Author Archives: Laudan

Rep. Short’s Update from Olympia: Wolf legislation update (3/18/13)

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

We need your help! There will be a public hearing on important wolf management legislation this Wednesday, March 20 at 8:00 a.m. in the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee. The majority party in the House refused to pass any meaningful wolf management legislation. However, the Senate Majority Coalition approved two bills sponsored by my seatmate, Sen. John Smith:

SSB 5187 – would allow livestock and domestic animal owners to kill a wolf if it poses an immediate threat to the animals.

E2SSB 5193 – would create a dedicated account to reimburse livestock owners for the value of any animals killed by wolves.

We need you to contact the members of the committee (especially the Democrat members) and let them know why we need this legislation in northeast Washington. If you can make the trip to Olympia to testify with your stories, concerns, pictures, etc. – that would be fantastic! But I know most of you are unable to take time off of work and make the long drive to Olympia. If you can send us your statements and any photos you have, we’ll make sure it gets entered into the official record. This will help us put the pressure on the majority party in the House to pass this legislation!

My contact information is at the bottom of this e-newsletter. Here is the information for the committee members:

Blake, Brian (D) Chair
LEG 437A
(360) 786-7870

Lytton, Kristine (D) Vice Chair
JLOB 310
(360) 786-7800

Chandler, Bruce (R) *
LEG 427B
(360) 786-7960

MacEwen, Drew (R) **
JLOB 431
(360) 786-7902

Buys, Vincent (R)
JLOB 465
(360) 786-7854

Dunshee, Hans (D)
JLOB 314
(360) 786-7804

Haigh, Kathy (D)
JLOB 320
(360) 786-7966

Hurst, Christopher (D)
JLOB 335
(360) 786-7866

Kretz, Joel (R)
LEG 335A
(360) 786-7988

Orcutt, Ed (R)
JLOB 408
(360) 786-7990

Pettigrew, Eric (D)
LEG 434B
(360) 786-7838

Schmick, Joe (R)
JLOB 432
(360) 786-7844

Stanford, Derek (D)
JLOB 318
(360) 786-7928

Van De Wege, Kevin (D)
LEG 434A
(360) 786-7916

Warnick, Judy (R)
LEG 122C
(360) 786-7932

Here is the agenda for the meeting:

Agriculture & Natural Resources* – 03/20/13 8:00 am

Full Committee
House Hearing Rm B
John L. O’Brien Building
Olympia, WA
REVISED on 3/14/2013 at 3:02 PM
Public Hearing:

SSB 5187 – Protecting domestic animals against gray wolf attacks.
SSB 5786 – Requiring certain information in commercial fishing guide license applications.
SB 5337 – Modifying expiration dates affecting the department of natural resources’ timber sale program.
ESSB 5663 – Regarding derelict and abandoned vessels in state waters.
E2SSB 5193 – Concerning gray wolf conflict management.

Executive Session:

SB 5139 – Concerning milk and milk products.
SB 5377 – Extending the program establishing Christmas tree grower licensure.
SSB 5634 – Clarifying the department of natural resources’ authority to enter into cooperative agreements.
SSB 5760 – Providing compensation for commercial crop damage caused by bighorn sheep.

With your help, we were able to get the Department of Fish and Wildlife to hold wolf management meetings in Cusick, Colville and Okanogan. The meetings were packed and wildlife officials heard a strong message from the people who have to deal with wolves on a continual basis. In fact, DFW announced today another wolf meeting in northeast Washington:

NEWS RELEASE

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife

March 18, 2013

WDFW schedules meeting in Colville on wolves’ impact on game species

OLYMPIA – The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) will hold a public meeting March 27 in Colville to discuss the potential impact of wolves on area game species such as deer and elk.

The meeting is scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Colville Ag Trade Center, 317 West Astor Ave.

State and local WDFW wildlife managers will present information on monitoring efforts in northeast Washington along with population trends and harvest data for white-tailed deer, elk and moose. They’ll also discuss the status of wolves in the region and the impact wolves have had on deer and elk populations in other western states.

Dave Ware, WDFW game manager, said the department has not yet documented any measureable impacts from wolves on game species in Washington, but recognizes that reports from other states have raised public concerns.

