Sen. Matt Boehnke, R-Kennewick/Credit: Washington State Senate

OLYMPIA… One of the success stories in Washington state government received the unanimous support of the Washington State Senate, through legislation introduced by Sen. Matt Boehnke, R-Kennewick.

Boehnke’s Senate Bill 5034 would indefinitely extend the work of what’s known as the SYNC team, which comprises representatives from the state Public Works Board, and the departments of Commerce, Ecology and Health.

Created by legislation in 2017, the team’s job is to identify, implement, and report on system improvements for infrastructure projects. The goal is to maximize a project’s value while minimizing overall costs and disturbance to the community, and ensuring long-term durability and resilience.

“This team basically performs quality control – something that isn’t seen often enough in state government. We should promote that whenever possible, so the bill takes the ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ approach,” said Boehnke.

“The SYNC team was initially chartered through 2021, and proved to be so effective that it was extended back then to mid-2025. It doesn’t make sense to approve another extension when the better option is to simply remove the expiration date. That’s what my bill would do, and the Senate unanimously agreed.”

“This collaboration by the state’s infrastructure-funding agencies focuses on completing critical public-works projects more effectively. That is valuable to our local governments, so it’s important for the work of the SYNC team to continue.”

Senate Bill 5034 was heard by the House of Representatives and referred to the House Capital Budget Committee for further consideration.

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