is on the Floor Calendar. The bill adds an additional way to commit organized retail theft in the 2nd degree.

​​Rounding out the Tri-City Regional delegation is Senator Perry Dozier from the 16th Legislative District introduced SB 6238 which would increase assistance amounts for the property tax assistance program for widows and widowers of veterans. 

​Each of these bills have made it out of their committees and are waiting to get placed on the Senate Floor Calendar. 

​Tri-City Regional lawmakers have introduced bills into the 2024 Legislative Session that began on January 8, 2024. Each year hundreds of bills get introduced and many fail to make it past the first gate.  The first half of the legislative session is almost over, and local Legislative Representatives are making progress. Here are a few examples.

​​Representative Stephanie Barnard from the 8th Legislative District  recently had success moving HB 2120 out of the House Finance Committee. Her bill would make it possible to allow cities to extend certain tax exemptions for nuclear facilities, to continue research and development in Clean Energy. 

Another 8th Legislative District Representative, April Connors, has managed to usher HB 2464 out of the House Committee on Housing.  The bill would open additional land within an Urban Growth Area for new manufactured home communities. This bill could assist in alleviating the housing crunch across the state. 

​Expanding training programs at our state corrections center was the target of Representative Mary Dye, from the 9th Legislative District. A feasibility study authorized by HB 2210 would help determine if a wild horse training, holding and farrier program would fit into the Washington State Correction system.

​​Representative Mark Klicker from the 16th Legislative District has  HB 2428 a bill that would alter the way Cities and Counties can share certain tax revenues. The bill would allow interlocal agreements between local governments or other public agencies to cooperatively conduct government activities. 

​​Fifty five representatives signed on to support Representative Skyler Rude’s HB 1915. Representative Rude’s bill was passed unanimously out of the House Committee on Education. The bill would make financial education instruction a graduation requirement. The bill has strong bipartisan support. 

​Each of these bills will still needs to be passed on the floor of the House before February 13th and go through the Senate process before they will become law.