“We want to talk to people in northeast Washington about this issue, because that’s the area of the state that has the largest number of wolves,” Ware said. “We’d encourage area residents who have concerns to attend this meeting.”

I appreciate you staying involved in this issue. I look forward to receiving information that will help us pass Sen. Smith’s legislation.

Sincerely,

Shelly Short

State Representative Shelly Short
7th Legislative District

E-mail: shelly.short@leg.wa.gov
Web site: houserepublicans.wa.gov/short

Olympia Office (January-April)
436 John L. O’Brien Building – P.O. Box 40600 | Olympia, WA 98504-0600
(360) 786-7908 or Toll-free: (800) 562-6000

District Office (May-December)
P.O. Box 184
Republic, WA 99166
(509) 775-8047

Rep. Shelly Short’s Update from Olympia (3/15/13)

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

We’re now just over halfway through the 2013 session. A lot of bills are technically “dead” for the remainder of the year. To see our House Republican “Good Bill/Bad Bill” list that shows which bills are alive and which are dead, click here.

State Supreme Court Kills Taxpayer Protections

Speaking of “dead,” the state Supreme Court recently ruled that the two-thirds legislative vote requirement for tax increases is unconstitutional. I find this very unfortunate. The voters of this state have supported a higher threshold for tax increases five times in the last 20 years. Last year, every county in the state; 44 out of 49 legislative districts; and 75 percent of the voters in the 7th Legislative District supported the two-thirds legislative vote to raise taxes!

As one of my colleagues said, “The Supreme Court’s ruling may have changed the law of the land, but it doesn’t change the will of the people.” – I couldn’t agree more. As I’ve said before, I’m supporting a constitutional amendment to place this taxpayer protection into the state constitution so that this issue can be resolved once and for all.

Transportation GAS TAX? – Fix it before you fund it!

In my last e-newsletter, I told you about the House majority party’s proposal to increase the state gas tax by 10 cents, along with an assortment of other tax and fee increases. My House Republican colleagues and I say that before the Legislature takes more tax dollars from your pockets, we need to address the problems and the waste in our state’s transportation system. We say, “Fix it before you fund it!”

Last Thursday, I and my House Republican colleagues released an action plan of economic and transportation reforms that would: create jobs, make gas tax dollars go further, ensure accountability and protect taxpayers. Here’s a quick look at our plan:

Creating jobs

House Bill 1236 would require state agencies to make a permit decision in 90 days or the permit is granted.
House Bill 1619 would suspend Growth Management Act requirements in counties with persistent unemployment, where regulations often stand in the way of economic development.

Making gas tax dollars go further

House Bill 1985 would exempt future state transportation projects from state and local sales and use tax.

Ensuring accountability

House Bill 1986 would require WSDOT to report to the Legislature on engineering errors and mistakes that exceed $500,000.

Protecting taxpayers

House Bill 1984 would limit WSDOT’s tort liability based on the amount of the department’s actual fault, instead of allowing plaintiffs to recover the entire judgment from the deeper pockets of the state.
House Bill 1989 would limit bond terms for transportation projects to 15 years.

Raising taxes and throwing more money at the state’s transportation system without implementing reforms would only enable more of the same problems of waste and failure. We need to make sure that every dollar taken from the taxpayer is used wisely and efficiently BEFORE asking for more of your hard-earned money. For more information on our “Fix it before you fund it!” proposal, click here.

MY BILLS

A few of my bills are still alive and moving through the process:

House Bill 1113 – this is my bill to help make the Department of Ecology more accountable and transparent. It passed the House with a unanimous vote. Here’s an excerpt from my press release on this bill:

“The state Department of Ecology makes decisions and implements rules that have a huge impact to landowners and business owners around the state, and especially in rural areas like northeast Washington. The department itself is divided into ten separate environmental management programs and each of those programs is divided into further subgroups. With so many layers of information and responsibility, we just need to make sure that accountability and transparency don’t get lost in the bureaucracy.”

To read the entire news release, click here.

