Tag Archives: Press Releases

Bill sponsored by Rep. Brad Hawkins at request of Chelan County signed into law

A bill sponsored by Rep. Rep. Brad Hawkins, R-East Wenatchee, updating a statute from the 1950’s pertaining to residency requirements of a county position known as the chief examiner signed into law today by Gov. Jay Inslee. The Chelan County Commissioners requested the change.

A chief examiner maintains records and testing procedures for civil service positions in counties. The position 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 will relieve counties of this strict residency requirement by allowing employees who serve in this role to live within the county or an adjacent county.

“I’m glad to see this change being made. In the Wenatchee Valley, because of the proximity of our two cities, counties, and school districts, some employees live in one jurisdiction and work in another. When the county brought this old statute to my attention, I thought it made sense to get it updated,” said Hawkins. “Other counties in the state need this little-known law updated as well and might not even realize they have a potential compliance issue. It is a modest bill to refresh an old statute, but I am glad I can help.”

House Bill 1752 approved by the House 92-4 and the Senate 48-0 before being signed into law by the governor. It will go into effect later this year.
Left to right in photo: Cathy Mulhall, Chelan County Administrator, Rep. Hawkins, Chelan County Commissioner Keith Goehner, Katie Batson, Human Resources Director.

Pateros inspired natural disaster school recovery bill signed into law

A bill inspired and requested by the Pateros School District to help school districts restore their facilities following natural disasters was signed into law by Gov. Jay Inslee today.

House Bill 1003, sponsored by Rep. Brad Hawkins, R-East Wenatchee, will pull state resources and agencies together to develop a model policy to guide school districts following natural disasters, such as wildfires, earthquakes, mudslides, and flooding.

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. It was also supported by the Arlington and Chehalis School Districts whose communities suffered from landslide and flood natural disasters in recent years.

“I am excited to see this bill become law,” said Hawkins. “My hope is this gives school districts a starting point for what to do, who to call, and what resources are available if there is a natural disaster that directly affects another school’s infrastructure and school year.”

The Carlton Complex Fire’s damage to Pateros School District occurred just weeks before the school year was scheduled to begin. School administrators had to scramble to replace the roof, carpeting, ceiling tiles and more, while obtaining funding, working with insurance, and acquiring a waiver from the state to start classes just five days late.

“In the days following the disaster, Lois told me something like this would be helpful as a starting point for school districts. As a former school board member, I agreed and looked for a way to help statewide,” continued Hawkins.

The bill directs the Washington State School Directors’ Association to provide a model policy for school districts to know who to contact, what to do first, and how to seek financial and informational support at both the state and federal levels. The model policy, once developed by a variety of stakeholders, would be optional for school districts.

House Bill 1003 passed the House 95-1 and the Senate 48-0 before being signed into law by the governor.

Photo: Jon Wyss, Okanogan County Long-Term Recovery Group Chairman, and Lois Davies, Pateros School District Superintendent, testified before the House Education Committee last session in favor of House Bill 1003.

Representative Hawkins releases statement on special session

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

I am disappointed to share that the Legislature has concluded its 60-day session without reaching an agreement on a final state operating budget. This is frustrating given the solid 2015-17 bipartisan budget approved last session and the need, in my opinion, for only minor modifications to the existing bipartisan budget. In order to continue work to find a compromise, the governor immediately called us into a special session.

As a matter of process, in order to pass an updated budget, the House, Senate, and Governor must all agree on the same budget document. Both the House and the Senate have approved budgets, but their spending priorities differ. When this happens and a special session results, it is common for the House or Senate (or their respective political parties) to blame each other. I refuse to operate that way. As your representative and as a member of this Legislature, I share in the responsibility to approve our state budgets.

My goal, however, is for the Legislature to approve responsible budgets that demonstrate a prudent use of your tax dollars. Sometimes this requires voting “no” on budget proposals with the hope of being presented something better. I voted “no” on the only operating budget presented to the House so far because of its overreliance on the Budget Stabilization Account (also known as the “Rainy Day Fund”).

This House budget, which was narrowly approved on Feb. 25, would transfer nearly $470 million from the Budget Stabilization Account to balance the budget. The Budget Stabilization Account, approved by voters in 2007, grows gradually as the state experiences “extraordinary revenue growth” during good economic times. I believe voters intended it to be used primarily for emergency purposes.

