Dear Friends and Neighbors,

I hope you can join me for one of two events this week.

Tomorrow, Feb. 20, I’ll be hosting a telephone town hall starting at 6:30 p.m. To join the hour-long call, just dial toll-free (800) 278-6179. If you want to ask me a question, press star/asterisk (*) on your phone and we’ll get your call directed. I look forward to your questions!

On Saturday, Feb. 22, I’ll be back in Spokane with my seatmates Sen. Michael Baumgartner and Rep. Kevin Parker for an in-person town hall. Join us at 1:30 p.m. at the Museum of Arts and Culture (MAC), 2316 West 1st Avenue, Spokane. No RSVP is required – just bring your questions and a friend or family member!

Update on legislation

I’m pleased my legislation to provide lifetime registration for intermittent-use trailers passed the House unanimously last week. House Bill 1902 will make it more convenient for people who use their trailers to take the occasional trip to the dump or for summer trips to register them just once. Now the bill goes to the Senate for further consideration.

The past week we’ve been voting on hundreds of bills on the House floor. Yesterday was the cutoff for House bills to pass off the House floor. Visit this Web page for an update on bills that are considered “dead” or “alive” for the year. Next, we’ll begin considering Senate bills during House committee meetings.

One bill that has not come up for a vote by the House and will hopefully not come back is the proposal to increase the minimum wage. This would only serve to reduce job opportunities in Spokane and throughout our state. You can read this column regarding the minimum wage I wrote that was published in the Spokane Journal of Business last week.

If you can’t join either town hall event this week, please feel free to contact my office with your questions, concerns or suggestions. I appreciate hearing from you.

It’s an honor to serve you.