Author Archives: Laudan

02-26-16 RADIO: Reps. Condotta and Hawkins talk with KOHO (audio)

Rep. Cary Condotta and Rep. Brad Hawkins, both Republican lawmakers from East Wenatchee talk with KOHO about legislation awaiting a vote at the state Capitol. They also weigh in on recent budget activity, which has consumed a great deal of attention in Olympia and has yet to be resolved.

Find more audio content on our Web site.

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Washington State House Republican Communications
www.houserepublicans.wa.gov
451 John L. O’Brien Building – P.O. Box 40600 – Olympia, WA 98504-0600
Broadcast studio: (360) 786-5046

03-01-16 RADIO: 12th District Legislators address questions about the budget (audio)

Representatives Brad Hawkins and Cary Condotta, Republican lawmakers who represent the 12th District in Washington talk with KOZI about budget matters. The vote on the supplemental operating budget took close to four hours, and many lawmakers say it appears to be more of a bargaining tool than a workable proposal for spending in the state of Washington.

Find more audio content on our Web site.

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Washington State House Republican Communications
www.houserepublicans.wa.gov
451 John L. O’Brien Building – P.O. Box 40600 – Olympia, WA 98504-0600
Broadcast studio: (360) 786-5046

Rep. Hawkins e-mail update on agriculture bills

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

The Legislature is now two-thirds of the way through its 60-day session. In these final weeks, both the House and Senate will be considering each other’s policy bills and making adjustments to the current two-year budgets. I am very appreciative of your emails, phone calls and letters on legislative issues. Thank you for your input in this process.

Agricultural update

Our region’s connection to the land and natural resources is significant. For over a century, fruit, grains, and livestock have been at the heart of our economy and culture. The production, processing, storing and distribution of crops and products plays a critical role in the livelihoods of many of our residents, helping to feed millions of people around the world. Safeguarding our land and natural resources helps preserve our agricultural base.

As your elected representative, I have received the Friend of the Farm Bureau Award for consistently supporting and promoting legislation that helps the agricultural industry. I would like to thank the Farm Bureau and its membership for this recognition. I am glad to have played a part in helping this important industry thrive and grow.

House Passed Bills in the Senate

Here are some highlights of House bills in the final stages of the legislative process that would support agriculture and protect our natural resources. All of these bills are currently being considered in the Senate:

House Bill 2478 – Would create a pilot project to help develop best practices for landowners and land managers to reduce noxious weeds and replace them with pollinator-friendly native plants to help support honey bee access to pollen and nectar-rich plants.

House Bill 2634 – Would direct The Dairy Products Commission to conduct research and education on the economic uses of nutrients produced by dairy farms.

House Bill 2925 – Would allow livestock owners or their employees to retrieve or care for livestock during a fire suppression response.

House Bill 2928 – Directs DNR to create a forest resiliency burning pilot project on fire-prone land in coordination with other forest health collaboratives to help protect, preserve and expand safe and responsible use of prescribed fires on the Washington landscape.

House Bill 2493 – The Lands Group, consisting of representatives from natural resource agencies, local government and other organizations, would be extended by five additional years. This group is responsible for creating a biennial forecast of land acquisition and disposal plans, as well as monitoring the success of those acquisitions.

Staying Connected

Are you looking for ways to stay informed on what is happening in Olympia?

TVW is the state’s own version of C-SPAN, broadcasting floor and committee action live online.
State budget and fiscal information, including interactive fiscal reports, budget information, and maps.
Legislature’s website has bill reports, committee agendas and information about upcoming activities.
The Capitol Buzz is a daily list of state-wide online news stories.
The Current is an online legislative publication from the Washington House Republicans.
Click here for my audio tracks and recent broadcasts.

Thank you for the honor of serving as your state representative.

