Dear Friends and Neighbors,

This Saturday, March 18, at 10 a.m. Rep. Suzanne Schmidt and I will host another in-person town hall meeting at CenterPlace Event Center (2426 N. Discovery Place, Spokane Valley).

Residents of the 4th District are welcome to join us for a discussion about the many issues we’ve been working hard on and other important topics in our region and state.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Anti-gun bills scheduled for public hearing on Thursday, March 23 in Senate committee

A pair of bills that would restrict gun rights are scheduled for a public hearing in the Senate Law and Justice Committee at 8:00 a.m. on Thursday, March 23:

• House Bill 1143 would impose training, permitting, and waiting period requirements on gun owners and firearm dealers with large fines and possible jail time.
• House Bill 1240 would outlaw the manufacture, importation, distribution, sale, or offer for sale of any so-called “assault weapon” with an emergency clause to go into effect once signed.

I voted no on both bills because I believe they violate Article I, Section 24 of the Washington State Constitution, and the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution:

To provide input on these bills, go to the Senate Committee Sign In page here: https://app.leg.wa.gov/csi/Senate.

Under “Committee,” use the drop-down menu and select “Environment, Law & Justice. Then, under “Meetings,” select 03/23/23 8:00 AM.  You’ll see “E2SHB 1443 Firearms/purchase & transfer” and “SHB 1240 Firearms/assault weapons.”

From there, you can click on one of four options:

• I would like to testify in person during the hearing;
• I would like to testify remotely;
• I would like my position noted for the legislative record; or
• I would like to submit written testimony.

If you’re having trouble figuring out how to get involved, go to the House Republican page on how to participate in the legislative process by clicking here.

You can also go to the Legislature’s Participating in the Process page here: leg.wa.gov/legislature/Pages/Participating.aspx

Stopping bad bills  

Being in the minority party means that many of our legislatives wins involve stopping bad bills rather than passing good ones.

I am happy to report the following bad bills are officially dead for this session:

• House Bill 1144 would have prohibited a dealer from transferring a firearm to a purchaser or transferee unless the person provides a certificate of completion of a certified firearms safety training program, or proof of an exemption from the training requirement.
• House Bill 1333 would have established the domestic violent extremism commission to investigate citizens’ political speech.  
• House Bill 1025 would have allowed police officers to be sued personally while doing their jobs protecting our communities.
• House Bill 1513 would have prohibited law enforcement officers from stopping drivers committing certain violations, including nonmoving violations, certain suspended or revoked licenses, or certain misdemeanor warrants, and would have required written consent of the driver and passengers to search a vehicle.

Fixing police pursuit and the Blake decision

Senate Bill 5352, the police pursuit measure, and Senate Bill 5536, the Blake decision fix, are both in the House Community Safety, Justice, and Reentry Committee. It’s critical that we pass both bills this session and begin to turn the tide on crime and drug use in our communities. We simply can’t wait another year.

SB 5536, which would help drug users into treatment and off the streets, has a public hearing on Monday, March 20. You can get involved on this bill through the House Committee Sign In page here: https://app.leg.wa.gov/csi/House. 

Aviation fuel

On March 6, the House voted 67-28 to pass House Bill 1554, an effort to discourage the use of leaded gasoline in piston-engine aircraft.

I’ve spent my entire career – nearly 40 years – in aviation. I joined the U.S. Air Force just two weeks after graduating high school. I worked at McChord Air Force base on cargo aircraft, including the C-141B, C-5, C-17 and F-16. I earned my FAA approved aircraft and powerplant license and currently own and fly a small Piper aircraft.

HB 1554 would have prohibited airport operators and aviation retail establishments from selling or distributing leaded aviation gasoline beginning on Jan.1, 2026. The fine for violating this ban would have been $10,000 per day to the person creating the violation and not the airport or business owner.

Thankfully, the sponsor of the bill and the majority party were open to significantly improving the bill through a striker amendment from Rep. Tom Dent. This is another case of preventing what could have been a much worse outcome and highlights the importance of working across the aisle.

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 | List of all state agencies, boards, and commissions here.
• Participating in the Process | Information about how you can participate in the legislative process

Thank you!

Please contact me if you have any questions, concerns, or comments. I encourage you to provide feedback and get involved. I am here to serve you and everyone in the 4th Legislative District.

It’s an honor to represent you.  

Sincerely,