Sen. Shelly Short tours the 7th District, taking a closer look at the great things happening in her community.
Check out these videos and get to know the 7th Legislative District better!
In this video, Sen. Short discusses post-secondary education in the 7th Legislative District.
Learn more about work that is being done to improve patient-provider access in this next video.
Sen. Short shares an update in forest management and wildfires.
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas season with friends and family and are staying warm and safe this winter.
I am once again over on the other side of the mountains serving you in the state House of Representatives where my colleagues once again elected me as Caucus Chair. It’s an honor to be recognized and respected by my fellow House Republican lawmakers but it fails in comparison to the trust and faith you’ve placed in me to be your voice in Olympia.
Session issues and priorities
This session has the potential to be one of the most difficult in recent memory as the Legislature is tasked with finalizing compliance with the state Supreme Court’s McCleary decision to fully fund basic education. Here’s a quick breakdown of what’s been accomplished the last few years:
The last major component of the McCleary decision is to end our overreliance upon local levies to fund basic education, often referred to as “levy reform.” A bipartisan education funding task force met throughout the interim – as well as a core group of House Republican budget and education leaders – to vet solutions and ideas that balance the needs of our students along with the need to protect taxpayers from excessive burden. Ultimately, whatever moves forward as a final product will have to be extremely bipartisan in nature, given the incredibly close numbers in the House and Senate. I look forward to hearing your comments and suggestions as draft legislation is brought forward for discussion and debate. At a minimum for me, it is important that schools are held harmless financially as we potentially transition to a different levy system to fund basic education.
I’ll be focusing on solving the state Supreme Court’s Hirst decision to ensure domestic, exempt wells can be drilled and used and property can be developed. This is a huge issue which has impacted many areas of the state that are not currently served by city or county utilities. The decision has ignored decades-long accepted practices and case law and it cannot be allowed to stand without clarity and direction from the Legislature. I will also be focused on tax incentive legislation that may bring jobs to the 7th District, lifting regulatory burdens, holding state agencies accountable, healthcare access, private property rights, land use issues, wolves and wildfires. It’s going to be an intense and busy few months. I hope you are able to stay engaged throughout the legislative process and offer me your thoughts, questions and opinions.
Grizzly bears in the North Cascades? Because wolves weren’t enough?
It appears ours federal government via the National park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are intent on adding another apex predator to our backyard. Grizzly bears are being considered for reintroduction into the North Cascades. To submit written comments to the two federal agencies, click here. You can also attend one of these regional open houses and give your comments in person (all events are 6-8 p.m.):
For more information about the open houses and to register for the webinars, click here
Honorary Lifetime Membership award from Washingtonians for Wildlife Conservation
After serving eight years in the state House of Representatives, it’s common to receive awards from various stakeholders, associations and interest groups. They come with the territory and are a nice recognition but don’t hold a candle to the voices I hear from back home. I serve you and your interests first and foremost. If they happen to line up with other groups, so be it.
Rep. Short receives the lifetime achievement award from the Washingtonians for Wildlife Conservation on January 18th, 2017.
I think this is the case with an award I was extremely excited to receive last week from the Board of Directors of Washingtonians for Wildlife Conservation. I was given their Honorary Lifetime Membership award for my efforts to preserve our hunting, fishing and outdoor heritage. It’s an honor to work toward preserving our way of life so that we have something substantial to pass on to our children and grandchildren. I’ll continue fighting for our hunting and outdoor heritage! It is absolutely worth protecting and sharing the positive things our heritage does for wildlife and for our communities.
Paging in Olympia
Each year I have the opportunity to sponsor several legislative pages from the 7th District. I enjoy visiting with our pages and hearing about their experience while they learn about the legislative process first-hand.
Rep. Short with Page Preston Furulie and Page Gavin Furulie. January 12th, 2017
Last week I hosted brothers Gavin and Preston Furulie from Colbert. They are Eagle Scouts who attend Mount Spokane High School and are the sons of Grant and DeLori Furulie.
