I am Leonard Christian, your new state representative serving the 4th District. The district borders Idaho and includes the Spokane Valley, Liberty Lake, and towns east of U.S. Route 2, as far north as Camden.
If you are not sure which legislative district you live in, you can find out by entering your address into the Legislature’s District Finder tool here.
About me
I am returning to Olympia to serve my first full-term in the Legislature. I spent 21 years in the U.S. Air Force in various roles, including as an aircraft mechanic, recruiter and security manager. During my service, I learned the importance of community, love of country, and hard work. I am a real estate agent in the Spokane Valley, where I live with the love of my life and high school sweetheart, my wife, Rima.
2023 legislative session
I took the oath of office on Monday, Jan. 9, as we officially gaveled in for the 2023 legislative session.
Thank you for placing your trust in me – I will work day and night for the benefit of our communities and state.
You can watch a video of the opening day ceremony here.
Proposed delay of Spokane’s North-South freeway
Fellow 4th District State Rep. Suzanne Schmidt and I issued a joint statement on Jan. 12 opposing Gov. Jay Inslee’s budget proposal that would once again significantly delay construction of Spokane’s North-South freeway project.
Delaying the project is another broken promise that will mean continued higher vehicle emissions from stop-and-go traffic, longer commutes, slower economic growth, and continued pothole-filled roads for Spokane-area residents.
Rep. Schmidt and I will fight to restore funding to this critical project.
2023 legislative priorities
Our state has many pressing issues, including crime, a lack of affordable housing, the high cost of living, and a decline of trust in our governing institutions. I am ready to roll up my sleeves and get to work on these problems.
Public Safety
We must repeal the recently enacted anti-police laws and restore the ability of law enforcement professionals to pursue suspects in their vehicles. Additionally, we need to fix the Blake decision that decimalized drug possession so we can address the homeless and fentanyl overdose issues.
Housing
Washington is in the midst of a housing crisis – we are dead last in the nation for housing supply. We need common sense policies that allow families to own homes and enjoy a piece of the American dream.
Empowering working families
The price of everything has gone up, from gas, to groceries, to childcare. Washington needs pro-family policies that reduce our cost of living, improve access to quality child care and education, and make it affordable to raise a family in Washington state.
Bring back trust in our government
Government exists to serve the people and to protect our rights. We need to restore trust back in government, and that means working hard to make government more transparent, more accountable, and more responsive to citizens.
Committees
I am serving on three House committees this session. For more information about what the committees do, and what legislation they are considering, click the hyperlinks below.
- State Government and Tribal Relations (Assistant Ranking Member)
- Capital Budget
- Innovation, Community Economic Development and Veterans
Bills I am sponsoring
- House Bill 1331 would provide tax incentives for the development of public use airports.
- Our public use airports contribute over 400,000 jobs, $26.8 billion in labor income, and $107 billion in total economic impact to our state’s economy and communities.
- This bill will help Washington remain competitive nationally and globally to attract and retain new businesses and encourage investment.
- House Bill 1330 this is a bipartisan bill that would adjust the threshold for requiring candidate contribution certifications relating to foreign nationals and encourage more exceptional candidates to run for office.
Upcoming town hall meeting
On Saturday, Feb. 11, from 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. at the Argonne Library, you are invited to join Rep. Schmidt and I for a legislative town hall meeting. We welcome your questions, concerns, and suggestions about how to improve our state government.
How you can get involved
- My legislative website | Find my contact information, bio, news releases, email updates, videos, opinion pieces, bills, and other information.
- The Capitol Buzz | A weekday roundup of online news stories.
- The Current | An online legislative publication from the Washington House Republicans.
- TVW | TVW broadcasts floor and committee action live online.
- The Ledger | A legislative news aggregator.
- Legislature’s website | Bill reports, committee agendas, and information about upcoming activities in the Legislature here.
- State agencies | Lists of all state agencies, boards, and commissions here.
- Participating in the Process | Information about how you can participate in the legislative process
Thank you!
Government works best when citizens are actively involved, so please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. I am here to serve you and everyone in the 4th Legislative District.
I will do my best to answer messages from constituents first, so please be sure to include your home address and phone number in your correspondence.
It’s an honor to serve you.