Author Archives: Laudan

Seventh District legislators invite constituents to telephone town hall

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 24, 2013

CONTACT: Brendon Wold, Senior Information Officer – (360) 786-7698
                     Rep. Shelly Short – (360) 786-7908                      Rep. Joel Kretz – (360) 786-7988                      Sen. John Smith – (360) 786-7612

Seventh District legislators invite constituents to telephone town hall

Recently-appointed state Senator John Smith, R-Colville, will join his 7th Legislative District seatmates, Reps. Joel Kretz and Shelly Short, in hosting a telephone town hall on Thursday, Jan. 31 at 6:30 p.m. Residents wishing to participate in the hour-long “community conversation” should call toll-free 1-877-229-8493, then enter pin 15429. “These telephone town halls are a great way to touch base with a lot of people in a way that’s convenient for them,” said Kretz, R-Wauconda. “Our district covers a lot of ground and is about as far away from Olympia as you can get and still be in Washington – so we know it’s tough for folks to make the trip over to the state capital. This forum gives the people we represent an opportunity to have their voices heard in a very timely and relevant fashion.” Short, a Republican legislator from Addy, said she continually hears positive feedback about previous telephone town halls from 7th District residents when she travels around the district. “I don’t know how many times folks have stopped us to say how much they appreciate being able to listen in and participate in these telephone town halls,” said Short. “They get to learn about what’s happening in Olympia during the legislative session and give their opinions and ideas about what’s working and what’s not working in state government. And they get to do it from the comfort of their own homes without having to take time off of work and drive over the mountain passes. It’s been a very positive thing all around.” Smith, who was appointed to the state Senate in January after the retirement of longtime Senator Bob Morton, said he is looking forward to hearing from the people he represents. “Ultimately, we serve the people and we answer to them,” said Smith. “That’s why we’re here: to represent them and their interests in Olympia. If we’re going to represent the people of the 7th Legislative District to the best of our abilities, we need to hear from them. We need to know how they feel about issues like education, the state budget, taxes, transportation and health care – and what their ideas are for solving some of the problems we’re having in state government.”
The 2013 regular session began on Jan. 14 and is scheduled for 105 days.

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

Capitol Report with Rep. Shelly Short (audio)

CAPITOL REPORT – Jan. 20, 2013

Rep. Shelly Short, R-Addy, discusses proposed House rule changes, including adding to the rules the provisions of Initiative 1185, which requires the Legislature to have a two-thirds approval to raise taxes.

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

House Republicans choose remaining leadership positions

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 29, 2012

CONTACT: Brendon Wold, Senior Information Officer – (360) 786-7698

House Republicans choose remaining leadership positions

House Republican Leader Richard DeBolt, R-Chehalis, announced today appointments to the remaining House Republican Caucus leadership positions for the upcoming two years.

Rep. Shelly Short, R-Addy, was appointed House Republican vice caucus chair. She will assist the caucus chair, Rep. Dan Kristiansen, R-Snohomish, in setting legislative priorities for the caucus as well as presiding over caucus meetings for the chair when bills, amendments, voting and other legislative matters are discussed.

The caucus also appointed three new members to serve as House Republican assistant caucus whips. The caucus whip, Rep. Paul Harris, R-Vancouver, and his assistant whips help ensure caucus work is carried out in an orderly fashion while maintaining decorum during caucus meetings. The new House Republican assistant caucus whips are:

Rep.-elect Elizabeth Scott, R-Monroe, serving the 39th Legislative District;

Rep.-elect Drew MacEwen, R-Union, serving the 35th Legislative District; and,

Rep.-elect Jeff Holy, R-Spokane, serving the 6th Legislative District.

The four new appointees join the elected members of the House Republican leadership team and will play key roles in developing and implementing plans and policies supported by the House Republican Caucus.

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

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Washington State House Republican Communications

houserepublicans.wa.gov

439 John L. O’Brien Building

P.O. Box 40600

Olympia, WA 98504-0600

Kretz, Short each receive award for supporting small businesses

National Federation of Independent Business gives 7th District lawmakers Guardian of Small Business Award

The state’s largest small business advocacy group, the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), recognized Reps. Joel Kretz, R-Wauconda, and Shelly Short, R-Addy, with its Guardian of Small Business Award for their efforts in the Legislature to support measures that help small-business owners be successful and oppose policies that hurt them. The 8,000-member association grades lawmakers on their votes on 10 pieces of legislation. Kretz and Short both received a 100 percent voting record for the 2011-12 biennium.

“When you travel around the Seventh District, it’s clear that the majority of jobs are created by small businesses like mine. They employ our friends, family and neighbors in areas where big businesses choose not to operate or, in the case of our part of the state, cannot get the permits needed to begin operations,” said Kretz, who also received the NFIB Legislator of the Year Award in 2010. “Entrepreneurs risk their own capital to start their businesses and create jobs that support our communities and the services our local governments provide. Anything I can do to support them, I will.”

“Small businesses are quite literally the backbone of our state and local economies,” said Short, who also received the 2011 Cornerstone Award from the Association of Washington Business. “One of the things I hear the most from folks back home is the need to protect the jobs we have and to help find ways to expand our region’s economic opportunities. A vote on the House floor for a bill being supported by NFIB is a vote supporting the many entrepreneurs and job-producers in our state. I’m grateful for the recognition from NFIB but even more grateful for their work and assistance in supporting those small employers around the state who contribute so much to our economy.”