Pages have to be between 14-16 years old, have permission from parents or guardians, and also have permission from school. They spend their time in page school, delivering interoffice mail around the legislative campus and can even present the flags during opening ceremonies. If you or someone you know would like to be a legislative page, contact my office or click here for more information.
I’ll send out periodic e-mail updates throughout session to keep you informed of important issues and to solicit your thoughts. Watch for a survey coming up in my next e-newsletter where you’ll have the opportunity to take a short but very important online questionnaire. I’ll also be having another telephone town hall with Rep. Joel Kretz in the coming months.
As always, thank you so much for entrusting me to work on your behalf in Olympia. It is an honor and privilege to serve you.
Sincerely,
Shelly Short
State Representative Shelly Short
7th Legislative District
Email: shelly.short@leg.wa.gov
Website: www.representativeshellyshort.com
427A Legislative Building – P.O. Box 40600
Olympia, WA 98504-0600
(360) 786-7908 or Toll-free: (800) 562-6000
Rep. Shelly Short, R-Addy, talks on Capitol Report about education funding, impacts of the “Hirst Decision” on well water, and the close makeup of the state Legislature.
Find more audio content on our Web site.
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Washington State House Republican Communications
www.houserepublicans.wa.gov
451 John L. O’Brien Building – P.O. Box 40600 – Olympia, WA 98504-0600
Broadcast studio: (360) 786-5046
Gavin and Preston Furulie, two brothers from Colbert, recently traveled to Olympia and served in the state House of Representatives as pages.
The brothers are both Eagle Scouts attending Mt. Spokane High School. They are the sons of Grant and DeLori Furulie and were sponsored by Rep. Shelly Short, R-Addy.
Pages spend two hours each day in a classroom setting learning about the legislative process. They perform various duties including distributing intercampus mail, handing out amendments on the House floor during legislative sessions and can even take part in opening flag ceremonies.
Pages must have permission from a parent or guardian, permission from their school, and be between the ages of 14 and 16. They make $35 per day and are responsible for their own transportation and housing, although the House of Representatives provides a list of potential housing options.
For more information about the page program, call the Legislative Information Center at (360) 786-7573 or visit https://leg.wa.gov/House/Pages/HousePageProgram.aspx
For more information about Rep. Short, visit: www.representativeshellyshort.com.
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Rep. Short’s media:
Washington State House Republican Communications
www.houserepublicans.wa.gov
461 John L. O’Brien Building
P.O. Box 40600
Olympia, WA 98504-0600
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Speaking with outgoing Rep. Kevin Parker, who is substituting for Mike Fitsimmons on Spokane’s KXLY Radio, 7th District Rep. Shelly Short, R-Addy, discusses the challenges of the upcoming 2017 legislative session and how Republicans will lead.
Find more audio content on our Web site.
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Washington State House Republican Communications
www.houserepublicans.wa.gov
451 John L. O’Brien Building – P.O. Box 40600 – Olympia, WA 98504-0600
Broadcast studio: (360) 786-5046
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
The 2016 session and special session are over and I’m back in district. For more information please click here to read my quick session review. It is an honor to serve you in Olympia. Because of election-year restrictions, this will be my last e-newsletter to you until the fall.
Thank you so much for staying involved in your state government.
Sincerely,
Shelly Short
State Representative Shelly Short
7th Legislative District
Email: shelly.short@leg.wa.gov
Web site: www.representativeshellyshort.com
| Olympia Office (January-March) 427A Legislative Building – P.O. Box 40600 Olympia, WA 98504-0600 (360) 786-7908 or Toll-free: (800) 562-6000 |
District Office (March-December) P.O. Box 184 Republic, WA 99166 (509) 775-8047 |
‘The governor is saying he trusts state agencies more than locally-elected officials,’ says Short
Governor Jay Inslee has vetoed legislation sponsored by Rep. Shelly Short, R-Addy, that would have helped rural development in the 7th Legislative District.
“I’m very disappointed the governor didn’t sign this legislation. This is another example of Olympia saying they know what’s best for us,” said Short, R-Addy. “The governor is saying he trusts state agencies more than locally-elected officials who know the issues and problems we face here in rural Washington.”
