Dear Friends and Neighbors,

I want to thank all of you who joined the telephone town hall event with myself, Rep. Cary Condotta and Sen. Linda Evans Parlette. We received many thoughtful questions and comments that we will keep in mind as we work here in Olympia. We are responding to voicemails left after the call if you were unable to ask us your question.

Today is the 46th day of the 60-day session. The House is considering Senate bills and the Senate is considering House bills – there are still hundreds of proposals in the process to consider! Once bills have passed both chambers, in identical form, they will go to the governor’s office for his signature or veto. The proposed supplemental budgets are also being released. You can read more about them here.

Update on legislation

House Bill 2105, which I sponsored to provide increased transparency with online public agendas, is moving forward in the Senate. This week it unanimously passed the Senate Governmental Operations Committee and is now in the Senate Rules Committee where it will be considered for the schedule to be voted on by the entire Senate.

Last week, Chelan County Auditor Skip Moore and Chelan County Commissioner Doug England traveled to Olympia to testify in support of House Bill 2106. I appreciate their willingness to come over and share the need for this bill which I sponsored. This legislation would provide a fix to our primary elections process and help local governments save money in the future.

Washington State Apple Blossom Festival royalty visit Olympia

I was honored to host the royalty court for the Washington State Apple Blossom Festival earlier this week. Queen Roslyn Thompson, Princess Caroline Dahl and Princess Nikara Morgan had the opportunity to speak before the Senate, be honored in the House, meet several elected officials and tour the capitol. These young ladies do an outstanding job representing the apple industry and our area. My family and I look forward to this year’s festival April 24-May 4. Read more about the royalty’s visit here.

I also interviewed the young women for my weekly video update – click the photo below to watch:

Finally, I want to congratulate Leavenworth’s Torin Koos and Winthrop-natives Brian Gregg and siblings Sadie and Erik Bjornsen for their competition in the 2014 Sochi Olympics. The House adopted a resolution this morning that I sponsored to honor these U.S. Olympians from our district. You can read the resolution here. Thanks to each of them for making our region and our district proud!

Please contact my office anytime with questions, comments or concerns. It’s an honor to serve you.

Sincerely,

Brad Hawkins

State Representative Brad Hawkins
12th Legislative District

E-mail: brad.hawkins@leg.wa.gov
Web site: www.representativebradhawkins.com

Olympia Office (January-March)
122G Legislative Building – P.O. Box 40600 | Olympia, WA 98504-0600
(360) 786-7832 or Toll-free: (800) 562-6000

District Office (March-December)
11 Spokane Street, Suite 205A | Wenatchee, WA 98801
(509) 662-5733
 

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Yesterday, Congressman Doc Hastings visited Olympia to bid his farewell. You may have heard that he will be retiring. Congressman Hastings has represented Central Washington for 20 years, and I am forever grateful for his public service and the work he has done as chair of the House Committee on Natural Resources in Washington, D.C. It was good to see him, thank him in person and catch up on things.

The last week I’ve spent a great deal of time voting on bills at my desk on the House floor. We’ve spent some long hours discussing legislation related to the economy, health care, education, elections and more. A good resource for status of bills, legislative calendars, and committee information is our state legislative website www.leg.wa.gov, including the Legislative Information Center.

Books benefitting Educational Foundation now available

I’m excited to share that the “Investing in the Future – Teachers Make a Difference” books I mentioned last week are now available for purchase! The books are just $12 and proceeds go toward the North Central ESD Educational Foundation Teachers Make a Difference scholarship fund. Contact Eldene Wall to obtain a copy. I will be sharing the great stories of NCW teachers with colleagues here in Olympia. I wrote the book’s foreword, so please click here if you would like a sneak peak.

Washington’s Civic Educator of the Year from Wenatchee High School

It was a pleasure to nominate Mrs. Malia Renner-Singer as Civic Educator of the Year, and a joy to see her accept the award here in Olympia on Monday. Watch this week’s video update where I interview Mrs. Renner-Singer about how and why she got into civics and her experience in Olympia:

Mrs. Renner-Singer also had the chance to watch some floor debate and voting in the House, and I was able to introduce her to the governor. I am so proud to represent teachers like her, and that her administration, district and parents support the great work she is doing with students! You can read more about Mrs. Renner-Singer and the award in this press release.

Telephone town hall

Hearing from you is central to my job as your state representative. However, with a district as geographically large as ours, it’s difficult for me to reach out to every community or for some people to make a trip to an in-person town hall. That’s why my seatmates, Sen. Linda Evans Parlette and Rep. Cary Condotta, and I are hosting a telephone town hall next week. I hope you can join us:

Tuesday, Feb. 25, 7:00-8:00 p.m.
Call toll-free (877) 229-8493
Enter pin number 112411 when prompted
To ask us a question, press star (*) then 3

This is a great way for you to participate from the comfort of your own home, and for us to reach out to constituents while we’re in session in Olympia. I look forward to talking with you!