House Bill 1192 – this is my bill to make it easier for veterans who’ve been disabled in the line of duty, and who are living outside the state, to hunt and fish here in Washington. I’m hoping that it will also make it less expensive for Washington’s disabled veterans to hunt and fish in other states. It was brought to me by several veterans from Ferry County. I’m honored to shepherd this bill through the legislative process. This bill also passed the House unanimously. Here is a quick excerpt from my news release on this bill:

“My bill would allow veterans with disabilities in other states to qualify for reduced hunting and fishing license fees here in Washington. It would also encourage reciprocity – that is, it would encourage other states to offer the same discounted license fees to our state’s veterans. We have veterans with disabilities who would like to hunt and fish in other states; and wounded veterans from other states that would like to participate in those activities here in Washington. I think it’s the least we can do for those who have sacrificed so much for our country.”

To read the entire press release, click here.

New Keller Ferry on the move!

Check out these photos of the center section of the new Keller Ferry. It’s on the move in preparation for service this summer!

As always, please feel free to forward this e-newsletter to friends and family. And thanks again for being involved and for the privilege of serving you in Olympia.

Sincerely,

Shelly Short

p.s. – I want to thank all of you who were able to attend a DFW “wolf management” meeting in our region. We asked for these meetings – and we got them! And boy did folks back home respond! While I wasn’t able to leave Olympia to attend, I’ve heard numerous reports – from the media and from individuals – that those meetings were packed! Great job, folks. Let’s keep the pressure on!

State Representative Shelly Short
7th Legislative District

E-mail: shelly.short@leg.wa.gov
Web site: houserepublicans.wa.gov/short

Olympia Office (January-April)
436 John L. O’Brien Building – P.O. Box 40600 | Olympia, WA 98504-0600
(360) 786-7908 or Toll-free: (800) 562-6000

District Office (May-December)
P.O. Box 184
Republic, WA 99166
(509) 775-8047

03-15-13: Capitol Report with Rep. Shelly Short (audio)

March 15, 2013

CAPITOL REPORT WITH REP. SHELLY SHORT

Rep. Shelly Short, R-Addy, provides an update on wolf bills and a measure to help the construction industry.

MP3 File

Find more audio content on our Web site.

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Washington State House Republican Communications
houserepublicans.wa.gov
451 John L. O’Brien Building – P.O. Box 40600 – Olympia, WA 98504-0600
Broadcast studio: (360) 786-5046

State House passes proposal to help hunters who are disabled veterans

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 14, 2013

CONTACT: Brendon Wold, Senior Information Officer – (360) 786-7698
Rep. Shelly Short – (360) 786-7908

State House passes proposal to help hunters who are disabled veterans

Rep. Shelly Short, R-Addy, wants to make it easier for veterans who’ve been disabled in the line of duty, and who are living outside the state, to hunt and fish here in Washington. To do that, she’s introduced House Bill 1192 which she hopes will also make it less expensive for Washington’s disabled veterans to hunt and fish in other states. “My bill would allow veterans with disabilities in other states to qualify for reduced hunting and fishing license fees here in Washington,” said Short. “It would also encourage reciprocity – that is, it would encourage other states to offer the same discounted license fees to our state’s veterans. We have veterans with disabilities that would like to hunt and fish in other states; and wounded veterans from other states that would like to participate in those activities here in Washington. I think it’s the least we can do for those who have sacrificed so much for our country.” Short said the idea for her bill was brought to her by a group of veterans from Ferry County. She also said her proposal would provide a small measure of economic activity in her rural northeastern Washington legislative district. “Here in the Seventh District, we have some of the best hunting and fishing opportunities in the entire northwest region,” said Short. “We also have a high population of veterans – many of them who’ve become disabled while serving their country. Making life a little easier for them, while at the same time spurring some local economic activity, is a win-win in my book. I’m very thankful for the group of veterans from Ferry County that brought this issue to my attention and I’m honored to help shepherd this bill through the process.” The ultimate goal, Short said, is to have other states adopt similar measures so that Washington’s disabled veterans qualify for reduced hunting and fishing licenses in other states. “At the beginning, we were looking at working with other states collaboratively and trying to make each piece of legislation the same and have each implemented at the same time. But this proved to be a monumental task,” said Short. “In the end, we realized we needed to get the ball rolling here in our state. Hopefully, our bill here in Washington will serve as a blueprint and I’ll continue working with other states to bring these opportunities forward for our veterans who’ve been wounded in the line of duty.” Short’s bill was approved by a unanimous vote of her peers and was one of the last bills to pass the House before a legislative deadline on Wednesday, March 13. It now goes before the state Senate for further consideration. For more information, visit our Web site at: houserepublicans.wa.gov.

