Dear Neighbors,
As a longtime Waitsburg-area resident I’m very familiar with the Touchet River and how it’s changed over the years due to strong spring flows that have taken out vegetation and ruined fish habitat.
Fortunately, the updates made to the state’s capital budget this year included adding another $500,000 for a conservation project already in the works at river mile 42. This additional funding allowed for a re-engineering and expansion of the project, which includes the installation of large wooden structures to stabilize the riverbank, slow the water flow, create pools and more.
Now that the water level in the Touchet is at its lowest, the conservation work is underway. I visited there yesterday to talk with the fish biologists and engineers about how it’s going — the answer being so far, so good.
While this is encouraging, there’s also a downside: despite my efforts in Olympia, the state hasn’t made any provision for doing maintenance on projects like this once the initial work is done.
I introduced Senate Bill 5475 during our 2025 legislative session. It would have taken just 1% of the total funds provided for salmon-recovery projects and set that aside in a specific account for long-term ongoing maintenance of those projects.
The Senate Local Government Committee held a public hearing but didn’t bring the bill up for a vote, and didn’t take any action this year. This was disappointing because I know salmon recovery matters to some on the majority side of the Senate, especially those in rural western Washington.
I want the work being done at Mile 42 of the Touchet to last, so I’ll plan to bring this idea forward again when we get to the Capitol for the 2027 session.
Legislators understand the value of preservation and maintenance when it comes to our state’s roads and bridges. Salmon-recovery projects like the one shown here on the Touchet River deserve the same support. In fact, the legislation I proposed would put more emphasis on salmon-recovery projects that include a plan for maintenance or otherwise ensuring the long-term success of the work.
Why are former governors criticizing Olympia?
My summary of the 2026 legislative session, after it wrapped up in mid-March, included this about the updated state operating budget: “Once again, rather than control spending, the majority Democrats chose to support billions in additional spending through a combination of fund raids and more taxes.”
Several weeks later, former Gov. Christine Gregoire (who finished her second term at the start of 2013) said this when asked about the state’s level of spending: “I left office with a budget of $33 billion and the budget today is $80 billion. I think that’s a little bit too much growth. And you know, we find ourselves at the end of every legislative session now in the hole and projected to be in the hole. I would suggest to you we don’t have an income problem, we have a spending problem.”
In an interview earlier this month former Gov. Gary Locke, whose two terms preceded Gregoire’s, also didn’t hold back. Olympia has failed to show budget discipline in the last several years, he said, pointing to the use of “one-time” money — like the billions taken from the oldest of the pension funds for law-enforcement officers and firefighters — to support permanent, ongoing programs.
This criticism means something for two reasons. First, it’s coming from a majority of our state’s former chief executives, who have plenty of experience with the state budget. Second, it’s aimed at the legislators from their own party who have nearly doubled state spending since regaining full control over the state budget in 2018.
As our Senate Republican operating-budget leader points out here, the concern about taxes and spending and their effect on the cost of living in Washington is also coming from a prominent person outside government — the chief executive officer of the Seattle Kraken hockey club.
Governor Ferguson, who signed off on the updated budget, knows there is a problem. In early June his budget director basically confirmed another multibillion-dollar shortfall is coming in 2027, and warned state agencies to keep that in mind as they submit their annual spending requests later this summer.
The question is, will the majority Democrats in our Legislature take any of this criticism to heart and work to get their spending under control? I hope so, but recent history goes against it.
This stretch of U.S. Highway 395 north of Pasco has been the scene of several fatal collisions in recent years. In an effort to slow traffic and save lives I co-sponsored legislation to temporarily designate “crash prevention zones” on two highways in our area: one on a nine-mile section of U.S. 395 and two along U.S. 12. The bill, SB 6066, received overwhelming passage this year and took effect in mid-June. This past month I joined other local lawmakers and staff from the Washington State Department of Transportation for a visit of all three locations, to discuss what might be next after the CPZs expire at the end of 2028.
Bipartisan support for ‘Parent to Parent’ program
Most of the legislation passed in Olympia is passed with bipartisan votes, so it stands to reason that Republican and Democratic lawmakers can also find common ground on things when we’re in between sessions.
A good example is the program called “Parent to Parent” within the Developmental Disabilities Administration wing of the state Department of Social and Health Services.
It connects parents of children with developmental disabilities or special health-care needs, the idea being that experienced parents can assist those who aren’t and could use some help navigating through the available resources. (This link goes to the local P2P website; state-level information is here.)
I mentioned above how state agencies are being told to watch their spending requests, because another budget shortfall is on the way. That reportedly cast some doubt on P2P’s future, and once word got around, it didn’t take long for several dozen legislators to get a bipartisan letter of support to the governor and the secretary of DSHS.
The fact that there are more than 50 P2P coordinators statewide and 49 legislative districts tells me there’s a good chance every member of the Legislature has constituents participating in this program in some fashion. We’ll be watching to see how DSHS responds.
***
I am working to make living in our state more affordable, make our communities safer, uphold our paramount duty to provide for schools, and hold state government accountable. I’ll work with anyone who shares those goals and wants to find solutions.
Please reach out to my office with your thoughts, ideas and concerns on matters of importance to you. I am here to serve and look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Perry Dozier
State Senator
16th Legislative District
EMAIL: Perry.Dozier@leg.wa.gov
OLYMPIA PHONE: (360) 786-7630
OLYMPIA OFFICE: 342 Irving R. Newhouse Building
MAILING ADDRESS: P.O. Box 40416, Olympia, WA 98504