Note: The following op-ed appeared in the Stevens County Times, February 2025 edition
Rep. Andrew Engell, R-Colville; Sen. Shelly Short, R-Addy, and Rep. Hunter Abell, R-Inchelium represent northeast and north-central Washington. This year’s 105-day legislative session is set to end April 27.
By Sen. Shelly Short, Rep. Hunter Abell and Rep. Andrew Engell
The Washington Legislature is back in session in Olympia, and we are proud to represent you at the statehouse. This year taxes are on the table, wolves are still a major problem, and we’ve got a multi-billion budget problem the likes of which the state has never seen. But first, a few introductions are in order.
We live in the 7th Legislative District, the largest and most sparsely populated district in the state, covering north-central and northeastern Washington. This gives us a unique set of issues that reflect our rural lifestyle and the individualism we treasure. Due to court-ordered redistricting last year, our district now encompasses all of Ferry, Okanogan, Pend Oreille and Stevens counties, and parts of Chelan, Douglas and Spokane counties.
There also are changes this year in our delegation. We have two new members in the House, following the decision of longtime members Joel Kretz and Jacquelin Maycumber to step down last year.
- Rep. Hunter Abell, R-Inchelium, a Ferry County native, served in the U.S. Navy and is currently a commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve. An attorney, he also has served as a Ferry County District Court judge. He has been assigned to four legislative committees: Civil Rights & Judiciary, where he is assistant ranking member, Environment & Energy, Finance and Rules.
- Rep. Andrew Engell, R-Colville, spent seven years managing the district office of former Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rogers, a job that put him in close contact with the players and interests of our region. He brings his passion for constituent service to Olympia. He is the assistant ranking member on the Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee, and he also serves on the Health Care & Wellness and Housing committees.
- Sen. Shelly Short, R-Addy, is the senior member of the delegation. She joined the state House in 2009 and moved to the Senate in 2017, where she is a member of leadership. As floor leader for the Senate Republicans, she acts as a team captain on the floor when the Senate is in session. She is the ranking Republican member on the Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee; other assignments include Environment, Energy & Technology; State Government, Tribal Affairs & Elections, and Rules committees.
As Republicans, we bring your voice to a Legislature that has been under the full control of our Democratic colleagues since 2018. At this point, eight years in, we can see the fruit of the “progressive” agenda – higher taxes, higher crime, greater government control over our lives, and more homelessness, drug addiction and misery. The biggest issue this year is a budget that has spun out of control and a legislative leadership whose only answer is more taxes.
This year we face a shortfall somewhere around $6 billion – the cost to maintain all the new spending obligations the majority has created. This isn’t the first time we have had a problem of this scale, but it is the first time we can chalk up a budget crisis entirely to our colleagues’ spending decisions. This time there is no recession to blame, just the biggest spending spree in Washington history. And while our colleagues consider taxes that would only increase the burden on working families, we join our Republican colleagues in drawing the line. Our goal this year is to build coalitions across the aisle to put our budget back on track.
On the local front, one of our biggest concerns is the growing number of wolf packs in our region that the state is protecting in the name of endangered species recovery. All three of us have introduced bills promoting local species management and a more effective response to predation concerns. We’ll tell you more about this in coming weeks.
And of course, we’re with you on restoring public safety, reducing drug abuse, supporting local decision-making in our schools, bringing sense to natural resources management, protecting constitutional rights, promoting small business and keeping the intrusiveness of government to a minimum.
We hope you will stay in touch this session and let us know what you are thinking. Whether you have a comment on the direction of state government or a problem with a state agency, we urge you to get in touch with our offices at the contact information listed below. Above all, our most important duty is to serve you.
Sen. Shelly Short – Shelly.Short@leg.wa.gov – (360) 786-7612 – P.O. Box 40407, Olympia, WA 98504
Rep. Hunter Abell – Hunter.Abell@leg.wa.gov – (360) 786-7988 – P.O. Box 40600, Olympia, WA 98504
Rep. Andrew Engell – Andrew.Engell@leg.wa.gov – (360) 786-7908 – P.O. Box 40600, Olympia, WA 98504