From Doc Hastings newsletter: Are you willing to pay more at the pump?D08BlueBridge1 Are you willing to pay an additional 10.5 cents for each gallon of gas you buy to pay for transportation projects and operations across the state? Governor Inslee is pushing for a special session later this year to force a gas tax increase. But I think it’s important to get the results of a legislative study on transportation costs and recommendations on how to reduce those costs. (this study is expected to be ready in January of next year – just in time for the 2014 regular session) House Democrats tried to pass a gas-tax increase last June, but it failed in the state Senate. The Senate Majority Coalition Caucus is taking a more inclusive and thorough approach by requesting input from Washingtonians at bipartisan forums across the state. Learn more about these events here. The ones closest to our region are as follows: •Yakima: September 24 (6-9 p.m.) at the Yakima Area Arboretum, Garden View Room, 1401 Arboretum Dr., Yakima, WA 98901 •Tri-Cities: September 26 (6-9 p.m.) at the Columbia Basin College, Gjerde Center, 2600 N. 20th Ave., Pasco, WA 99301 •Spokane: October 2 (6-9 p.m.) at Greater Spokane Inc., 801 W. Riverside, Spokane, WA 99201 20080429-New Market-IMG_9126Working to make Higher Education accessible and affordable to all WA citizens… I was recently appointed as one of the three Washington state legislators to serve on the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE). WICHE is a regional organization that began in the 1950s. It is comprised of 15 Western states and the Pacific Island U.S. territories. The group’s goal is to facilitate resource sharing among the higher education systems of the West. I was able to attend a two-day conference held in Las Vegas Nevada, titled “Navigating the Rapidly Changing World of Higher Education.” It was a great opportunity to find out what’s working in other states and what’s not working. If you want to read more about this effort, click here. I also have the opportunity to participate in a tour of our region’s colleges and universities with other members of the House Higher Education Committee. We’re traveling to Walla Walla to visit Whitman College and Walla Walla Community College on Sept. 18. On Sept. 19 we’ll visit the Richland Health Sciences Center, WSU Tri-Cities, the BioChemCat facility (which converts agriculture residue into fuel), and the JM Perry Technical Institute in Yakima. And finally, on Sept. 20, we’ll hold a House Higher Education Committee meeting at Yakima Valley Community College in the morning, and then visit the College of Osteopathic Medicine at Pacific Northwest University (also in Yakima). As you can see, our region has a rich history of supporting and pioneering higher education! I’m extremely proud to welcome other legislators to our region and show them why my passion for higher education runs so deep. Export expansion is one of Washington’s best opportunities for long-term economic stability… My seatmate, Rep. Brad Klippert, and I recently wrote an opinion piece on the economic benefits of expanding our ports. Here is quick excerpt: “The trade and export industry is one of the foundations of Washington’s economy, supporting about 40 percent of all jobs in our state. And, there’s much room for industrial growth. Our facilities are projected to supply about 12,000 jobs, $800 million in wages, and $140 million in state and local tax revenue. In fact, a recent study for the Washington Farm Bureau even suggests these are modest estimates of the total economic impact to our facilities. Indirectly, these private investments will help expand export opportunities for other bulk commodities, like agriculture and timber, through increased access to rail and international markets. Authorizing these proposed facilities will help modernize our trade infrastructure, ensuring long-term success for our export industries. Expanded exports will boost trade with global markets, allowing our ports to become more competitive in these growing markets.” To read the entire article, click here. Classifying hydro power as “renewable” energy…RockyReachDam (4) I attended the Senate Energy, Environment and Telecommunications Committee meeting on Monday, Sept. 16 in Richland. The purpose of the work session was to continue to study the unintended consequences of I-937, which mandates utility companies to have larger and larger amounts of “renewable” energy in their portfolios. There is a continuing effort by many legislators, including myself, to make our state’s abundant hydro power count as “renewable” under the definitions found in I-937. Our abundant and affordable hydro power is the envy of EVERY OTHER STATE IN THE NATION, and has the potential to give us a competitive edge when manufacturing and high-tech industries are looking for places to relocate or expand operations, creating good family-wage jobs in our region. I’ll continue to keep you updated on this effort as we move forward.
Posted on: Fri, 20 Sep 2013 02:48:25 +0000
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