The House-passed budget would tap into this account $190 million for wildfire reimbursement spending, which was indeed an emergency. However, the remaining $280 million of spending from the Budget Stabilization Account are not necessarily emergencies, in my opinion. I am willing to consider utilizing the Budget Stabilization Account for some priorities beyond wildfires, such as the K-12 levy lid deferral (estimated to cost $90 million), but I am less willing to leverage the fund unnecessarily in an off-budget year for other needs.

As your state representative, I hope that my position represents your collective position as well.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve as your state representative!

Sincerely,

Brad Hawkins

Pateros inspired natural disaster school recovery bill approved by the Legislature

A bill inspired and requested by the Pateros School District that would help school districts restore their facilities following natural disasters has passed the Legislature. The Senate approved House Bill 1003 on Mar. 1, 48-0, with a slight amendment, which the House agreed to today with a vote of 95-1.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Brad Hawkins, R-East Wenatchee, would pull state resources and agencies together to develop a model policy to guide school districts following natural disasters, such as wildfires, earthquakes, mudslides, and flooding.

Jon Wyss, Okanogan County Long-Term Recovery Group Chairman, and Lois Davies, Pateros School District Superintendent, testified before the House Education Committee last session in favor of HB 1003.

“Schools need to have a better guide on how to handle natural disasters that affect school buildings,” said Hawkins. “My hope is that this bill would give school districts a starting point for what to do, who to call, and what resources are available if there is a natural disaster that directly affects another school’s infrastructure and school year.”

“In the days following the disaster, Lois told me that something like this would be helpful as a starting point for school districts. As a former school board member, I agreed and looked to find a way to help statewide,” said Hawkins.

The bill now heads to the Governor for his signature.

Representative Brad Hawkins listens this session to the video-conference testimony of Superintendent Lois Davies before the Senate Early Learning and K-12 Education Committee. This testimony was provided with the assistance of North Central Educational Service District in Wenatchee and was the first ever use of video-conference testimony for this committee.

For more information about Rep. Hawkins, visit: www.representativebradhawkins.com.

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Rep. Hawkins’ media:

Washington State House Republican Communications
www.houserepublicans.wa.gov
461 John L. O’Brien Building
P.O. Box 40600
Olympia, WA 98504-0600

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Bill sponsored by Rep. Brad Hawkins at request of Chelan County approved by Senate

A bill that would update a law from the 1950s pertaining to residency requirements of a county position known as the chief examiner was approved by the Senate today by a vote of 48-0. House Bill 1752 was sponsored by Rep. Brad Hawkins, R-East Wenatchee, at the request of the Chelan County Commissioners. A chief examiner maintains records and testing procedures for civil service positions in counties.

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.

“In the Wenatchee Valley, because of the proximity of our two cities, counties, and school districts, some employees live in one jurisdiction and work in another. When the county brought this old statute to my attention about a staff-level county position, I thought it made sense to get it updated,” said Hawkins. “Other counties in the state need this little-known law updated as well and might not even realize they have a potential compliance issue. It is a modest bill to refresh an old statute, but I am glad I can help.”

House Bill 1752 passed the House of Representatives 92-4. Now that it has been approved by the full Senate, it advances to Governor Inslee for his signature.

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

For more information about Rep. Hawkins, visit: www.representativebradhawkins.com.

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Rep. Hawkins’ media:

Washington State House Republican Communications
www.houserepublicans.wa.gov
461 John L. O’Brien Building
P.O. Box 40600
Olympia, WA 98504-0600

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Bill sponsored by Rep. Brad Hawkins at request of Chelan County approved by House

A bill that would update a law from the 1950’s pertaining to residency requirements of a county position known as the chief examiner was approved by the House of Representatives today by a vote of 92-4. House Bill 1752 was sponsored by Rep. Brad Hawkins, R-East Wenatchee, at the request of the Chelan County Commissioners.

A chief examiner maintains records and testing procedures for civil service positions in counties. 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.

The bill passed the House during the 2015 session and received a Senate committee hearing, but it did not advance further. Under legislative rules, the measure was returned to the House for reconsideration. House Bill 1752 now advances to the Senate Government Operations and Security Committee where it awaits a hearing.

For more information about Rep. Hawkins, visit: www.representativebradhawkins.com.

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Rep. Hawkins’ media:

Washington State House Republican Communications
www.houserepublicans.wa.gov
461 John L. O’Brien Building
P.O. Box 40600
Olympia, WA 98504-0600

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Hawkins’ natural disaster school recovery bill passes the House

A measure that would lead to the creation of a model policy to help school districts restore their facilities following natural disasters passed the House of Representatives Wednesday, 96-1. House Bill 1003, sponsored by Rep. Brad Hawkins, R-East Wenatchee, 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.

