Rep. Hawkins' Jan. 30 session update

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

This is the 18th day of the 60-day session. Legislation is moving quickly, and we have taken several votes on the House floor.

In between committee meetings and floor voting, I have the privilege of meeting with constituents visiting Olympia from back home. It is always helpful to hear directly from folks back home, including by phone and email. Those that have visited Olympia include students, school officials, city leaders, county commissioners, business owners, physical therapists, optometrists, ranchers, orchardists, and more. Visiting with constituents is my favorite part of the job. Below is a photo with local realtors from the North Central Washington Association of Realtors who were kind enough to make the trip to Olympia to discuss the importance of real estate and home ownership in our district.

Another highlight for me this week is hosting a student page, Jack Yount. Jack is an eighth-grader from Wenatchee who attends Pioneer Middle School. I was very impressed that Jack contacted me directly over the summer to express his interest in paging. We had the chance to tour of the Capitol a bit yesterday. Jack made such a good impression with the Governor’s Office staff that they invited him to observe a press conference where the Governor discussed education issues. While he’s here, Jack will be attending page school every day, learning about the inner workings of government and the Legislature. On Friday, he’ll also get to introduce a mock bill of his own. Jack and other pages from across the state are a vital part of distributing documents around the Capitol campus and assisting members during floor debates.

My weekly video update

This week I explain the two-year budgeting process, education funding this year, and my thoughts on the governor’s minimum wage proposal. Click on the image below to watch: