This week lawmakers returned to Olympia for what are known as “committee assembly days” – the time when legislative committees meet to do some pre-session planning. The Senate committees on which I serve – Law and Justice, Early Learning and K-12 Education, and Transportation – convened to discuss a number of important issues that have come up over the interim. A good example is the budget impacts of Initiative 976, which was easily passed by voters to lower the cost of car tabs.

Assembly days also are a good time to meet with our colleagues and citizen groups.

Our Senate Republican Caucus met on Monday and Tuesday of this week to discuss the priorities of our constituents. We also had an opportunity to say thank you to retiring Sen. Barbara Bailey from Oak Harbor, who will not be returning in January for the 2020 session.

You can learn more about the meetings that took place during Assembly Days in this issue of Report from Olympia.