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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
We’re more than three weeks into the 2025 legislative session, and I’m excited to be back in Olympia working for you. It’s an honor to serve. Please continue reaching out to me to share your input as we all work together to make Washington better for everyone. Our state is facing many crises, and House Republicans are offering real solutions to fix Washington.
My Legislation
In addition to the many issues we are working on as House Republicans, I am focused on several important issues in our district. I have already introduced eight bills this session to address these concerns. Here’s a recap.
House Bill 1726 would significantly impact the Washington timber industry, especially lumber mills. Under HB 1726, whenever the state, a school district, or a municipality has a construction project that uses more than $500,000 of state money, they would have to buy lumber and wood products from Washington mills first. If they could not source it from a Washington mill, they would have to try Oregon next, and if not available there, then the rest of the country, and lastly, other countries. This is a big deal to our mills. Prioritizing Washington mills over other mills around the country is a no-brainer. We need to do everything we can to help our mills stay in business and keep our millworkers employed. HB 1726 has been referred to the House Capital Budget Committee, where it waits for a hearing.
House Bill 1104 would add a septic engineer to the state board of wastewater engineers. Septic systems are widely used in our district, so I’m aware of the work septic engineers do. This simple, commonsense bill would give septic engineers a rightful voice at the table. The House Consumer Protection and Business Committee has already voted this bill out of committee, and now it waits for a vote from the entire House to advance further.
House Bill 1602 would allow alcohol producers, including breweries, to sub out their kitchen space. This bill would help several breweries in limbo, specifically one in Vancouver, that literally cannot open their space until the Liquor Control Board gets this matter fixed. Many would-be breweries are stuck because of the different rules and requirements. This legislation would help them overcome the final hurdle of opening a business. Most breweries do not employ people with restaurant experience or qualifications and don’t want to. They simply want to hire another business to take care of that for them. If HB 1602 becomes law, it would allow breweries to subcontract the restaurant part of their business to individuals or entities better suited for running the food service side. This bill has received a public hearing and is now waiting for a vote from the House Consumer Protection and Business Committee.
House Bill 1609 would promote the efficient administration of state education agencies.
House Bill 1658 would ensure dedicated funding for history and heritage museums and county historic preservation programs. It’s scheduled for a public hearing in the House Local Government Committee on Wednesday, Feb. 5.
House Bill 1698 would make changes to definitions under the alcohol server permit statutes clarifying that all persons selling and serving alcohol for on-premises consumption at a license facility need to obtain an alcohol server permit. It would also eliminate a special liquor permit and the public house liquor license. This bipartisan legislation would help create an easy and balanced process to determine who needs to be a licensed server in Washington. In other words, it would ensure that if you pour alcoholic beverages at a site that serves alcohol, you will need a permit. This bill would provide clarity and a uniform standard for everyone.
House Bill 1712 would allow the use of electricity generated by qualified biomass facilities in the Pacific Northwest to meet renewable resource requirements. It’s schedule for a public hearing in the House Environment and Energy Committee on Thursday, Feb. 6.
House Bill 1731 would allow museums to notify museum item owners that they have unclaimed property in a more modern way. Currently, they use publications in newspapers and older methods of contact, which are not often seen by the public. This would allow them to contact property owners via email, phone, or text and document their contact.
I will continue to update you on these bills and all the other important issues we are working on throughout the entire session. You can check my website to keep track of what’s going on. You can also sign up for The Week Ahead, a weekly publication that provides an overview of bills scheduled for public hearings in House committees and includes links to help you share your input. Learn more and sign up here.
Letter to the Commissioner of Public Lands
I also want to inform you of a recent letter I sent to the Washington Commissioner of Public Lands concerning his decision to put a six-month pause on certain timber sales. According to the information provided by his office, this pause encompasses more than a quarter of the timber sales DNR plans to conduct in 2025, which is a significant concern. The entire House Republican Caucus signed onto this letter, which you can read by clicking here. We will continue working on this issue because of the harm it could cause Washington’s timber industry. We cannot take Commissioner Upthegrove’s decision lightly.
Thank You for Your Support!
Thank you for allowing me to represent you in the 17th District. It’s an honor to be your voice in Olympia. Please reach out whenever you have ideas, questions, or concerns. I’m here to listen and fight for you.
It’s an honor to serve,
Kevin Waters
