Perry Dozier

WAITSBURG… Sen. Perry Dozier today said he is elated that the Prescott School District is no longer facing dissolution and is on a clear path to get out of a financial hole caused by years of undisclosed mismanagement. A petition to dissolve the district had been filed Jan. 12 by...

Dear Neighbors, This year’s legislative session is over, and I’m glad it ended on schedule. Had we been forced into overtime there’s no telling how many more harmful bills might have been passed. Governor Ferguson called the session “historic,” and on that we agree. His definition is different than mine,...

OLYMPIA… The Legislature tonight unanimously passed the 2025-27 state supplemental capital budget  following an agreement earlier this week by Senate and House negotiators on a final budget plan.  The Senate voted 49-0 to pass the budget after the House approved it 96-0. Two eastern Washington Republican senators who helped develop...

Dear Neighbors, There are now less than 10 days left for legislators to wrap up their work at the Capitol. The time remaining in this session will be devoted to debating and voting in the Senate chamber, while some of us put in extra hours negotiating final versions of the...

The Senate today unanimously passed its version of the 2025-27 state supplemental capital budget. Republicans who helped develop the spending plan applauded it for addressing needs across Washington. “Our supplemental budget complements the two-year capital budget enacted by the Legislature last year by spending money in a responsible manner while...

Click here or on the image for my video report about the fine print in the state income-tax bill passed by the Senate majority, and whether a few other controversial bills survived the first major deadline of the session.

Feb. 14, 2026 Dear Neighbors, This year’s 60-day legislative session just passed the halfway mark. The 14 committees in the Senate that consider either policy or budget-related bills are on a break while the 49 members of the Senate debate and vote on legislation that originated in the Senate and...

Click here or on the image for my video report about two of the issues that were before us this week — two voter initiatives and the proposed state income tax. Dear Neighbors, I’ll briefly follow up my video report with some extra detail about Senate Bill 6346, which would...

Jan. 31, 2026 A highlight of each legislative session is the visit by the people who keep the Washington State Penitentiary running — members of Teamsters Local 117. The challenge is finding a good place for a photo! This year we gathered at the front of the Senate chamber, with...