Dear Friends and Neighbors,

It has been a very busy week here in Olympia! We have reached the major cutoff points for this session – policy, fiscal and House of Origin. Our focus this week was centered around House floor actions and voting on bills that were passed out of our committees. We voted on over 100 bills!

Earlier this week, another one of my bills, The Lighthouse Bill, was approved on the House floor with a unanimous vote of 97 to 0. This is your feel-good bill as it helps create job opportunities for the blind. What this bill would do is require the reference of public purchasing and preferences for blind-made goods to be added to current law. The current state statute says that all things being held equal, like price, a like market, and like availability, should give consideration, not a set aside, first to blind-made goods. The state’s procurement process seems to have missed this component. This bill changes the current procurement process. You can read more about this bill here. This bill is scheduled for a public hearing in the Senate Committee on Government Operations and Security on Monday, Feb. 22 at 10:00 a.m. I will keep you posted on this bill as it continues to make progress through the legislative process.

Just a friendly reminder!
Join me, Rep. Kevin Parker and Sen. Michael Baumgartner
for a town hall meeting!

When:   Saturday, Feb. 20

Where:  The Museum of Arts and Culture (2316 W 1st Ave, Spokane)

Time:     3:00 p.m.

This is a great opportunity to interact with us, ask questions about how we can make the 6th District a better place, and discuss the issues that matter most to you, your family and friends, and your business. We look forward to seeing you on Feb. 20!

I thank you for taking the time to read my email updates. Please feel free to share these updates with your friends and family and encourage them to subscribe. I also recommend that you follow my Sound Cloud page and listen to my audio updates from Olympia.

Thank you for allowing me to serve you in Olympia, and for your continued feedback about our state government.