Short’s bill, House Bill 2061, would have created a pilot project to allow certain rural counties to approve small-scale water systems, known as Group B water systems, based on the water delivered instead of the raw water source. The pilot project required reporting water quality information to the Legislature in 2019 and would have expired in 2021 unless renewed by subsequent legislation.
Several years ago, the state Department of Health decided to no longer regulate Group B water systems, instead allowing local jurisdictions to approve these water systems. However, the rules put in place by the department required more stringent standards than previously required. Short said the problem came about because the options available to local officials simply don’t work.
“If the Department of Health would have worked with our local officials we wouldn’t be having this problem,” said Short. “We worked diligently with our local folks to come up with a hybrid solution that was a good balance between keeping the quality of our drinking water safe and helping rural development. Unfortunately, the department’s attitude of ‘our way or the highway’ didn’t help anybody. And the governor has decided to support unelected bureaucrats in Olympia rather than trust local officials who know what’s best for their region and their citizens.”
Short’s bill faced intense scrutiny in the Legislature with several public hearings in multiple committees and many conversations with legislators on both sides of the aisle. In the end, it gained bipartisan support in both the House and Senate with many Democrats and most Republicans voting in favor of the bill.
“Frankly I don’t think the department thought we had a chance to pass this bill,” said Short. “But we worked with several members in both chambers to educate them on the unique situations we face with rural development and small water systems. I think the department’s play all along was to simply appeal to the governor to kill it.
“But we’ll be back. This isn’t the end of the issue,” said Short. “We’ll continue to work for solutions to help rural development that also keeps our water clean and safe. I’m hopeful the department will realize that just saying ‘no’ doesn’t serve anybody.”
For more information about Rep. Short, visit: www.representativeshellyshort.com.
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Rep. Short’s media:
Washington State House Republican Communications
www.houserepublicans.wa.gov
461 John L. O’Brien Building
P.O. Box 40600
Olympia, WA 98504-0600
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Rep. Shelly Short, R-Addy, was recently awarded “Legislator of the Year” by the Hunters Heritage Council (HHC). The HHC is Washington’s largest hunting-rights organization with nearly 50 organizations representing 45,000 members advocating for hunting, fishing and wildlife conservation.
Short, who has represented Northeast Washington’s 7th Legislative District since 2009, received the award for her efforts to push the Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Fish and Wildlife Commission to acknowledge the impacts of predators on local ungulate populations and for stressing the importance of predator management on hunting activities.
“There are folks out there who think hunting is just part of the rural lifestyle, and it is, but it’s also so much more than that,” said Short, R-Addy. “Hunting is a significant economic driver for our state and especially Northeast Washington. We have hotels, diners, retail stores, guides, land owners and more who depend on hunters spending money in our area. The economic activity that results from a healthy, thriving hunting community benefits us all. Whether it’s managing our predators in a more efficient way or finding solutions to encourage the next generation of hunters, I’ll continue to work hard to make sure hunting continues to be a successful, viable option for those who want to participate.”
According to Hunting Works for Washington, a hunting advocacy group, hunting supports 5,600 jobs, creates over $600 million annually in economic activity for Washington state, and generates approximately $40 million in state and local taxes.
Short also said the number of people who rely on hunting for subsistence should not be overlooked.
“Subsistence hunting is not just for those who live in extreme rural areas,” said Short. “I know friends from Colville to Spokane to Deer Park to Metaline Falls that absolutely count on the provision they get from hunting. If they had to fill their freezers with something else it would be a huge burden on their family finances.”
Short said she’s proud to stand up for hunting families and will continue her work to try to make hunting more accessible and affordable for Washington citizens.
PHOTO CAPTION: Rep. Shelly Short on the House floor with the 2015 Legislator of the Year award from the Hunters Heritage Council.
For more information about Rep. Short, visit: www.representativeshellyshort.com.
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Rep. Short’s media:
Washington State House Republican Communications
www.houserepublicans.wa.gov
461 John L. O’Brien Building
P.O. Box 40600
Olympia, WA 98504-0600
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