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Washington State House Republican Communications
houserepublicans.wa.gov
455 John L. O’Brien Building
P.O. Box 40600
Olympia, WA 98504-0600

03-08-13: Capitol Report with Rep. Shelly Short (audio)

March 8, 2013

CAPITOL REPORT WITH REP. SHELLY SHORT

Rep. Shelly Short, R-Addy, describes her concerns with a proposed increase in the state gas tax.

MP3 File

Find more audio content on our Web site.

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Washington State House Republican Communications
houserepublicans.wa.gov
451 John L. O’Brien Building – P.O. Box 40600 – Olympia, WA 98504-0600
Broadcast studio: (360) 786-5046

Rep. Shelly Short’s bill to make DOE more accountable and transparent passes House

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Feb. 27, 2013

CONTACT: Brendon Wold, Senior Information Officer – (360) 786-7698
Rep. Shelly Short – (360) 786-7908

Rep. Shelly Short’s bill to make DOE more accountable and transparent passes House

‘We need to make sure accountability and transparency don’t get lost in the bureaucracy,’ says Short
Legislation to bring more transparency to the decisions – and the decision-making process – of the state Department of Ecology passed the Washington State House of Representatives last week. In a unanimous vote, legislators approved House Bill 1113, sponsored by 7th District State Representative Shelly Short, R-Addy. “The state Department of Ecology makes decisions and implements rules that have a huge impact to landowners and business owners around the state, and especially in rural areas like northeast Washington,” said Short. “The department itself is divided into ten separate environmental management programs and each of those programs is divided into further subgroups. With so many layers of information and responsibility, we just need to make sure that accountability and transparency don’t get lost in the bureaucracy.” Short’s bill requires DOE to identify the peer-reviewed science, scientific literature, and other sources of information used before taking significant agency action related to certain agency programs. “Significant agency action” is defined in the bill as:

results in substantive requirements for a non-state actor with penalties for noncompliance;
establishes, alters, or revokes any qualification or standard for the issuance, suspension, or revocation of a license or permit;
results in significant amendments to an existing policy or program; or
results in the development of technical guidance, assessments, or documents used to implement a state rule or statute.

Short has proposed similar legislation that would apply the same level of scrutiny to the state Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). While that bill, House Bill 1112, passed the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, it still has not been scheduled for a vote by the full House. “I’m hopeful we can get my companion bill brought to the House floor for a vote,” said Short. “However, it’s looking more and more like the other side doesn’t want to extend more accountability and transparency to WDFW. We’ll have to wait and see. The reality is, I don’t think the idea of shedding light on the actions taken by state agencies should be a hugely partisan issue. I think most folks can agree that our state agencies can sometimes get carried away. We need to have tools in place that help the Legislature and the public hold them accountable.” The 105-day 2013 legislative session is nearing the halfway point.

For more information, visit our Web site at: houserepublicans.wa.gov.

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Washington State House Republican Communications
houserepublicans.wa.gov
455 John L. O’Brien Building
P.O. Box 40600
Olympia, WA 98504-0600

Opinion editorial by Reps. Joel Kretz and Shelly Short: Job creation is solution to turning around state’s economy

Job creation is solution to turning around state’s economy

By Reps. Joel Kretz and Shelly Short

As representatives that serve some of the counties with the highest unemployment rates in the state, we believe that instead of wasting time in the Legislature on social issues, we must focus on policies that get Washingtonians working.

We continue to believe that a good-paying, private-sector job is the best social service the Legislature can support. House Republicans have introduced common-sense, pro-jobs legislation for several years.

For example: We believe that streamlining project permitting is a key element to growing our economy. House Bill 1236 would require agencies to make a permit decision within 90 days or the permit is automatically granted. This is critical to putting people back to work, particularly in our beleaguered construction industry.

