Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia, spent Tuesday night visiting with local preschool students in the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program at Centralia College, which heavily relies on state funding each year. Braun sat with the youths and helped them color pictures and play games. He said ECEAP is a high...

I recently co-authored an opinion piece in the Puget Sound Business Journal regarding our state’s tourism industry. I worked on legislation this session to address this need. Washington State currently does not have a state funded tourism office, but tourism is a big driver of our economy and is the...

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Forest land management more efficient now that Braun bill signed into law OLYMPIA… Today the governor signed Senate Bill 6180 into law which changes how counties administer forest land and open space timber programs. This legislation authorizes counties to merge programs for more efficient and cost effective administration. Both programs...

Recent budget negotiations by Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia have resulted in restoration of revenues to rural districts from forestry activities on federal lands. Local school districts would receive more than $350 thousand dollars under this legislation. Both House and Senate passed the measure today that partially eliminates reductions in basic...

Sen. John Braun introduced Senate Bill 6195 this session that would create a task force to study how the state can better market the state’s tourism industry. Tourism is the fourth largest export industry in the state and accounts for more than 150,000 jobs. Today the governor signed the House...

Growth Management Act: A Burden on Our Communities I have cosponsored legislation recently that addresses some serious concerns I have regarding the state’s Growth Management Act (GMA). The fact is that our communities know what is best for planning and managing growth. The GMA is overly burdensome and this proposed...

I want to hear from you! I will be hosting a telephone town hall meeting at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb.11 and I encourage all 20th District residents to participate. I will be joined by Representatives Richard DeBolt and Ed Orcutt. The community conversation is much like an interactive radio program,...