Here you may find information about what I’m doing on behalf of the 20th Legislative District in the Washington State Senate.

It’s a great honor to serve my neighbors in Thurston, Lewis, Cowlitz and Clark counties. That said, I’m not a career politician and don’t aspire to be one.  It wasn’t until 2012 that I decided to seek elected office, after realizing that it wasn’t enough for me to simply talk about the need for employers like myself to get involved in policy-making.

Given my business background I’m pleased to be serving as chair of the Senate’s Trade & Economic Development Committee and as vice chair of the Senate’s Commerce and Labor Committee. In addition to those positions, I am a member of the Senate Governmental Operations Committee. City and county governments are the backbone of our communities, so I appreciate the opportunity to work on the issues concerning local governments. There is much the Legislature can do to help preserve jobs and attract more employers, in ways that both the business community and organized labor should be able to support.

I’m also serving on the Senate Ways and Means Committee, which is responsible for developing the Senate’s proposed operating budget and is therefore very much in the public spotlight. In addition, I’m a member of the Senate Government Operations Committee; considering how for many people, interaction with government happens at the local (city/county) level more than the state level, I appreciate the opportunity to work on issues concerning local governments.

Finally, I’m proud to be a member of not only the Senate Republican Caucus but also the Senate Majority Coalition Caucus that was formed in late 2012. Good ideas aren’t necessarily tied to one political philosophy or another, and our majority coalition’s approach to shared governing and desire for bipartisan cooperation can only help to produce better outcomes for the people of Washington.

Thanks for visiting. Please contact me if you have a question or concern about state government and believe I can help.