Sincerely,

Brad Hawkins

State Representative Brad Hawkins
12th Legislative District
E-mail: brad.hawkins@leg.wa.gov
Web site: www.representativebradhawkins.com
122G Legislative Building – P.O. Box 40600 | Olympia, WA 98504-0600
(360) 786-7832 or Toll-free: (800) 562-6000

02-24-16 RADIO: Reps. Condotta and Hawkins talk with KPQ (audio)

Reps. Cary Condotta and Brad Hawkins from the 12th Legislative District talked with constituents on the KPQ Legislative Hotline about a variety of pressing issues confronting lawmakers in Olympia. They were joined by Sen. Linda Evans Parlette.

Find more audio content on our Web site.

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Washington State House Republican Communications
www.houserepublicans.wa.gov
451 John L. O’Brien Building – P.O. Box 40600 – Olympia, WA 98504-0600
Broadcast studio: (360) 786-5046

02-19-16 RADIO: Reps. Condotta and Hawkins talk with KOZI about education, budget (audio)

Reps. Cary Condotta and Brad Hawkins, both Republicans from East Wenatchee, spent time with KOZI talking about a recent revenue forecast that shows a slowing economy. Condotta, who has long been cautioning an attitude of care when it comes to the budget, refrained from saying, “I told you so.” Instead, he detailed his attitude toward the flurry of bills which recently came before lawmakers in the House. Said Condotta, “I think my ‘no’ button may be just about broken.” The legislator sits on the Appropriations Committee and feels a deep responsibility when it comes to balancing the budget.

Hawkins also talked about the recent revenue forecast and spent a great deal of time working to edify the listeners about activities by lawmakers concerning education, the McCleary decision, and legislation which is designed to get to an overall solution when it comes to school funding. Hawkins patiently went through the ins and outs of a recent bill that mandates the formation of a task force to carefully examine levies in Washington’s 295 school districts. The final goal is reform, but Hawkins the was clear that there is no fast track in reaching that objective. The bill has already passed the House and Senate and is now headed to the Governor’s desk for a signature.

Find more audio content on our Web site.

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Washington State House Republican Communications
www.houserepublicans.wa.gov
451 John L. O’Brien Building – P.O. Box 40600 – Olympia, WA 98504-0600
Broadcast studio: (360) 786-5046

02-19-16 Hawkins and Condotta discuss slowing economy, education (audio)

Rep. Brad Hawkins, R-East Wenatchee, talked with KOHO about the recent revenue forecast and spent a great deal of time working to edify the listeners about activities by lawmakers concerning education, the McCleary decision, and legislation which is designed to get to an overall solution when it comes to school funding.

Rep. Cary Condotta, R-East Wenatchee, discussed the recent revenue forecast that is an indicator of a slowing economy. Condotta, who has long been cautioning an attitude of care when it comes to the budget, didn’t change his mind here. The legislator sits on the Appropriations Committee and feels a deep responsibility when it comes to balancing the budget.

Find more audio content on our Web site.

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Washington State House Republican Communications
www.houserepublicans.wa.gov
451 John L. O’Brien Building – P.O. Box 40600 – Olympia, WA 98504-0600
Broadcast studio: (360) 786-5046

Rep. Brad Hawkins update from Olympia on recent committee hearings

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

This week has been a busy week here in Olympia. Yesterday was the cutoff date for bills to pass the House for consideration in the Senate. Fortunately, two of my bills (House Bill 1003 and House Bill 1752) successfully passed the House and are now being considered in the Senate. In fact, both bills received public hearings today.

House Bill 1003 was approved by the House on Jan. 27 by a vote of 96 to 1. This bill would pull state resources and agencies together to develop a model policy to guide school districts following natural disasters, such as wildfires, mudslides, and earthquakes. The legislation is in response to the Pateros School District, which suffered more than $2 million of damage to its only school building during the Carlton Complex Fire in 2014. Click here to read more about House Bill 1003.

I was pleased that House Bill 1003 received a hearing this morning. More importantly, I am thankful that the Senate Early Learning and K-12 Education Committee was willing to accommodate my request to allow video-conference testimony from the Pateros School District. This was an idea from Superintendent Lois Davies. Thanks to the good help from the staff at North Central Educational Service District, we were able to make this happen!

Pateros School District Superintendent Lois Davies testifies by video-conference before the Senate Early Learning and K-12 Education Committee.

