Tag Archives: 6th Legislative District

6th District legislators to host telephone town hall on Tuesday, April 1

Residents of the 6th Legislative District are invited to take part in a “telephone town hall meeting” with their state legislators on Tuesday, April 1.

The community conversation, which is similar to a call-in radio format, will begin at 6:30 p.m. and last one hour.

The 6th District’s legislative team – Sen. Jeff Holy, R-Cheney; Rep. Mike Volz, R-Spokane; and Rep. Jenny Graham, R-Spokane – will take listeners’ questions and provide information and perspectives on the 2025 legislative session in Olympia.

Phone calls will go out throughout the district to remind and invite constituents to attend. However, individuals can also participate by calling 509-214-0588 beginning at 6:30 p.m. Once connected, they may listen in and press the * (star) key on their telephone keypad to ask questions.

Participants may take part in the community conversation, listen to their neighbors and leave a message for the three lawmakers.

This year’s 105-day legislative session began Jan. 13 and is scheduled to end April 27.

Holy becomes Republican leader on Senate Law and Justice Committee

Sen. Jeff Holy will become the Republican leader on the Senate Law and Justice Committee when the Washington Legislature’s 2025 session begins Jan. 13.

“Crime is still a problem throughout our state and Washingtonians expect the Legislature to do all it can to reduce crime and improve public safety,” said Holy, a retired Spokane police officer. “I look forward to working with other Law and Justice Committee members to develop and pass bills that will help make our state safer and cut crime.”

In becoming the top-ranking Republican on the Law and Justice Committee, Holy replaces Spokane Valley Sen. Mike Padden, who is retiring at the end of this year.

Holy will continue serving on the Senate Health and Long-Term Care Committee and Senate Transportation Committee. The 6th District senator will no longer serve on the Senate Higher Education and Workforce Development Committee.

The 105-day legislative session is scheduled to end April 27.

Holy pleased that capital budget passed by Legislature includes money for projects in Airway Heights, Medical Lake

The 2023-25 state capital budget unanimously approved by the Legislature late last week includes funding for three important community projects in Airway Heights, Medical Lake and Spokane, said 6th Legislative District Sen. Jeff Holy.

“This budget will fund community projects in Airway Heights and Medical Lake, as well as provide funding to improve social and health services and to renovate the hatchery in Spokane,” said Holy, R-Cheney.

The new capital budget includes more than $6.3 million for community projects in the 6th Legislative District, such as the Airway Heights Public Safety Campus, the Spokane International Airport Transload Center and building a stormwater mitigation system in Medical Lake.

The spending plan also provides $16.8 million for the renovation of the Spokane Hatchery. This renovation plays a major role in protecting and preserving the trout that are raised in the hatchery.

The capital budget also funds these projects in the 6th District:

  • Eastern State Hospital commissary building repairs ($4.45 million)
  • Eastern State Hospital Activity Therapy Building HVAC upgrades ($3.71 million)
  • Eastern State Hospital-Eastlake nursing station improvements ($1.74 million)
  • Department of Veterans Affairs – burial and columbarium expansion grant ($3.3 million)
  • Conservation project at Riverside State Park Little Spokane River Robinson property ($1.46 million)

After the House of Representatives approved the capital budget 96-0 on Friday, the Senate passed it 48-0 yesterday. It now goes to Gov. Jay Inslee for consideration.

The 2023 legislative session is scheduled to end today.

Holy: Senate capital budget funds projects in Airway Heights, Medical Lake

The 2023-25 state capital budget unanimously approved by the Senate today includes funding for three important community projects in Airway Heights, Medical Lake and Spokane.

The Senate’s proposed capital budget includes $2 million for community projects that include improving the Airway Heights Public Safety Campus, additional funding for the Spokane International Airport Transload Center and building a stormwater mitigation system in Medical Lake.

The proposed spending plan also provides $16.8 million for the renovation of the Spokane Hatchery. This renovation plays a major role in protecting and preserving the trout that are raised in the hatchery.

“I am pleased with the capital budget that was approved by the Senate today,” said Holy, R-Cheney. “This budget will fund community projects in Airway Heights and Medical Lake, as well as provide funding to improve social and health services and to renovate the hatchery in Spokane.”

The Senate capital budget allotted $35.6 million to the Department of Social and Health Services to make improvements to health-care facilities within the 6th District. The funding is for a predesigned study to assess and make recommendations necessary to modernize the existing agency telecommunications system.

The Senate’s capital budget will also fund these projects in the 6th District:

  • Eastern State Hospital commissary building repairs ($5.43 million)
  • Eastern State Hospital Activity Therapy Building HVAC upgrades ($3.71 million)
  • Department of Veterans Affairs – burial and columbarium expansion grant ($3.3 million)
  • Conservation project at Riverside State Park Little Spokane River Robinson property ($1.46 million)

The House of Representatives is expected to release its proposed capital budget next week. After the House passes its version, capital budget leaders from the Senate and House will meet to negotiate a final version of the plan.

The 2023 legislative session is scheduled to end April 23.

Holy: Supplemental capital budget funds key housing project in Airway Heights

The supplemental state capital budget approved by the Legislature today includes money for two important housing projects in Airway Heights and Spokane, said 6th District Sen. Jeff Holy.

The updated capital budget includes $3 million requested by Holy for the Highland Village housing project in Airway Heights. The money will help fill an unforeseen funding gap in an effort to create an additional 50 units of affordable housing.

