State Government

State Rep. Dave Upthegrove (D-Des Moines) has formally announced he will run for the King County Council seat being vacated by Julia Patterson.

Patterson announced April 26 she will not seek re-election after serving 23 years in public office. She has served the SeaTac area in the SeaTac City Council, state Legislature and county council. Upthegrove has worked as her aide.

Patterson told the Highline Times May 1 that she is endorsing Upthegrove.

“He is extremely well prepared,” Patterson declared. “He’s a south county guy like I am a south county girl.”

Patterson said she is unaware of anyone else planning to run for her seat.

Here is an excerpt from Upthegrove’s press release:

Born and raised in South King County, Dave Upthegrove believes the best way he can give back is to deliver results.

Dave began his public service as Senior Legislative Assistant to then-Senator Julia Patterson (D-SeaTac).

In 2001, Dave was appointed unanimously by the King County Council to fill a legislative vacancy and has been elected by his community five times to represent them in Olympia.

Press release:

Four key health care policies sponsored by Sen. Karen Keiser, D-33, have been passed by the Legislature and are on their way to becoming law.

“I am happy that we have finally moved beyond the debate over health reform and are creating health policies for the future,” said Keiser, ranking member on the health care committee.

Key policies passed by the Legislature include:

• Health care oversight: Senate Concurrent Resolution 8401 establishes a joint legislative oversight committee to ensure smooth, efficient implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) by the Insurance Commissioner, the Health Benefit Exchange and the Health Care Authority. Now that three different agencies are responsible for parts of the ACA implementation, the Legislature needs to provide for coordination so there isn’t a “one hand doesn’t know what the other hand is doing” problem in health reform efforts.

Press release:

Thirty-third District legislators Sen. Karen Keiser, Rep. Tina Orwall and Rep. Dave Upthegrove, will host a telephone town hall focusing on topics such as education, health care and environment.

Constituents in the areas of Kent, SeaTac, Normandy Park, Des Moines, Burien and Renton will receive a phone call inviting them to stay on the line to participate in the town hall.

Residents who do not automatically receive a call can also dial the toll-free participant number to listen in on the event and ask questions of their elected state officials.

WHAT: Telephone town hall
WHEN: 6–7 p.m., Thurs., March 28th
WHERE: Constituents will receive a phone call, or can call-in (877) 229-8493, ID code 18646#

34th District legislators to hold telephone town meeting on March 20

Who: State Senator Sharon Nelson and Reps. Eileen Cody and Joe Fitzgibbon (34th Legislative District)

What: Telephone town hall

When: 6:00 – 7:00 P.M. on Wednesday, March 20th

Why: To discuss legislative priorities with constituents, solicit their feedback and answer questions about the current legislative session.

34th Legislative District residents should receive a call from their legislators at about 6:00 PM on the 20th. To participate, simply pick up the phone and follow the prompts. Sen. Nelson and Reps. Cody and Fitzgibbon will deliver short opening thoughts and then will open up for questions. If you have a question for the lawmakers, simply press *3.

If for some reason you don’t receive a call, you can call into 1-877-229-8493 and enter 18646 to participate.

Press release:

A few weeks ago, Rep. Tina Orwall was selected Deputy Speaker Pro Tempore-designate by her fellow Democratic Caucus. As required by House rules, she was officially confirmed Deputy Speaker Pro Tempore by the full House of Representatives today, the first day of the 2013 Legislative Session.

“It is an incredible honor to be elected by my peers as Deputy Speaker Pro Tempore. I will work hard to ensure the process is fair and all voices are heard,” said Orwall, who has served as Assistant Speaker Pro Tempore for the past two years.

The Deputy Speaker Pro Tempore presides over sessions of the House as needed when the Speaker Pro Tempore and the Speaker of the House are unable to do so. As active Speaker she will be tasked with keeping the process flowing as smoothly as possible when lawmakers are debating proposals on the floor.

Press release:

Earlier this week, the House Democratic Caucus announced its committee structure for the upcoming session. State Representative Joe Fitzgibbon (D-Burien) will continue to serve as vice-chair of the House Local Government Committee.

