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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
The final gavel of the 2024 legislative session dropped on Thursday, March 7, bringing this 60-day sprint to a close. It was an honor and privilege to represent the 17th District in Olympia. We accomplished several good things, and I look forward to continuing that progress in the coming months throughout the interim.
Four Bills Signed into Law
I introduced several bills this session, and four of them made it to the governor’s desk after passing both chambers of the Legislature. Three of the four have been signed into law and will take effect later this year. The fourth one is still waiting for the governor’s signature.
House Bill 2204 will allow beverage producers a temporary emergency permit – with no fees – to move their place of business to another beverage producing company in the event a natural disaster forces them to close. It will allow licensees to keep their businesses open and to keep their staff employed during emergencies and disasters. Click here to read more and here to watch my floor speech on final passage.
House Bill 2045 will facilitate the removal of fish barriers on lands owned by local governments by creating the “Adopt a Fish Barrier” program, through which local governments may receive private donations. Donors’ contributions will be recognized with a sign and/or plaque. Click here to read more and here to watch my floor speech on final passage. Click on the image below to watch a fun video I shot after the bill passed. The governor has yet to sign this bill, but as long as he doesn’t veto it (he’s not expected to), it will become state law later this year.
House Bill 1982 will strengthen rural broadband service in Washington by codifying the Community Economic Revitalization Board Rural Broadband program. This will have a big impact on our rural communities and tribes. Click here to read more and here to watch my floor speech on final passage.
House Bill 2260 will bring fairness to a situation that lacks equity. Currently, the penalties associated with selling to a minor vary depending upon the seller’s occupation or location. Servers and bartenders have administrative penalty options that are a component of the mandatory alcohol server training. However, there is no administrative penalty option for store clerks. Instead, they receive a citation for a gross misdemeanor. This bill authorizes the Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB) to impose civil penalties on store clerks for selling alcohol to minors. Click here to learn more and click on the image below to watch a lighthearted video I shot after the bill passed the House.
Update on the Initiatives to the Legislature
Perhaps the biggest win this year was the Legislature passing three of the six statewide initiatives certified by the Secretary of State in January. I supported each of these measures, which you can learn more about by clicking on the links below.
Initiative2113 will allow law enforcement to use the “reasonable suspicion” standard to pursue criminals rather than “probable cause,” which became the standard after the 2021 session. Click here to view the public hearing.
Initiative2111 will prohibit state and local personal income taxes at any level. With so many people struggling with the current affordability crisis, this will protect everyone from future attempts from the majority party to impose taxes on our personal income. Click here to view the public hearing.
Initiative2081 will create a Parents’ Bill of Rights that will increase transparency and ensure that public schools share with parents any records relating to their children, including instructional materials and health-related issues. Click here to view the public hearing.
Democratic leaders chose not to hold public hearings on I-2117, a repeal of the Climate Commitment Act; I-2109, a repeal of the capital gains tax; and I-2124, an opt-out of Washington’s long-term care retirement program – meaning they will go directly to the November ballot for voters to decide their fate.
To learn more about each initiative and the process in general, please click here.
State Supplemental Budgets
We also passed the three state government spending plans: the supplemental operating, transportation, and capital budgets. Here’s a brief recap of each.
Supplemental Operating Budget: This budget does some good things, but it has more than doubled over the last decade. This kind of spending is unsustainable and not fiscally responsible. Additionally, it fails to offer any tax relief for Washingtonians and continues to spend money at a record level. We need to control our spending, keep more in reserve, and help people struggling with the state’s affordability crisis. This budget doesn’t not reflect those priorities, which is why I voted “no.”
Supplemental Transportation Budget: I voted “yes” on this bipartisan budget, which allocates an additional $1.1 billion on top of last year’s $13.5 billion. It prioritizes maintenance and preservation investments, focuses on enhancing highway safety, and addresses the recruitment and retention of Washington State Patrol officers.
In addition to the $12.4 million in funding included for transportation projects in the 17th District last year, we secured more than $1 million in additional funding this year, including $800,000 for Lasher Street renovations located in Skamania County, and another $250,000 for an update to the Camas Slough.
The budget also contains $600 million for the I-5 bridge replacement project which reflects the additional funding received from the federal government grant. Lastly, there is another $10 million for the Hood River bridge replacement.
Supplemental Capital Budget: As a member of the House Capital Budget Committee, I saw firsthand the tremendous effort that went into writing and finalizing the final 2024-25 supplemental capital budget, which will spend a total of $1.33 billion. More than $21 million of that will go to 17th District projects, including $1.03 million for the Underwood water system. For a complete list of our local projects, click here and select the 17th Legislative District in the drop down window and then hit the “view report” button.
We also helped secure funding for a new youth recovery center in the neighboring 18th Legislative District that will impact people in our district as well. The Madrona Recovery Center, which received $16.2 million in funding, will feature 54 new beds for youth with behavioral health and substance abuse disorders.
Thank You and Please Stay in Touch
Thank you again for your allowing me to serve you. It’s an honor to be your voice in the Legislature, and I look forward to hearing from you throughout the interim. My door is always open, so please continue to contact me to share your input. Thank you!
It’s an honor to serve.
Kevin Waters