Another proposal, House Bill 1619, would suspend the requirements under the costly Growth Management Act (GMA) in counties with persistently high levels of unemployment. There are struggling local governments that need relief from the GMA, not only to save the money, but also to focus their attention and limited tax collections on economic development.

Tax certainty is always a top priority for businesses in Washington. Not knowing what kind of tax hit they may take year to year is dampening their enthusiasm to expand operations. House Republicans have proposed putting the two-thirds requirement to increase taxes, or the provisions of Initiative 1185, into the state constitution. House Joint Resolution 4206 fits in with what voters want. The measure passed with 64 percent of the vote statewide and a whopping 75 percent in the 7th District.

Regulatory certainty is also a huge issue for employers. With hundreds and thousands of new rules every year, employers have to scramble to keep up. They end up spending time and resources complying with new rules and regulations instead of focusing on expanding operations and hiring new employees. House Bill 1163, the Regulatory Freedom and Accountability Act, would reduce the number of new rules coming from state agencies. It would also make the rulemaking process more transparent and hold the agencies accountable for their actions.

These are some simple fixes that will begin to restore business’ confidence and encourage them to leverage capital to expand their operations in our state. Frankly, if we want to comply with the state constitution and treat education as the “paramount duty” of the state and fund it accordingly, we need to start passing policies that drive up individual incomes and get people back to work, generating the necessary tax collections.

Unfortunately, the current majority in the House would rather focus on new and expanded government programs instead of growing our economy through private-sector job creation.

We are pleased the bipartisan coalition in the state Senate has taken the opportunity to finally tackle the cost-drivers in the state workers’ compensation system and look at policies, mirroring what we have put forward, that get government out of the way of the private sector.

We remain concerned about the new governor’s plan to pick winning industries with your tax dollars over tried and true job-creating policies that encourage private investment and risk. We saw how well this same taxpayer-subsidized scheme worked in California with the failed Solyndra solar panel plant.

It’s time to get back to basics and do what we know works – knock down the government barriers that hold back private investment in our economy. Only when we rein in government and unleash job creators will we turn our state’s economy around in all counties.

You can read more about our jobs legislation at https://houserepublicans.wa.gov/our-solutions/jobs-economy/.

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Rep. Joel Kretz, R-Wauconda, serves as the deputy Republican leader in the House and can be reached at (360) 786-7988 or joel.kretz@leg.wa.gov. Rep. Shelly Short, R-Addy, is the lead Republican on the House Environment Committee and can be reached at (360) 786-7908 or shelly.short@leg.wa.gov.

Washington State House Republican Communications
houserepublicans.wa.gov
455 John L. O’Brien Building
P.O. Box 40600
Olympia, WA 98504-0600

02-22-13: Capitol Report with Rep. Shelly Short (audio)

Feb. 22, 2013

CAPITOL REPORT WITH REP. SHELLY SHORT

Rep. Shelly Short, R-Addy, talks about her concerns with the Family Leave Act. Also discusses workers’ compensation reform bills.

MP3 File

Find more audio content on our Web site.

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Washington State House Republican Communications
houserepublicans.wa.gov
451 John L. O’Brien Building – P.O. Box 40600 – Olympia, WA 98504-0600
Broadcast studio: (360) 786-5046

Rep. Shelly Short’s Update from Olympia (2/20/13)

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

We are quickly approaching one of our first “cutoff” dates for the 2013 legislative session. Cutoff dates are established to help move legislation through the process. This Friday, Feb. 22 is the policy committee deadline. House and Senate bills need to be voted out of House and Senate committees respectively in order to continue on through the legislative process. The next cutoff will the fiscal committee cutoff on Friday, March 1 and then the “House of Origin” cutoff on Wednesday, March 13.

Wolf Meetings in Northeast Washington

That’s right, after announcing the state’s wolf population has nearly doubled in the last year, the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) finally realized that having wolf recovery and management meetings in places like Olympia and Seattle is pretty pointless. Unless, of course, they’re ready to adopt Rep. Kretz’s bill allowing for wolf relocation to Western Washington! But I don’t see that happening any time soon. Thanks to you – for all your phone calls, e-mails and letters, WDFW will hold three public meetings in northeast Washington to discuss wolf-livestock conflict management:

Feb. 26, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. in Cusick at the Cusick Community Center, 107 1st Ave.