If passed and signed into law, the bill would provide a model policy for school districts to know who to contact, what to do first, and how to seek financial and informational support at both the state and federal levels. The policy would be optional for school districts.

During the 2015 session, the bill passed the House with unanimous support, but unrelated politics about teacher evaluations kept House-passed education bills from advancing in the Senate last year. Under legislative rules, the measure was returned to the House for reconsideration.

House Bill 1003 has been referred to the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee.

For more information on House Bill 1003 click here.

Photo caption: Jon Wyss, Okanogan County Long-Term Recovery Group Chairman, and Lois Davies, Pateros School District Superintendent, testified before the House Education Committee last session in favor of HB 1003.

For more information about Rep. Hawkins, visit: www.representativebradhawkins.com.

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Rep. Hawkins’ media:

Washington State House Republican Communications
www.houserepublicans.wa.gov
461 John L. O’Brien Building
P.O. Box 40600
Olympia, WA 98504-0600

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Hawkins and Gregerson introduce bipartisan bill to provide flexibility on fireworks rules

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 6, 2016

CONTACT: Kelley Hays, Public Information Officer – (360) 786-7761

Hawkins and Gregerson introduce bipartisan bill to provide flexibility on fireworks rules

Rep. Brad Hawkins, R-East Wenatchee, has teamed up with Rep. Mia Gregerson, D-SeaTac, to introduce legislation that would remove the one-year waiting period for local governments to adopt fireworks ordinances.

Current state law requires that if counties and cities adopt rules that are more strict than the minimum state standards, they cannot go into effect until at least one year after local adoption. Hawkins says this requirement is too prescriptive to local governments and it’s time for change. He and Gregerson have introduced House Bill 2348.

“I value the principle of local control. Elected leaders in our cities and counties need more flexibility to implement fireworks ordinances. The state shouldn’t be in the business of dictating waiting periods to local governments on fireworks. It’s time for a change,” says Hawkins.

Gregerson, vice chair of the House Local Government Committee, said, “Local governments shouldn’t have to wait a year for a fireworks ordinance to go into effect. If there is a need to restrict fireworks because of safety issues or increased fire danger, communities should be able to implement these restrictions immediately.”

Following days of extreme heat and the devastating Sleepy Hollow Fire in Wenatchee last summer, local government officials found state law confusing regarding implementing fireworks ordinances and, as a result, did not fully understand how to take action at the local level.

“The bill is not taking a position on banning fireworks. It does, however, provide local governments with more flexibility to make that decision at the local level, if they believe it’s in their interest to do so,”continued Hawkins.

Hawkins and Gregerson have gathered nearly 30 bipartisan co-sponsors for the bill. Passage of House Bill 2348 would be an important step forward in advance of the next fire season. The bill is supported by statewide associations and advocacy groups, including the Association of Washington Cities.

For more information about Rep. Hawkins, visit: www.representativebradhawkins.com.

For more information about Rep. Gregerson, visit: https://housedemocrats.wa.gov/roster/rep-mia-gregerson/.

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Rep. Hawkins’ media:

Washington State House Republican Communications
www.houserepublicans.wa.gov
461 John L. O’Brien Building
P.O. Box 40600
Olympia, WA 98504-0600

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Bill sponsored by Rep. Brad Hawkins at request of Chelan County approved by House

A bill introduced by Rep. Brad Hawkins, R-East Wenatchee, at the request of Chelan County Commissioners was approved by the House of Representatives today by a vote of 92-5. House Bill 1752 would update a law from the 1950s pertaining to residency requirements of a staff-level county position known as chief examiner.

A chief examiner maintains records and testing procedures for civil service positions in counties. 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.

“In the Wenatchee Valley, because of the proximity of our two cities, counties, and school districts, some employees live in one jurisdiction and work in another. When the county brought this old statute to my attention about a staff-level county position, I thought it made sense to get it updated,” said Hawkins. “Other counties in the state need this little-known law updated as well and might not even realize they have a potential compliance issue. It is a modest bill, but I am glad I can help.”

House Bill 1752 now advances to the Senate for consideration.

For more information about Rep. Hawkins, visit: www.representativebradhawkins.com.

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Rep. Hawkins’ media:

Washington State House Republican Communications
www.houserepublicans.wa.gov
461 John L. O’Brien Building
P.O. Box 40600
Olympia, WA 98504-0600