Member Opinions

One of the things I continually hear when traveling around the 9th Legislative District is this: “Joe, when are politicians in Olympia going to understand the ‘will of the people’... ...

Jan. 29, 2013

Special to the Yakima Valley Business Times Business owners know well the state’s workers’ compensation program. For years, I and my Republican colleagues have put forward solutions to fix the... ...

Jan. 26, 2013

Special to the Yakima Valley Business Times Mark Twain once said, “No man’s life, liberty or property are safe while the Legislature is in session.” With the Legislature returning for... ...

Dec. 29, 2012

The elections are over. The voters have spoken and made their choices. And on Jan. 14, the Legislature will convene in Olympia for a scheduled 105-day session to begin the... ...

Dec. 27, 2012

When lawmakers convene Jan. 14 in Olympia for a scheduled 105-day legislative session, the eyes of the state Supreme Court will be focused on how the Legislature will respond to... ...

Dec. 26, 2012

In the summer of 1889, 75 delegates assembled at the Territorial Capitol Building in Olympia to draft the state’s constitution. Their first words demonstrated what they valued most. Article 1,... ...

June 29, 2012

Sometime back, I had the honor to speak to a 12th grade political science class at one of our local high schools. After introducing myself, I opened up the classroom... ...

May 18, 2012

It’s encouraging to see the state’s unemployment rate drop to 8.2 percent in February. That’s down almost a full percentage point from February 2011 when unemployment was at 9.1 percent.... ...

April 13, 2012

Since 2006, House Republicans have introduced legislation that would require budget writers to fund education with the first dollar, not the last. I believe this is critical to ensuring K-12 basic...

Feb. 9, 2012

As part of her solution to the state’s projected budget shortfall, Governor Chris Gregoire has suggested a course of action for our state’s Critical Access Hospitals that will endanger the... ...

Jan. 25, 2012