According to a report authored this year by the United States Small Business Administration, small businesses totaled 532,162 in Washington in 2009. They represent 98.1 percent of all employers and employ 53.3 percent of the private-sector workforce.

According to NFIB Washington State Director Patrick Connor, the cost of tax compliance falls heavily on small business and is 66 percent higher for a small business compared to a large business. And, he pointed out a national study that found small firms with fewer than 20 employees spend $2,400, or 45 percent, more per employee than larger firms do in complying with the same federal regulations.

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CONTACT: Bobbi Cussins, Public Information Officer, (360) 786-7252

Rep. Short receives award for her efforts to support businesses and job growth in Washington state

Rep. Shelly Short, R-Addy, received the 2011 Cornerstone Award from the Association of Washington Businesses (AWB) for her efforts to protect jobs, spur local economic development and create an employer-friendly environment in Washington state.

Gary Chandler, AWB’s Vice President of government affairs, presented the award to Short last week at the state Capitol in Olympia.

“Last year was an important legislative year for Washington’s economy,” said Chandler. “We appreciate Representative Short’s leadership on these issues and her commitment to creating the right conditions for employers and free enterprise to succeed in Washington state.”

AWB’s Cornerstone Awards are presented annually to Washington state legislators who have an 80 percent or better voting record with the association. The group publishes its voting record after each legislative session as a supplement to its magazine, Washington Business. The vote record includes the member’s percentage of AWB supported votes in 2011 and 2010, as well as their lifetime AWB average and their score as calculated by the Washington State Labor Council.

“It’s an honor to be recognized by the AWB,” said Short. “They are an organization that works very hard to help foster an atmosphere that is friendly and accommodating to employers. Through all the budget debate over the last few years, we’ve tried to bring the importance of jobs and supporting our local employers to the forefront of the discussion. I know many folks in my legislative district who are looking for work – and I feel for them. As elected officials, we need to do all we can at the state and local level to help protect jobs and keep the government at bay so the entrepreneurs and small business owners can create more jobs.”

Formed in 1904, the Association of Washington Business is Washington’s oldest and largest statewide business association, and includes more than 7,800 members representing 700,000 employees. AWB serves as both the state’s chamber of commerce and the manufacturing and technology association, and is one of two chambers in the country accredited with distinction by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

PHOTO CAPTION:

Rep. Shelly Short receives the 2011 Cornerstone Award from AWB’s Vice President of government affairs, Gary Chandler, at the state Capitol in Olympia.

For more information, contact Brendon Wold, Senior Information Officer: (360) 786-7698

Local students serve as legislative pages for Rep. Shelly Short during the 2012 session

7th District lawmaker sponsors youth from Nine Mile Falls, Deer Park, Lincoln County, and Republic

Rep. Shelly Short hosted four local students at the state Capitol as legislative pages during the 2012 legislative session. All four youth reside in Short’s 7th Legislative District:

· Kelly Riddle, 15, is the daughter of Lisa and Rob Riddle of Nine Miles Falls. She is a 10th-grader at Northwest Christian School. Kelly paged Jan. 30 – Feb. 3.

· Emma Tate, 14, is the daughter of Emily and James Tate of Deer Park. She attends Riverside High School and is in 9th grade. Emma was in Olympia Feb. 12 – 17.

· Nina Klein, 15, is the daughter of Jan and Mark Klein who live in Lincoln County. She is a 10th-grader at Christian Heritage School. Nina paged Feb. 26 – March 1.

· Tyler Weyer, 16, is the son of Tara Weyer of Republic. He attends Republic High School and is in 11th grade. Tyler was at the state Capitol this week – March 4 – 8.

The students attended page school each day to learn more about legislative processes and the Legislature. They also had an opportunity to sponsor mock bills with their fellow students from around the state and distributed documents to state lawmakers throughout the Capitol campus – including the House floor and committee rooms.

“The House Page Program is an excellent opportunity for students to learn more about state government and experience the legislative process firsthand. It’s something that can’t be replicated in the classroom or online,” said Short, R-Addy. “Hosting local students is always exciting for me each year. I enjoy hearing about their experiences and what they’ve learned. They bring an energy and enthusiasm to Olympia that is really appreciated.”

Short said she was especially impressed with this year’s pages and heard several remarks from other legislators about the maturity and work ethic of the students from her district.

“We all see a lot of students from all over the state serve as legislative pages throughout the year. But I had several lawmakers tell me how impressed they were about the way students from the Seventh District went about their business in committee and on the House floor,” Short said. “Most of the pages that come from my district are involved in 4-H, Future Farmers of America, the Boy or Girl Scouts, or other community or church-based organizations. Their desire to serve others efficiently and with respect is very evident. I couldn’t be more proud of how the students represented their families, schools and communities.”

Young men and women have come to Olympia to serve as pages for the Washington State Legislature since 1891. Pages must:

· be between the ages of 14 and 16;

· obtain permission from their parents and schools; and

· have acceptable grades.

Most pages stay with local volunteer host families while in the Olympia area. More information about the House Page Program can be found at: https://www.leg.wa.gov/House/Pages/HousePageProgram.aspx.

For more information on Rep. Short, please visit: https://houserepublicans.wa.gov/members/shelly-short/.

Rep. Short can be contacted at (360) 786-7908, or in her district office when the Legislature is not in session at (509) 775-8047or shelly.short@leg.wa.gov.

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For more information contact Brendon Wold, Senior Information Officer: (360) 786-7698

Editor’s note: To view larger pictures or to obtain print-quality photos, click on a selected photo below.