A message from State Rep. Brad Hawkins| January 24, 2013

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Hello and welcome to my first e-mail update of the 2013 legislative session. I will be sending out updates periodically throughout the session, and hope you will encourage others in the 12^th District to sign up in order to stay aware of what I am doing in Olympia!

Click to watch my legislative update:

Thank you for the opportunity to represent you here in Olympia. It is both an honor and a privilege. As you probably know, our 12^th legislative district in Central Washington includes all of Chelan County, all of Douglas County, and portions of Okanogan and Grant Counties. There are 49 different legislative districts in our state with two State Representatives elected from each district, so there will be 98 House members designing and debating laws for the State of Washington.

We’ve had a busy first week of session here at the legislature, filled with both ceremonial events as well as policy duties.

I took my oath of office on January 14, followed by two “joint sessions” where we heard from outgoing Governor Christine Gregoire and newly elected Governor Jay Inslee. I had the honor of escorting the Washington State Supreme Court Justices into the House chambers. I also had a chance to take my wife to the Governor’s inaugural ball. In addition to the ceremonial duties, I have been busy listening to testimony in my policy committees.

The legislature will be spending most of the first month of session in committees hearing bills referred to those committees. I have been appointed to serve on three committees:

Education Committee which considers issues related to K-12 education;
Capital Budget Committee which approves money for the construction and repair of public buildings; and
Business and Financial Services which considers licensing and business regulations.

I’m excited about my three committee appointments. They represent a good mix of policy areas both for me and our district and I believe I can make an immediate contribution to the legislative process in these committees. I will be discussing each of these three committees in more detail during future updates.

In addition to my committee meetings, I have also been spending time meeting with constituents.

This is my favorite part of the job! It’s always great to hear from folks back home, to learn more about your legislative priorities, and to study up on issues so that I can serve you effectively.

In closing, I’d like to thank you for the opportunity to represent you here in Olympia.

My office is always open to you and I encourage you to contact me any time to share any thoughts and concerns about state legislative matters. If you happen to be visiting Olympia during the legislative session, please stop in to say hello.

Thank you again for this opportunity to serve as your 12^th District State Representative.

Sincerely,