Feb. 27, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. in Colville at the Colville Ag Trade Center, 317 West Astor Ave.

Feb. 28, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. in Okanogan at the Okanogan Public Utilities District office meeting room, 1331 2^nd Ave. N.

Rep. Joel Kretz said: “I give kudos to the department for finally figuring out where wolves are located and scheduling meetings accordingly.” To read our press release on the issue, click here. We need folks to attend these public meetings if they can. People need to tell WDFW what they think of wolf management issues in Washington state. We asked for these meetings in northeast Washington and got them. Let’s show them that we care and we’re involved!

A Big Thank You to Sen. Bob Morton!

Earlier this session, we were able to say “thank you” and “goodbye” to Sen. Bob Morton who retired this year. Morton has served the 7th District with distinction. He was first elected to the state House in 1990, where he served until his appointment to the Senate in 1994 to replace former Sen. Scott Barr. I’ve learned so much from Sen. Morton over the years. He is a true gentleman and a statesman. Thank you, Bob!

My Bills

I’m very pleased to tell you that my bill to bring more accountability to the Department of Ecology (DOE) passed the House Environment Committee. It now awaits action by the full House. If you recall, House Bill 1113 requires DOE to identify the peer-reviewed science, scientific literature, and other sources of information used before taking significant agency action related to certain agency programs. This is an effort to ensure that DOE is using the highest scientific standards before enacting rules that impact landowners and business owners around the state. My goal is to bring more accountability and transparency to DOE and the decisions they make in our state.

House Bill 1619 is my bill that would suspend the Growth Management Act (GMA) in counties with persistent unemployment. For many of our low-population, rural counties, complying with the GMA’s “one size fits all” approach to land use and development is nearly impossible. I’d rather see resources devoted to economic development and creating jobs than complying with urban mandates, especially for counties in northeast Washington where unemployment is significantly higher than the state average. This bill didn’t receive a public hearing and is most likely dead for the session.

Another one of my bills is still alive and moving through the process. House Bill 1192 would allow veterans with disabilities in other states to qualify for reduced hunting and fishing license fees here in Washington. It would also encourage reciprocity – that is, it would encourage other states to offer the same discounted license fees to our state’s veterans. We have veterans with disabilities that would like to hunt and fish in other states; and wounded veterans from other states that would like to participate in those activities here in Washington. I think it’s the least we can do for those who have sacrificed so much for our country.

House Democrats propose 10-cent gas tax increase!

You read that right. House Democrats released a proposal today to raise the state gas tax by 10 cents a gallon! If it passes, our state will have the highest state gas tax in the nation (according to the Tax Foundation) at nearly 48 cents per gallon. When you add in the federal gas tax, Washingtonians will be paying about 66 cents in taxes for every gallon purchased at the pump.

I agree with our House Republican Transportation leader, Rep. Ed Orcutt, who said “Any debate on transportation must begin with reforms, not tax increases on struggling workers and families, and not new projects lists to entice votes in the Legislature.” Rep. Orcutt also pointed out that Washington pays construction costs that are between two and two-and-a-half times what other states are paying for similar projects in similar areas.

To read his statement on the issue, click here. He also said “We need to see how we can make our tax dollars go further, before we reach further into taxpayers’ pockets.” I couldn’t agree more. I want you to know that I do NOT support raising the gas tax and will work across the aisle to help defeat this proposal.

As always, feel free to pass this on to friends and family who might be interested in state government or the issues we discuss each week. Thanks again for the honor of serving you in Olympia.

Sincerely,

Shelly Short

State Representative Shelly Short
7th Legislative District

E-mail: shelly.short@leg.wa.gov
Web site: houserepublicans.wa.gov/short

Olympia Office (January-April)
436 John L. O’Brien Building – P.O. Box 40600 | Olympia, WA 98504-0600
(360) 786-7908 or Toll-free: (800) 562-6000

District Office (May-December)
P.O. Box 184
Republic, WA 99166
(509) 775-8047