Monthly Archives: July 2013
Stonier joins committee to oversee new education reforms for struggling schools
State Rep. Monica Stonier was tapped recently to help monitor a new education-reform law that lets state officials step in when public schools display a record of failure. Along with approving roughly $1 billion for education, state legislators this year passed some education reforms, including Senate Bill 5329. That law allows the state’s Office of […]
Pike encourages high school girls to enter essay contest sponsored by NRA, women’s policy group
State Rep. Liz Pike, R-Camas, sent out a media advisory last week encouraging high school girls in her district to enter a NRA-sponsored scholarship essay contest. The winners will receive $3,000 and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C. Applicants in the National Rifle Association “Bill of Rights Scholarship Essay Contest” may choose to answer one […]
Wylie selected to attend ‘intellectual boot camp’ about politics, leadership
State Rep. Sharon Wylie, D-Vancouver, received some good news this month, when she was selected as a Toll fellow through the Council of State Governments. No, the fellowship has nothing to do with tolling the Interstate-5 Bridge. The program, named after CSG founder Henry Toll, allows state government officials from across the U.S. to attend […]
Harris weighs in on recent Benton controversies, says some people like to ‘poke the bear’
When The Columbian’s editorial board asked state Rep. Paul Harris to talk about his Republican colleague, Sen. Don Benton, Harris didn’t mince words. Harris, R-Vancouver, said that if he was Benton, he wouldn’t have filed a complaint against state Sen. Ann Rivers, R-La Center, for swearing at him on the Senate floor. Benton and Rivers […]
Low-profile Vick praised for staying out of political cross hairs
From an outsider’s perspective, state Rep. Brandon Vick’s first term in the Washington Legislature seemed relatively uneventful. Vick was there learning the ropes, and he decided against introducing legislation this year. But the Vancouver Republican’s style earned praise from state Rep. J.T. Wilcox, R-Yelm, during Wilcox’s visit with The Columbian’s editorial board on Monday. Wilcox and […]
Herrera Beutler discusses her stance on immigration reform
As the U.S. House continues to grapple with the issue of immigration reform, Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Camas, is keeping her ear to the ground in Southwest Washington, her spokesman, Casey Bowman said today. “She has been listening to Southwest Washington residents, and what they want is a country that remains open to those who […]
Pike posts new Facebook letter to teachers
State Rep. Liz Pike, R-Camas, took to Facebook again this week, this time to deliver a nicer message to the state’s public teachers. In a post made Monday, Pike thanked the educators who reached out to her following an ill-received Facebook comment she made last month. Last month’s post told teachers to get a new […]
Sen. Eide holds out hope for CRC
Although governors in Washington and Oregon said they were pulling the plug on the Columbia River Crossing project, state Sen. Tracey Eide, D-Federal Way, pointed out on Friday that “we still have until September to meet the deadline” for paying Washington state’s share of the CRC. In a statement praising Gov. Jay Inslee for his […]
Rep. Pike leads her Clark County colleagues in missed legislative votes this year
During her first legislative session, Rep. Liz Pike, R-Camas, missed 41 floor votes out of 694. Her missed votes were caused by a death in the family and a sinus infection, Pike said. When it comes to missed votes in the Legislature this year, Pike tops the list of state lawmakers from Clark County. That’s […]