Things move quickly in a short, 60-day session and this year was no different. The 2022 Washington State Legislature began January 10th and concluded March 10th. Aside from being the first-ever fully virtual legislative biennium, the 2021 – 2022 legislative sessions resulted in the largest biennial budget in state history paid for in large part from existing tax collections and … Read More
State Sen. Tim Sheldon to retire
State Senator Tim Sheldon (D-Potlatch), the Washington State Legislature’s longest-serving member, won’t seek another term in the fall. Sheldon announced his retirement the last day of the 2022 Legislative Session. Sheldon, with roots in the timber sector and whose family are private forest landowners, grew up along Hood Canal. It was his lifelong understanding of local priorities and focus on … Read More
An update on the 2022 Legislature
Things move swiftly in a short 60-day legislative session. Last week, the fourth week of session, was noteworthy as it was policy cut off week and essentially marked the midpoint of the session. The cut offs are critical moments on the legislative calendar. Any bill not out of its policy committee of origin by this week is officially pronounced dead. … Read More
2022 legislative session commences Jan. 10th
Monday (January 10th) marks the start of the 2022 Legislative session. Like the previous year, this session will be mostly virtual in response to COVID-19 and the omicron variant. For those wishing to testify, the mostly online session means that committee hearings will remain virtual. This year’s legislative convening, also referred to as a “short” session, will be 60 days. A … Read More
Western red cedar planted on West Capitol Campus honors Mark Doumit
Former Washington Forest Protection Association (WFPA) executive director and Washington State legislator Mark Doumit was quoted as saying: “It’s an act of faith when a farmer, a tree farmer, plants a tree.” Doumit, a former small tree farmer and state legislator, served in the Washington State Legislature from 1997 through 2006, where he served three terms as a state representative … Read More
Remembering Mark Doumit Public Gathering at Wilcox Family Farm 2pm 7/13/21
Integrity, kindness, savvy, wisdom, generosity and fun-loving are the oft-used words that people used to describe beloved friend, colleague, lifelong public servant and forestry sector supporter Mark Doumit. The Washington Forest Protection Association (WFPA) lost a dear member of its family and the forestry sector one if its most passionate champions with the announcement that Mark passed away unexpectedly June … Read More
State legislature approves funding to test benefits of biochar facility
Okanogan County could soon be the test site for a pilot project that aims to transform thinned trees, logging slash and other organic waste into a carbon-sequestering agricultural product while supporting forest health efforts. The Methow Valley News reports that the Washington state Legislature set aside $160,000 in funding in the biennium budget for a pilot project that would convert … Read More
The 2021 Washington Legislature as Seen by Private Forest Landowners
The 2021 Washington legislative session wrapped up in late April after an historic 105 fully virtual days. The session began promising restraint and a focus on only a handful of policy issues. Indeed, the total bill count was lower than any session since the 1980’s. That said, many of the bills that did pass contained monumental and long sought-after policy … Read More
Rural Democrats make a case for balanced natural resources policies
A proposal by two former public officials to end timber harvests on state trust lands managed by the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has drawn swift criticism from a current lawmaker, former Democratic state legislator and others. State Sen. Kevin Van De Wege (D-24th) and former State Rep. Brian Blake (D-19th) both penned op-eds in different print publications criticizing … Read More
HB 1055 offers a glimpse into bipartisanship
Just reading headline stories can leave the impression that legislative bodies are nothing but gridlock and partisan squabbling. The reality, however, is that most measures that pass through a legislature are good government bipartisan bills that achieve near-unanimous support. The Washington Legislature is no exception. A prime example of this comes from the forestry world and the lone WFPA-requested bill: HB … Read More