Your independent hometown award-winning newspaper
Your independent hometown award-winning newspaper
Sorted by date Results 1 - 10 of 10
March 7 marked the last day of the 2024 legislative session – and I want to thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve. For two years as your state representative, I worked as hard as possible each and every day to fight for you. In a time of political hostility and divisiveness, I've tried my absolute hardest to move forward with kindness and caring. And after reflecting on our combined stories and struggles, I'm hopeful about our future. Our country is great because of you – your res...
As our communities face harsher climate effects including droughts, heatwaves, and floods, it is important for all of us to work together towards ensuring a healthier environment. That’s why we are dedicated to pursuing two approaches to environmental protection. First, I am committed to investing in clean energy technologies that create good-paying jobs, lower energy bills and support a path toward energy independence. House Bill 1924—which supports fusion technology—passed the Senate and will be signed into law. By incorporating this techn...
Too many of us lie awake worrying about what will happen if someone in our family gets seriously ill. Will I be able to find affordable health care? Do we have enough nurses and doctors in our rural, community hospitals? That’s why, as your legislator and vice chair of the House Education Committee, I’m committed to tackling our health care workforce on the front end – with our students. This legislative session, I introduced House Bill 2236 which expands and strengthens career and technical education in our high schools by creating the Core...
Our democracy is strongest with full and equal participation in free, fair and secure elections. This means protecting your right to vote and having your vote counted. That’s why I introduced House Bill 2023, which increases language assistance in our elections. Put simply, if an individual cannot understand the ballot, they’re less likely to vote. Even for proficient English speakers, the voting process is challenging to navigate. By expanding the language requirements in the Voting Rights Act, this bill will provide voting translation res...
During the hectic, fluid and complex process of the 2023 legislative session, I wanted to keep our priorities front and center. I’ve been fighting to help our low-income and working families, support our veterans and military families, protect and preserve our environment, provide our students more opportunities and ensure our rural counties and cities have the resources they need to keep our communities strong. We’ve made significant progress and I wanted to share some successes we’ve had t...
Our legislature reviews hundreds of proposed pieces of legislation during sessions. This year, with the help of our team, I have drafted and introduced twelve bills. Six passed the House and five passed the Senate. So far, two have been signed by the Governor with more scheduled. As a first-time legislator, I would like to share how proposals become law with a bill that I’ve introduced this year, House Bill 1658, which allows high school students to earn credit for paid work experience and f...
The Skagit Valley’s environment and economy has been shaped over time by changes in our climate and land use. Some of these changes have resulted in devastating impacts to our communities, including floods, heat waves, droughts and wildfires. In 2021, our farmers and farmworkers witnessed one of their driest years with record low rainfall in spring and a vicious heat wave in summer. By late July, the Washington Department of Ecology issued a drought emergency as farmers dealt with dry conditions...
As vice chair of the House Education Committee, I’ve been regularly meeting with students, teachers and administrators on every aspect of our education system. We’ve collaborated on special education, early childhood education, career and technical education and much, much more. I’ve spoken with low-income students who have jobs outside of school to support their family. Students with rigorous academic schedules tell me they simply don’t have time to explore job opportunities. And parents are wo...
The 10th legislative district has one of the largest populations of veterans in Washington state. Island County, for example, has more veterans per capita than any other county. Between Island, Snohomish and Skagit counties, the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs reports over 72,000 veterans in our region. Our veterans return home and continue to serve our communities as our friends, neighbors and colleagues. They buy a home, start a family and reintegrate as heroes living among us....
Washington has a proud history of agricultural leadership. Here in Skagit County, we have one of the largest and most diverse agricultural communities west of the Cascade Mountains. Island County is home to an ecosystem of organic and school district farms, training programs and community supported agriculture. We have a lot to be proud of – and a lot to protect. Agriculture should be home-grown and family owned. Local farmers mean a stronger local food pipeline, more robust local economy and a...
