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Dear Friends,
Thank you again for the honor of serving as your state representative. It's been a great first two weeks of the 2015 legislative session, and I am excited to have begun working to fulfill my promises to the people of the 35th District.
Committees
I serve as the assistant ranking member on the House Local Government Committee, which considers issues relating to operations and financing of counties, cities and some special districts. The committee also deals with issues relating to the Growth Management Act and land-use issues. As you know, I am committed to protecting your private property rights, so it's a great committee for me to serve on. I am also serving on the House Education Committee. I am a strong advocate for funding education first in the state budget. Finally, I am serving on the House Public Safety Committee. As a firefighter for nearly three decades, I've felt great pride in being able to serve the people of this state by keeping them safe from harm. I look forward to serving on a committee that recognizes the importance of safety in all of our communities.
Video Update
I recently recorded my first video update. In the video, I cover topics such as what made me want to serve in the Legislature, what my favorite part about the 35th District is, and more. Take a look!
Bills I'm Supporting
I'm very proud to be co-sponsoring House Bill 1389, which helps our rural communities by revising the state's wildfire mobilization law. The law currently states that fire departments can only be mobilized for firefighting purposes. This bill would change the law so fire departments can be mobilized for non-fire incidents, such as landslides, earthquakes, floods and outbreaks of contagious disease. No more communities should have to suffer like Oso and Darrington suffered last year.
I have worked hard with the prime sponsor of HB 1389 to ensure the bill gains traction. Together, we were able to get the bill heard in committee and scheduled for executive session on the very same day.
I am the prime sponsor of House Bill 1607, which would recognize hydroelectric power as an eligible renewable resource in the Energy Independence Act. In 2006, Initiative 937 passed with 52 percent of the vote. The initiative placed requirements on utility companies to obtain 15 percent of their electricity from new renewable resources by 2020.
One resource that is not considered renewable in Washington state is hydroelectric power, despite the fact that it is the most renewable power resource we have. The state of California currently buys a large portion of our hydroelectric power because they have ruled it renewable. Additionally, BMW located a carbon fiber manufacturing plant in eastern Washington, citing the fact that we had ample hydroelectric power.
HB 1607 recognizes hydroelectric power as a renewable resource, and allows all of the utility companies in the state to declare it as such in their power portfolios. The result of this bill passing would be significant cost savings to citizens in Washington state.
KMAS Radio Interviews
Every Wednesday at 7:40 a.m., I will be on KMAS Radio in Shelton for a live interview with Dale Hubbard and Jeff Slakey to discuss the latest happenings in the Legislature. The interviews from the first and second week of session are below:
Contacting Me
I look forward to hearing from you. If you have any questions, thoughts or concerns for me, please don't hesitate to send me an email at dan.griffey@leg.wa.gov. Alternatively, you can give me a call at (360) 786-7966. I look forward to hearing from you!
Sincerely,
Dan Griffey
