Following the adjournment of this year’s 105-day legislative session, I came home and immediately continued working on the many issues you brought to me during session. As your state representative, it’s my job to work on your behalf and help ensure the 8th District remains the best place in the state to live, work and raise a family.

I’m proud of how our district is helping lead the way in a variety of areas – energy, cybersecurity, grid security, STEM education, and more. It’s an honor to serve you in the Legislature, and I look forward to continuing to work with you to accomplish big things for our communities and the state.

On a daily basis this interim, I’ve met with constituents, community leaders, local politicians, business owners, representatives from state agencies, and more. I’ve also gone on a number of tours and attended several events both here in Washington state and around the country, including:

• NCSL Nuclear Legislative Working Group meeting and tours of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) and URENCO’s Uranium Enrichment Facility in New Mexico. The meeting offered a chance for us as legislators to connect with working group members from other states, discuss federal and state nuclear energy and waste management policy, and meet with federal officials from the U.S. Department of Energy.

• Tri-City Herald editorial board meeting with House Republican Leader J.T. Wilcox to discuss the 2019 legislative session.

• Snake River Dam tour with legislators and staff from the House and Senate. It was great to discuss the issues and hear from various experts, farmers, regional leaders, and U.S. Army Corps personnel about the impact these critical assets have on our communities and the state.

• NCSL Legislative Summit in Nashville, Tennessee. Major areas of focus for me included energy, technology, cybersecurity, data privacy, and veterans’ issues.

• Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program meeting and tour with local and state officials.

• RiverFest at Columbia Park in Kennewick. RiverFest brings our communities together to showcase the many benefits of the Federal Columbia River Power System and highlight the four lower Snake River dams, including navigation, irrigation, recreation and power.

• 9/11 memorial ceremony at Southridge in Kennewick. I was honored to have the opportunity to deliver some remarks on the 18th anniversary of 9/11. We will never forget!

• Atomic Frontier Day in Richland to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Manhattan Project and honor a community event popular in the early days of Hanford.

I also attended and graduated from the Legislative Energy Horizon Institute program, which educates state legislators on the North American energy infrastructure and delivery system. I was proud to represent Washington state and showcase how our amazing district is leading the country in clean, affordable and abundant energy!

Additionally, I traveled back to Olympia for two days of meetings with my fellow lawmakers in the three committees I serve on: Innovation, Technology and Economic Development, Environment and Energy, and Transportation. Having these committee meetings is an important part of our preparation for the 2020 session. We’ll be having two more days of meetings later this month.

What are your legislative priorities for the 2020 session? Take my survey!

During the 2020 session, my top priority will be continuing to fight for you and your family against: 1) unnecessary tax increases, 2) burdensome regulations that make it harder to start a business and build a home, and 3) an oversized state government that lacks accountability and transparency.

Now, I want to hear what your priorities are. What issues do you care most about? What policies do you support or oppose? I invite you to take my short legislative survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WVXJ268.

Thank you in advance for your feedback! I’ll provide the results in my next email update.

Recent headlines

Columbia Basin College student-veterans honoring fellow service members (KEPR-TV)
‘Good cemeterians’: Finley students wash headstones of fallen soldiers (KEPR-TV)
Energy Secretary celebrates cleanup project at Hanford (Tri-City Herald)
Mattis to honor Tri-Cities Vietnam vets — a welcome 50 years in the making (Tri-City Herald)
More students are taking CBC classes. What’s making the difference? (Tri-City Herald)
Tri-Cities picked for multi-million dollar electric grid research complex (Tri-City Herald)
BLOG: Hydroelectric dams produce 2,000 times as much energy per job as solar in Washington (Washington Policy Center)
EDITORIAL: Removing dams would damn N.W. economy (The Columbian)
EDITORIAL: Legislature’s legal challenge to governor’s power welcome (Walla Walla Union-Bulletin)

Contacting me

In addition to providing your answers and feedback in the survey I linked to above, please don’t hesitate to email me any time with your comments, questions or concerns. I look forward to hearing from you!

Until next time, take care.