“The greater Spokane region has a real need to create new and affordable housing options for our community members who need them, and we need to act now because rent prices continue to rise,” said Holy, R-Cheney. “I’m optimistic that the Highland Village project can significantly help our area’s housing crisis, and I’m thankful the capital budget provides critical funding to move the project closer to being finished.”

Highland Village is a collaborative initiative, primarily led by Community Frameworks and Habitat for Humanity, with plans to create both rental and homeownership options for people with lower incomes. The project’s developers are promoting the housing opportunities to residents of mobile-home parks near Fairchild Air Force Base.

Holy singled out three Community Frameworks officials – President and CEO Deb Elzinga, Development Finance Manager Chris Venne and Real Estate Development Director John Chatburn – for bringing the project to his attention and meeting with him during the legislative session to help ensure the project would be included in the capital budget that was passed today.

“Deb Elzinga, Chris Venne and John Chatburn are passionate about creating more affordable housing in our area for those who need it, and they have been absolutely committed to making sure there was funding included in the capital budget to help Highland Village become closer to reality,” said Holy.

Other 6th District projects funded in the capital budget include:

  • St. Agnes House in Spokane ($1.5 million)
  • Eastern State Hospital emergency electrical system upgrade ($1.45 million)
  • South Area commercial sewer infrastructure extension in Airway Heights ($300,000)
  • West Plains Childcare Center in Airway Heights ($191,000)
  • Department of Corrections projects at Airway Heights Corrections Center ($1.8 million)

Senate and House negotiators reached a final agreement on the state capital budget earlier this week. The House passed the supplemental capital budget 98-0 Tuesday night. The Senate voted 49-0 today to concur, or agree, with the amended version of the capital budget that was approved by the House.

The 2022 legislative session is scheduled to end Thursday.

Holy: New state capital budget funds key projects in Airway Heights, Cheney

A compromise two-year state capital budget agreement that could receive votes by the Senate and House of Representatives as soon as tomorrow includes money for two key infrastructure projects in Airway Heights and Cheney that will help both projects be fully funded, said 6th District Sen. Jeff Holy.

The capital budget includes $14.955 million to help the city of Airway Heights dig a much-needed new water well, and $11.05 million in funding for the Cheney “purple pipe” project that will help that community reduce the amount of water it needs to pull out of the ground.

“I’m glad I was able to help secure funding in the new capital budget for these two water projects that will greatly benefit Cheney and Airway Heights,” said Holy, R-Cheney. “After Congress provided COVID-19 stimulus funding to our state earlier this year, I worked hard to make sure part of that stimulus funding was used to help fund both the Airway Heights water project and the Cheney ‘purple pipe’ project. I’m glad Senate and House capital budget negotiators fulfilled my funding requests for these two important projects for these two communities.”

The compromise capital budget also funds several projects at Eastern Washington University in Cheney:

  • Science Building renovation ($45 million)
  • Infrastructure renewal ($10 million)
  • Minor works preservation ($3 million)
  • Preservation and maintenance backlog reduction ($2.217 million)
  • Minor works program ($1 million)

Other 6th District projects funded in the capital budget include:

  • Spokane Falls Community College Fine and Applied Arts Building replacement ($19.342 million)
  • Department of Natural Resources’ Airway Heights facility replacement ($4.2 million)
  • Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Spokane hatchery renovation ($2.8 million)
  • Department of Corrections preservation projects ($2.27 million)
  • Eastern State Hospital emergency electrical system upgrade ($1.055 million)
  • Ashley House in Spokane ($552,000)
  • Cheney Depot rehabilitation project ($306,000)

Senate and House negotiators reached a final agreement on the state capital budget earlier this week. The Senate and House are expected to vote on it tomorrow or this weekend. The 2021 legislative session is scheduled to end on Sunday.

Senate passes Holy bill that seeks to discourage traffic-ticket quotas for officers

As a retired Spokane police officer, 6th District Sen. Jeff Holy is aware of the perception that some law enforcement officers may be compelled to issue traffic tickets to motorists. A bill sponsored by Holy this year aims to prevent the possibility of officers being ordered to meet traffic ticket quotas.

Under Senate Bill 6316, a law enforcement officer’s evaluation, salary or eligibility for promotion must not consider the number of traffic infractions issued or the amount of penalties produced from the traffic tickets issued.

The Senate approved the proposal 47-0 Friday. It now goes to the House of Representatives for consideration.

“This really is an integrity-in-law-enforcement bill that is long overdue,” said Holy, R-Cheney. “Many people believe that some law enforcement agencies order officers to issue tickets, which in effect creates a ticket quota system. This is damaging to the integrity of law enforcement as a whole in Washington. My bill aims to prevent that from happening.”

During his floor speech, Holy told fellow senators that Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee and Texas have passed laws prohibiting officers from being assigned quotas to write a specific number of traffic tickets during the course of their duties.

“Several other states have recognized this problem and have addressed it, but Washington has yet to do so,” said Holy. “I’ve been retired as an officer for 14 years and I know we had traffic citation ‘productivity expectations’ when I was on patrol as far back as the 1980s. There is a reason why law enforcement officers have discretion. An officer’s ability to make an independent decision allows them to apply the level of enforcement action they believe to be appropriate for the situation. An officer being directed to apply enforcement action to comply with an employer policy or ticket quota reflects badly on law enforcement.”

As a 6th District state representative in 2016, Holy introduced an identical measure, House Bill 2399. The House approved it 95-2 before it died in the Senate.

The 2020 legislative session is scheduled to end March 12.