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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
I want to thank you for having the faith to allow me to serve you for two more years. I am humbled.
The 2023 legislative session is officially underway and I’m happy to finally be in Olympia full-time. The last two years of remote session were not easy, which is why I’m looking forward to working with the other 97 state representatives in-person this year. This is my first email update since last May, due to election-year restrictions.
However, throughout the next few months I will be sending regular updates, appearing on many radio programs, introducing several bills, and voting on hundreds of pieces of legislation.
But most importantly, I will be representing every member of my district on both sides of the political spectrum. So, as this session moves forward, I hope you will reach out to me to share your input. I truly want to hear from you.
Make Your Voice Heard
Speaking of hearing from you, the legislative session affects everyone in the state, so you should consider making your voice heard. Now that the capitol is open again, you can come to Olympia to testify in-person. And thankfully, remote testimony is also still an option, which means you can share your input no matter where you live. Just use these links to sign up:
Additionally, my door at the capitol is always open, and I really hope to hear from you. I am here to listen, and I value your thoughts, ideas, opinions, and questions. So please feel free to contact me.
My Legislative Priorities
There are several issues I’m focused on this session, including the House Republican’s top priorities:
- Reducing the cost of living
- Making communities safer
- Improving our housing crisis
- Empowering all families
We will have a lot more information about these efforts as the session moves forward, so please continue checking these links often.
I have already filed several bills in 2023, and throughout this session, I will continue to explore good legislation that helps the people of Washington. Here are the bills I recently introduced.
House Bill 1293 requires cities and counties planning under the Growth Management Act to ensure their design review process is clear and objective. This would remove a timely and costly obstacle for many developers whose projects are halted for months waiting for design approval for buildings that otherwise meet all other regulations.
This bill would require the review process to be expedited by limiting the number of public hearings during the design review process and integrating the consolidated review and design process to streamline and ease the approval process.
HB 1293 would further cut through red tape by providing exemptions for residential projects within an Urban Growth Area from some environmental considerations if certain conditions are met.
House Bill 1076 would authorize city and county governments to include comprehensive salmon recovery elements in their land use plans. Local municipalities that voluntarily choose this option would be required to have work plans that are designed to result in an improvement to salmon habitat. When plans are approved, counties and cities can implement those plans as state funding is provided.
This bill would provide meaningful and measurable improvement in the protection and enhancement of habitat for anadromous fish, including salmon. We all know we need to help the fish recovery efforts in our state. But we need to do it in a way that doesn’t create new problems.
House Bill 1194 would establish a joint clean and renewable energy workforce training center (CREW center) to educate and train the workforce for energy transition. We have a great need to train and educate a clean energy workforce big enough to meet the expected levels of clean energy technologies, such as nuclear, wind, and solar, which are needed to achieve a low emissions economy.
House Bill 1072 would extend combination trailer lengths from 75 to 85 feet, allowing a more balanced approach to load distribution on combination trailers. This would improve safety by better controlling fishtailing on an otherwise shorter second trailer, and better load distribution would help reduce road damage.
Committee Assignments and Leadership
As we start this new term, I have two different committee assignments. Beginning this session, I will be serving on the Housing Committee, where I am the top-ranking House Republican. I will also serve on the Postsecondary Education and Workforce, and Transportation committees. I look forward to working with everyone on these committees from both sides of the aisle to find common ground and real solutions.
Stay in Touch with Me
There are many options for you to keep up with the work of the Legislature. Here are some links that will help:
My legislative website | Here you will find my contact information, bio, news releases, email updates, videos, opinion pieces, bills, and other information.
The Capitol Buzz | A weekday roundup of online news stories. Click on the link to subscribe.
The Current | An online legislative publication from the Washington House Republicans. Click on the link to subscribe.
TVW | The state’s own version of C-SPAN, TVW broadcasts floor and committee action live online.
The Ledger| A legislative news aggregator.
Legislature’s website | Here you can see bill reports, committee agendas, and information about upcoming activities in the Legislature.
State agencies | You can find a list of all state agencies, boards, and commissions here.
Tracking a bill?|Click the link to find information on specific bills. In addition, when you visit my website, you can easily view the legislation I’m sponsoring or co-sponsoring by clicking “Sponsored Bills.”
Thank You for Your Support!
Thank you again for your trust and for allowing me to serve you in Olympia. It is truly an honor, and I will do everything I can to represent everyone in the 16th District. I know we have much work to do and I’m ready to roll up my sleeves and get to work. Please reach out to me to share your thoughts, questions, ideas, and opinions. My door is always open.
It is my honor to serve,
Sincerely,
Mark Klicker