The Local Government Committee considers issues relating to operations and financing of counties, cities, and certain special districts. The committee also considers matters relating to the State Environmental Policy Act, Growth Management Act, and land use issues.

"Making sure we keep our strong environmental protections in place will be one of my top priorities this session," said Fitzgibbon.

Fitzgibbon was elected in November to the Deputy Majority Whip leadership position by his peers in the caucus. He'll assist the Majority Whip - Rep. Kevin Van De Wege (D-Sequim) - in organizational matters such as member attendance, vote tallying, and mentoring new legislators on House processes and procedures.

"I'm honored to be selected by the caucus to serve in a leadership role," said Fitzgibbon. "I'm looking forward to working with my colleagues on the many challenges facing us this session."

Press release:

State Rep. Dave Upthegrove (D –Des Moines) will continue to serve as chairman of the House Environment committee for the 2013 legislative session.

Every two years, committee structure and chairmanships in the state House undergo a reorganization process.

As in years past, the House Environment committee will continue to consider issues relating to air quality, aquatic lands, oil spill prevention, recycling and solid waste, hazardous waste, toxics, and climate change, as well as overseeing the Puget Sound Partnership’s activities.

Additionally – and new for the coming year – the committee will also be responsible for all energy-related issues, including renewable energy standards and energy availability, production and conservation.

“Energy and environmental issues have a lot of overlap, so this shift makes sense,” Upthegrove said. “Washington state is already a national leader in promoting energy technologies that both spur economic growth and help protect the quality of life we all cherish.”

Press release:

Contaminated groundwater and soil under and near a SeaTac property will undergo cleanup with a combination of below-ground air injection, vapor removal, and natural bacterial action, under a proposed legal agreement submitted for public comment by the Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) and the site’s current and former owners.

The proposed agreement, called a consent decree, incorporates a cleanup action plan that underwent public review and comment in 2011.

The parcel – owned by Sea-Tac Investments LLC, ANSCO Properties, LLC, and Scarsella Bros. Inc., -- is located at 16025-16223 International Blvd. The site has no connection with the nearby Sea-Tac Airport.

The property has had various occupants and businesses, including a construction yard and tenants who installed underground fuel tanks.

Sampling studies show that contaminants related to gasoline affect ground water under the property’s north end and a surrounding area. A cleanup of contaminated soil occurred in 2001, and pavement on the site prevents people from coming into contact with soil and vapors from the contaminated underground water and soil.

Press release:

This Thursday, Feb. 2, at 6:30 p.m., State Rep. Bob Hasegawa (D-Seattle) will host a telephone town hall meeting to talk with constituents in the 11th Legislative District.

The 11th District covers pasts of Tukwila, Burien and North Highline.

“This is the fourth week of session, the first cut off was this past Tuesday, and things are moving very fast in Olympia, so there’s lots to talk about,” said Hasegawa.

This Thursday just before 6:30 p.m., thousands of 11th Legislative District residents will receive telephone calls inviting them to stay on the line to participate in the tele-Town Hall.

To participate in the call, attendees will be asked to press “*3” (star 3) on their phones.

Those who don’t get the call but want to participate, are encouraged to call the toll-free telephone number directly, 1-877-229-8493, and then enter PIN code No. 18646 when prompted.

This tele-forum is an opportunity for citizens to bring up questions, comments and concerns about topics related to the Washington State Legislature, or whatever else is on their mind.

The dean of Highline’s state legislative delegation, Sen. Margarita Prentice has been redistricted out of the 11th District and will retire at the end of the year.

Prentice, 80, has announced that after 20 years as a state senator, she will retire when her fifth term ends Dec. 31. She will serve in the current session that begins Monday, Jan. 9.

According to the new legislative redistricting plan, the Skyway home she has lived in since 1958 is now in the 37th Legislative District. She likely would have had to face current 37th District Sen. Adam Kline in the fall 2014 election to keep her legislative seat.