Dear Friends and Neighbors,

We’re in the third week of the legislative session. Watch my weekly video update in which I discuss bills I’m sponsoring, public records costs and the legalization of marijuana adopted by the voters.

I’m working on a couple of  proposals I want to share with you.

• House Bill 1811 would limit the excessive bonuses university presidents have been receiving. A story in The Seattle Times in 2011 put bonuses for the top four presidents at more than $2 million, just for staying in the job for 3-6 years. If this bill had been law, we would have saved $1.7 million. Think of how many students could use that money to pay for tuition, books, room and board!
• House Bill 1810 would set aside one-tenth of 1 percent of the sales tax exclusively for higher education. I’m concerned that the middle class is getting pushed out of affording higher education, as the rich can pay and the poor can get financial assistance. The goal with this legislation is to provide stable state funding to prevent additional tuition increases.

Please share your thoughts on these proposals and others before the Legislature with me. My contact information is below.

I want to invite you to a telephone town hall with my seatmate, Rep. Kevin Parker, on March 3 from 6:00-7:00 p.m. This is a great chance for us to hear from you as you ask us questions live over the phone. Just call (509) 822-6314. If you have a question, press * on your phone when the call begins. I hope you can join us for the conversation.

It’s an honor to serve you.