If you can’t make the event, please always feel free to contact my office with questions, concerns and suggestions.

It’s an honor to represent you.

Sincerely,

Brad Hawkins

State Representative Brad Hawkins
12th Legislative District

E-mail: brad.hawkins@leg.wa.gov
Web site: www.representativebradhawkins.com

Olympia Office (January-March)
122G Legislative Building – P.O. Box 40600 | Olympia, WA 98504-0600
(360) 786-7832 or Toll-free: (800) 562-6000

District Office (March-December)
11 Spokane Street, Suite 205A | Wenatchee, WA 98801
(509) 662-5733
 

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

I’m pleased to share that Malia Renner-Singer, a civic education teacher at Wenatchee High School, has been awarded Civic Educator of the Year for Washington state! Malia was the teacher who coordinated “Project Citizen” on which I evaluated and was able to meet the smart young women who testified in Olympia recently. Malia will be coming next week to be honored at the Capitol. It was a pleasure to nominate her, and I am thankful she was selected. I’ll have more information in my next update about that.

Many of you have likely been watching the winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia as I have been with my family. Four people from our own district have been and will be competing:

• Brian Gregg, a Winthrop native and distance and freestyle specialist on the 14-member cross-country skiing team;
• Sadie Bjornsen, also of Winthrop, competed in cross-country ladies skiathlon 7.5km classic and in the 7.5km free skiathlon;
• Erik Bjornsen, Sadie Bjornsen’s younger brother, competed in the skiathlon 15km classic and 15km free skiathlon; and,
• Torin Koos, a Leavenworth native and member of the 14-person ski team, will be competing in the sprint free classic.

Congratulations to you and your communities for all you have accomplished!

I am so proud to represent people who work so hard and make a difference in not just our state, but or world!

In this week’s video update, I give you a tour of the House Republican caucus room – watch it here or by clicking on the image below:

Teachers make a difference!

The North Central Educational Service District is publishing a book about how teachers make a difference. I was honored to write the book’s foreword. Growing up in Wenatchee schools, then serving on the Eastmont School Board, and now as a member of the House Education Committee, I definitely have seen how teachers make a difference in the success of students and our education system. When the book comes out, I’ll be sure to share how you can get a copy for yourself.

Deadlines and voting

This past week was the cutoff for House bills to move out of House committees or they are considered dead for the year. We spent a great deal of time hearing bills and voting on them in committees. On Tuesday, we shifted to spending the majority of the day (and sometimes the night) on the House floor – where all 98 representatives discuss and vote on legislation. I’m pleased that House Bill 2106 regarding primary ballot elections has already passed the House and will be considered in the Senate in a public hearing Feb. 20. House Bill 2105, which I sponsored to bring more transparency to open public meetings, passed the House yesterday. You can read more about that here.

As always, please feel free to contact my office anytime with questions, concerns or suggestions. I appreciate hearing from you.

It’s an honor to serve you in our state House of Representatives.

Sincerely,

Brad Hawkins

State Representative Brad Hawkins
12th Legislative District

E-mail: brad.hawkins@leg.wa.gov
Web site: www.representativebradhawkins.com

Olympia Office (January-March)
122G Legislative Building – P.O. Box 40600 | Olympia, WA 98504-0600
(360) 786-7832 or Toll-free: (800) 562-6000

District Office (March-December)
11 Spokane Street, Suite 205A | Wenatchee, WA 98801
(509) 662-5733
 

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Today is the 25th day of the 60-day session. I can’t believe we’re nearly halfway through! Yesterday was the “cutoff” for House bills to move out of policy committees or else they are considered “dead” for the year. Now our focus shifts to our fiscal committees and considering bills which have costs or savings associated with them. I serve on the House Transportation Committee, which is a fiscal committee. The cutoff date for bills to pass fiscal committees is Feb. 11.

Update: Legislation I’m working on

• House Bill 2104 to expand the budget transparency map I worked to get passed into law last year received a public hearing yesterday. This legislation will provide a link to state contracts with capital budget or transportation expenditures.
• House Bill 2105, which would require meeting agendas to be posted online 24 hours before a meeting of a public agency, could come up for a vote in the House very soon. I’m hopeful we can get this passed this year.
• House Bill 2106 would help counties save election dollars in the future by relieving them of certain primary requirements. It passed the House 86-10 and has been referred to the Senate Governmental Operations Committee for consideration. You can read more about it here.

Watch my recent video update where you can see the path I take from my office to the House floor, and my desk on the House floor where I vote:

Students from Wenatchee High School testify before House committee

Last December, I had the opportunity to serve as an evaluator for the Project Citizen Showcase at Wenatchee High School. One of the groups presented on student nutrition, and they really impressed me. This year when I learned of legislation that would address student nutrition in schools, I contacted the school and asked if the students might be interested in extending their project to come testify before an actual legislative committee. House Bill 2410 would provide competitive grants within existing dollars for schools to provide healthier food options for students. Logan Brown, Katherine Robinson, Jackie Bollinger and Carie Graves (pictured below) made the trip to Olympia from Wenatchee to testify on this bill and they did an excellent job. They each presented compelling facts to back up their testimony, and they were very articulate and professional. I was so proud of them! You can watch the hearing here and read the story in the Wenatchee High School’s Apple Leaf here.

