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Dear Friends,
Together, we did it! The 2013-14 Freedom Agenda is now officially the most successful slate of conservative bills in two decades in the Washington Legislature. Your phone calls, e-mails, letters and personal visits to the state Capitol and rallies across the state made it happen.
The 2014 legislative session ended March 13. Here’s the final scorecard. Out of 65 bills:
- 42 committee hearings;
- 32 bills voted out of the House/Senate;
- 25 national news stories;
- 12 bills signed into law without veto;
- Two resolutions passed (honoring the U.S. Flag and state pioneer George Washington Bush);
- Two parliamentary rule changes;
- Stopped gun control;
- Stopped the state gas tax increase;
- Delayed implementation of part of Common Core; and
- Although the drone bill, House Bill 2789, was vetoed, the governor did order a moratorium on their use in Washington.
The idea of building coalitions around issues regardless of party is winning. With more than 50 Democrat co-sponsors of our bills, we have proven we can be both right and effective by promoting constitutional principles of lower taxes, less government, and more freedom. Together, we are changing the face of Olympia by going on the offense for liberty, and demonstrating that effective, principled, proven, conservative leadership wins!
Signed into law
Among those Freedom Agenda bills signed into law are three very important measures for the Spokane region:
- Child care facilities – House Bill 2191 requires a consultation with city or county enforcement officials, as well as a written verification that an alteration is required, before the Department of Early Learning can require a code change to a facility. The consultation and potential alteration would only apply to licensed childcare space. This measure will help bring certainty to childcare providers and rein in a state agency that has gone overboard in trying to enforce perceived code violations.
- Fresh water docks – House Bill 1090 incentivizes the use of environmentally-friendly materials for fresh water dock construction and helps fresh water dock manufacturers in the Spokane area create jobs. It gained unanimous passage in both the House and Senate and was signed by the governor. Listen to my floor speech here.
- A new way to get your food directly from the farm and a model for the future of the food industry – Senate Bill 6388 creates a license for pass-thru wholesale food distributors, such as Zaycon in the Spokane Valley, that deliver pre-packaged food directly to the consumer. I sponsored this legislation in the House through House Bill 1827, but the identical Senate companion bill was the measure signed into law.
My last e-mail update until December
Due to election-year restrictions, this will be my last legislative e-mail update to you until after Dec. 1. Initiative 134, passed by voters in 1991, places limits on what and when I can mail to you during an election year. However, the initiative permits me to respond to your direct requests for information. So I encourage you to write or call whenever you have a question or a comment about state government, legislation, or other topics. Please make sure you make clear in your correspondence that you would like a response from my office. This ensures I can respond to you and remain within the provisions of the ethics law.
District office is open
I work for you throughout the year, not only when the Legislature is in session. You can be sure that I will be fighting on your behalf throughout the year to preserve our freedoms, restrict government involvement in our lives and keep our taxes low. For your convenience, I have re-opened my district office in Spokane Valley. Please drop by anytime we can help you with government-related issues.
District office address
18507 East Appleway, Suite 201
Spokane Valley, WA 99016
Mailing address
P.O. Box 391 
Greenacres, WA 99016
(509) 921-2353
Become involved in the Freedom Agenda!
Here are some ways you can become involved:
- Check out all of my prime- and co-sponsored bills here.
- Listen to our Freedom Agenda podcast on Sound Cloud.
- Visit my website: www.representativemattshea.com
Thank you for standing with us to ensure LOWER TAXES, LESS GOVERNMENT and MORE FREEDOM. And thank you for the honor of allowing me to serve and represent you in the state Legislature.
Sincerely,
Matt Shea