Rep. Clyde Shavers holds La Conner town hall

Late Saturday afternoon, approximately 40 people came to the La Conner Civic Garden Club to hear from newly elected Rep. Clyde Shavers of the 10th Legislative District. Shavers began by sharing three principles that guide him when researching, drafting and submitting legislation to the House:

1) Does the legislative policy reflect a story or an issue that was shared by a constituent?

2) Does the policy positively affect not just one individual, but the entire district and state?

3) Can we carry this policy forward into the future? In other words, can we build upon the policy in the future?

In the short time that Shavers has been in office, he has been hard at work – as he promised. Along with his team, he submitted 12 bills in four weeks, among the most submitted by freshman representatives. He also proposed two amendments to bills sponsored by others and submitted numerous budget requests for projects that would benefit our communities. Three of the 12 bills of which he is the primary sponsor are:

H.B. 1560: Senior and Disabled Veteran Property Tax Exemption: This bill would expand the current program by increasing the income threshold to qualify and by shortening from 5 to 3 years the timeframe during which a qualifying individual’s income is assessed. A public hearing before the committee was held Feb. 7.

H.B. 1412: This bill would prohibit the purchase of farmland by foreign governments and entities. Shavers hopes that his bill will keep ownership of our farmland local and affordable to the future generations of farmers.

H.B. 1658: This bill would allow public high school students to earn credit for paid work experience and provide for the teaching of financial assistance in public schools.

Shavers is the vice-chair of the Education Committee and sits on the Capital Budget; the Innovation, Community and Economic Development; and Veterans committees.

Shavers also held a town hall in Langley earlier Saturday.

Thank you, Rep. Shavers for taking time from your busy schedule to meet with your constituents.

Alix Foster

Pleasant Ridge