Back in the 15th District and a closer look at the transportation budget
Dear Friends and Neighbors, In my previous update, I mentioned I would be following up with more information on the transportation budget. I want to take a few minutes to do that, but first, I’d like to share a quick look at what I’ve been doing back home in the...
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NEWS: Sen. Nikki Torres pushes back on court proposal changing pretrial release rules
OLYMPIA — Sen. Nikki Torres is speaking out against a proposal before the Washington State Supreme Court that would significantly change how pretrial release decisions are made, following a letter signed by several state lawmakers urging the Court to reject the changes. The proposal would amend Criminal Rule (CrR) and Criminal Rule for...
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Senate Republicans call for veto of unnecessary, unconstitutional income tax
OLYMPIA… Leaders of the state Senate Republican Caucus have called on Gov. Bob Ferguson to veto the income-tax bill passed by majority Democrats during this year’s annual session. In their letter requesting the veto, the Republican leaders also urged the governor to call legislators back to the Capitol to produce a...
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NEWS: Governor signs Sen. Nikki Torres bill establishing crash prevention zones
OLYMPIA — Legislation sponsored by Sen. Nikki Torres to address dangerous crash hotspots on Washington roadways was signed into law Friday during a bill signing ceremony in Yakima. Engrossed Second Substitute Senate Bill 6066 creates “crash prevention zones,” a targeted approach to improving safety on roadways with higher-than-expected rates of...
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From the income tax debate to highway safety: An end-of-session update
Dear Friends and Neighbors, Thursday, March 12, marked Sine Die, the final day of the scheduled 60-day legislative session. Like most sessions in Olympia, the past two months included long floor debates, late nights, and more bills than most people could keep up with. Some were good ideas. Others… not...
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STATEMENT: New state budget makes Washington less affordable, Senate Republicans say
OLYMPIA… Today’s Senate vote on a final supplemental operating budget for the 2025-27 biennium gave Senate Republican budget leaders another opportunity to express their concerns about the inability of majority Democrats to restrain government spending. Like the separate versions approved in recent days by Senate and House Democrats, the $80.1...
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Sen. Nikki Torres issues statement on budget failing to address Washington’s growing public defense crisis
OLYMPIA — Sen. Nikki Torres, R-Pasco, issued the following statement after the latest state operating budget proposal removed a previously approved public defense funding provision and bipartisan legislation aimed at addressing Washington’s growing public defense crisis stalled this session. Earlier this session, the Senate approved a proposal dedicating seven percent...
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House approves Sen. Nikki Torres bill establishing crash prevention zones to address dangerous highways
OLYMPIA — Legislation introduced by Sen. Nikki Torres to address dangerous crash hotspots on Washington roadways passed the House of Representatives with strong bipartisan support on Friday. The House approved Engrossed Second Substitute Senate Bill 6066 on March 6 by a 94–2 vote. The measure creates what Torres calls “crash...
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STATEMENT: Proposed income tax still a bad deal for Washington despite House changes, Senate Republicans say
OLYMPIA… Leaders in the Senate Republican Caucus offered these reactions to today’s announcement by Gov. Bob Ferguson that he will support the proposed state income tax if a rewrite suggested by House Democrats is approved. From Senate Republican Leader John Braun, of Centralia: “Washingtonians have voted down an income tax...
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