Open Government Caucus

This week, the Open Government Caucus held its first meeting, and we had a great turnout of lawmakers, staff, media and even student interns who wanted to discuss how the Legislature can actively pursue more transparency and open government in our state. It is my hope that we can work together – Republicans and Democrats, representatives and senators – to pass legislation this year and in the future that will continue to shed more light and provide better access to citizens about their government, at all levels. You can watch the entire meeting here.

Join us for a telephone town hall meeting!

Hearing from you is the most important and most enjoyable part of my job as your state representative. Sen. Linda Evans Parlette, Rep. Cary Condotta and I are hosting a telephone town hall together to make ourselves available to answer your questions and hear about what is important to you. Join us Tuesday, Feb. 25 at 7:00 p.m. for an hour-long community conversation about how we can make Washington a better place to live and work. To join the call, dial toll-free (877) 229-8493, then enter pin 112411. To ask a question live, press star (*) then 3 on your phone. I look forward to talking with you!

If you can’t make the telephone town hall, please feel free to contact my office. My contact information is below. It’s an honor to serve you.

Sincerely,

Brad Hawkins

State Representative Brad Hawkins
12th Legislative District

E-mail: brad.hawkins@leg.wa.gov
Web site: www.representativebradhawkins.com

Olympia Office (January-March)
122G Legislative Building – P.O. Box 40600 | Olympia, WA 98504-0600
(360) 786-7832 or Toll-free: (800) 562-6000

District Office (March-December)
11 Spokane Street, Suite 205A | Wenatchee, WA 98801
(509) 662-5733
 

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:

As always, please feel free to contact my office anytime. It’s an honor to serve you.

Sincerely,

Brad Hawkins

State Representative Brad Hawkins

12th Legislative District

E-mail: brad.hawkins@leg.wa.gov

Web site: www.representativebradhawkins.com

Olympia Office (January-March) 122G Legislative Building – P.O. Box 40600 | Olympia, WA 98504-0600 (360) 786-7832 or Toll-free: (800) 562-6000

District Office (March-December) 11 Spokane Street, Suite 205A | Wenatchee, WA 98801 (509) 662-5733

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

This is the second week of the legislative session. On Monday, we celebrated Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Day and Children’s Day. It was a joy to have my two young boys join me on the House floor again – what a reminder of how important the decisions we make here are on future generations! Last year I gave a speech in the House on Children’s Day – you can watch it here.

Wenatchee fruit shipper testifies about importance of rail

Last week, I invited Columbia Marketing International (CMI) from Wenatchee and officials from the Port of Quincy to share the importance of agriculture and its dependence on a reliable transportation system. We presented local apples to the entire Transportation Committee – it is not often you see committee members so engaged in a presentation! The Port of Quincy officials discussed the use of cold trains to ship 70 percent of our state’s apples domestically. The importance of rail in getting our fruit to market cannot be understated. You can see photos from our presentation at left and right, and more photos of the hearing here.

Hearings held on my legislation

I was pleased to see two of the bills I’ve sponsored receive public hearings in the House Government Operations and Elections Committee last week.

• House Bill 2105 would require meeting agendas for any public agency with a governing body to be made available online at least 24 hours before a meeting. This bill was approved by the committee yesterday and will now go to the House Rules Committee for consideration to be scheduled for a vote by the full House.
• House Bill 2106 would allow counties to save election dollars by not holding a primary election when just one candidate for a county position has filed to fill an unexpired term. The committee approved the bill to move forward on Tuesday.

In the News

Transparency is important to me as your legislator – talking regularly with reporters and being open to interviews is part of my job. Below are some news articles you might find of interest:

• Bill would improve public access to state project info (Wenatchee World)
• Importance of Cold Train to fruit growers explained in Olympia (iFiber One TV)
• Newlyweds share their story of care, gratitude — and perseverance (The Wenatchee World)
• Lawmakers eye expanding open government laws in Wash. (The News Tribune)
• OPINION: Serving the Methow Valley (Rep. Brad Hawkins/Methow Valley News)

My weekly video update

Watch my video update this week where I gave a tour of my Olympia office and discussed my goals for the session:

As always, please feel free to contact my office anytime. It’s an honor to serve you.

Sincerely,

Brad Hawkins

State Representative Brad Hawkins
12th Legislative District

E-mail: brad.hawkins@leg.wa.gov
Web site: www.representativebradhawkins.com

Olympia Office (January-March)
122G Legislative Building – P.O. Box 40600 | Olympia, WA 98504-0600
(360) 786-7832 or Toll-free: (800) 562-6000

District Office (March-December)
11 Spokane Street, Suite 205A | Wenatchee, WA 98801
(509) 662-5733