The Senate has been allowing limited remote testimony in other committees, but this is the first time this particular committee has allowed it. As you know, travelling to Olympia during the winter is difficult for many constituents because of the distance and terrain. This results in constituents from the west side of the state being more visible in the legislature. My hope is that today’s testimony will create more opportunities in the future for educators in our area to have their voices heard in Olympia.

Another bill of mine that received a hearing today was House Bill 1752. This bill passed the House last Thursday, Feb. 11, by a vote of 92 to 4. A chief examiner is a staff-level, non-elected position usually within a county’s human resources division. Under current law, a county’s chief examiner must reside within the county. House Bill 1752 would relieve counties of this strict residency requirement by allowing employees who serve in this role to live within the county or an adjacent county. Click here to read more about House Bill 1752.

Left to right: Cathy Mulhall, Chelan County Administrator, Rep. Hawkins, Chelan County Commissioner Keith Goehner, Katie Batson, Human Resources Director

Education Roundtable Town Hall

We rarely have breaks in the legislative process but when we do, I welcome the opportunity to come home and connect with constituents. A window of time recently came together to participate in an Education Roundtable Town Hall discussion at the North Central Educational Service District Building this Friday, Feb. 19 from 4:00 – 5:00 pm. Click here to view more information.

Traveling to Olympia to share your thoughts in person is a big commitment, so please consider coming to Wenatchee to share your thoughts with me. If not, feel free to contact my office anytime with questions or comments.

Sincerely,

Brad Hawkins

02-12-16 RADIO: Lawmakers guest on KOZI: ‘Just trying to stop the madness’ (audio)

Reps. Cary Condotta and Brad Hawkins talked with KOZI about activities at the statehouse, and shared details of recent floor votes in the House.

Condotta, who sits on the Appropriations Committee, is deeply concerned about the recent passage of a number of bills that he says would affect the budget. Said the East Wenatchee lawmaker: “It’s just fascinating to see all the people voting yes on bill after bill that probably can’t be financed in any way shape or form.” Later, he commented, “It’s amazing. It’s like they are in some other alternative world. I’m just trying to stop the madness.” Condotta ended remarks on the budget as he usually does. “We need,” he said, “to be cautious and conservative.”

Hawkins, also from East Wenatchee, shared with KOZI details on two bills that have received the approval of House lawmakers and have moved to the Senate. One would update statute affecting Chelan County. Another was inspired by the Pateros School District and relates to issues involving the Carlton Complex wildfire which burned thousands of acres in 2014.

Find more audio content on our Web site.

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Washington State House Republican Communications
www.houserepublicans.wa.gov
451 John L. O’Brien Building – P.O. Box 40600 – Olympia, WA 98504-0600
Broadcast studio: (360) 786-5046

02-12-16 RADIO: GOP House member: ‘Democratic leadership is being coy’ (audio)

Two lawmakers from the 12th District got frank with KOHO this week. One of them, Rep. Brad Hawkins, R-East Wenatchee, whose fire safety measure remains stalled in the Rules Committee, said the Speaker of the House has put a hold on the bill, and he is not sure why. Hawkins indicated that he believes the Democratic leadership is being coy when approached about progress of the bill.

KOHO then asked Hawkins if it’s possible that the measure may not get out of ICU; and Hawkins shared that he believes it is possible the legislation may be dead. The bill would have given authority to towns and counties to enact fireworks bans during times of extreme fire danger or when the governor has declared a state of emergency.

Rep. Cary Condotta, also a Republican from East Wenatchee, had blunt words concerning the activities surrounding the Senate firing of Transportation Secretary Lynn Peterson, and the governor’s response to the firing. “I think,” he said, “that the administration is in trouble and that’s why the governor acted so viciously in his reaction.” Condotta added that there needs to be more accountability and leadership in Olympia and, “we’re just not seeing it. It’s time for a cleanup over here.”

Find more audio content on our Web site.

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Washington State House Republican Communications
www.houserepublicans.wa.gov
451 John L. O’Brien Building – P.O. Box 40600 – Olympia, WA 98504-0600
Broadcast studio: (360) 786-5046