Tag Archives: Curtis King

Committee to put reform bills first when transportation-package discussion begins today

Today’s Senate Transportation Committee meeting will feature the start of public hearings on the proposed bipartisan transportation package announced this past week.

The eight bills slated for hearings today constitute the reform leg of the 11-bill package.

“The residents of this state have spoken loud and clear that they want to see changes in the state transportation department,” said Sen. Curtis King, committee chair. “I could not agree more. To that end I made sure that this proposal was a complete package with reforms first, revenue second.”

“It has taken nearly three years to get to this point. I’m excited for people to hear the details of these accountability and cost-saving measures as they move through the legislative process,” said King, R-Yakima.

“The people of this state are smart – they know what it takes to grow jobs and the economy,” said King. “This transportation package is not just about roads, bridges and buses. It’s about a huge economic return on investment for our state. The citizens want an infrastructure that moves us forward, not holds us back, in a way that uses their money wisely. This proposal does just that.”

King selected to lead Senate transportation committee

During a meeting of Senate majority lawmakers Monday, Sen. Curtis King was chosen to chair the Senate Transportation Committee. As head of the committee, King will steer the transportation agenda and bill proposals, as well as write the biennial transportation budget.

It is anticipated that the agenda will focus on passage of a reform and transportation-revenue package. King has spent the legislative interim touring the state and meeting with local and regional officials to identify top infrastructure needs.

“Every corner of our state is facing critical road and bridge issues,” said King, R-Yakima. “The need for a new reform and transportation-revenue package is not limited to one side of the state or another. The high-profile fiascos have further cemented my contention that we need department of transportation reforms before we cut another check. I’m hopeful that those who haven’t wanted to see accountability are finally ready to listen to the folks they represent,” said King. Continue reading →

State medical association names King ‘Legislator of the Year’

Sen. Curtis King’s work to protect young people from skin cancer has made him the Washington State Medical Association’s 2014 Legislator of the Year. Dr. Dale Reisner, association president, presented King, R-Yakima, with the honor at the WSMA annual meeting Saturday.

Earlier this year King shepherded Senate Bill 6065, which prohibits those younger than 18 from using tanning beds, through the legislative process. The new law, which took effect in mid-June, is aimed at reducing cases of melanoma, a deadly form of skin cancer. Continue reading →

King pleased by tentative agreement that should allow grain inspections to resume at Vancouver port

Sen. Curtis King, R-Yakima and co-chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, made this statement regarding the tentative agreement reached today between United Grain Corporation in Vancouver and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union.

“The end of these protracted negotiations is good news for working families across Washington. I’m glad that cooler heads prevailed and these two parties were able to reach a compromise. Grain growers in my legislative district, across central and eastern Washington and even those outside our state can continue to bolster our state’s economy without concern that our export partners will find a more dependable source for the products they need.

“I am hearing that grain inspections will resume at noon today and the backlog of ships waiting to berth will be expedited. It will take two weeks to ratify the agreement, but I’m pleased both parties are eager to get Washington’s economy back on track.”

King questions timing of grain-inspection shutdown at Vancouver port

Sen. Curtis King, R-Yakima, made this statement regarding Gov. Jay Inslee’s recent decision to withdraw the Washington State Patrol security detail that had been escorting state grain inspectors to United Grain Corporation’s export terminal in Vancouver. The move has effectively brought grain exports from the terminal, site of an ongoing labor dispute, to a standstill.

“There is no doubt the lockout and subsequent labor negotiations involving United Grain and the union representing longshoremen have dragged on far too long. We can all agree that after a year and a half, it’s time for conciliation on both sides. However, wheat growers in my district and across central and eastern Washington are understandably frustrated that Governor Inslee made this move just as their crops need to be moving through the port and on to market.

“Many within the wheat industry and those who represent them have called on the governor to resume the use of WSP escorts for grain inspectors. His only response has been that those involved in negotiations should be encouraged to return to the table.

“Wheat exports in this state are a billion-dollar industry. Surely the governor would not jeopardize such an important sector of our international trade portfolio just to appease organized labor – but considering the longshoremen’s union had already announced it would not return to the bargaining table until August at the soonest, there is reason to question the timing of the governor’s action.

“The wheat growers in my community and across Washington deserve assurance that they will be able to get their harvest to market. I am calling on the governor to consider the needs of the entire state and allow the WSP escorts to resume so grain inspections may also resume at this critical time.”

Olympia Update May 2014

“On time and on budget” is how I describe the 2014 legislative session that ended March 13 in my latest Olympia Update. Read here about session, my bill Gov. Inslee signed prohibiting minors from using tanning beds and what I’ve been up to since returning home from Olympia.

State leaders gear up for transportation bus tour

State transportation leaders will travel by bus to see firsthand key rail-centered projects and attend briefings by state and local officials, following a June 17 joint transportation meeting in Spokane.

“We’re going to be touring many small communities whose focus is rail. The goods they move by freight have a huge impact on Washington’s economy. I’m looking forward to meeting with local officials to find out what we can do in Olympia to ensure they can get things to market efficiently,” said Sen. Curtis King, R-Yakima, co-chair of the Senate Transportation Committee and co-chair of the Joint Transportation Committee. Continue reading →

Governor violated confidentiality agreement with Senate and House negotiators

Senate majority sets the record straight with public release of transportation-negotiation documents.

In response to Gov. Jay Inslee’s violation of a confidentiality agreement between his office and transportation negotiators from the Senate and House of Representatives, Sen. Curtis King, R-Yakima, co-chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, today released the past nine months’ worth of House and Senate transportation proposals to set the record straight on the status of the state’s transportation package.

“In light of blatant and false accusations by the governor and his violation of a confidentiality agreement with the negotiating parties, we have been forced to release the negotiating positions of the House and Senate,” said King, who represents the 14th Legislative District. “In making these unprecedented disclosures, we are setting the record straight on just how far the Senate Majority Coalition Caucus moved toward the Democrats’ position and how truly close we came to an agreement during the last two weeks of the legislative session.”

“What was missing throughout the 2014 session was bipartisan leadership by the governor and commitment to reforming our broken transportation system,” King continued. “Governor Inslee failed to bring the two parties together and the Democratic co-chair of the Senate transportation committee along with leadership among the Senate’s minority Democrats, failed to allow reforms to come to a vote.” Continue reading →

King says failure to pass transportation package not due to lack of effort

At a news conference today – one day before the scheduled end of the 2014 legislative session – Sen. Curtis King, R-Yakima, and co-chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, lamented the fact that lawmakers did not pass an agreed-upon transportation revenue and reform package before adjourning. King added that the Majority Coalition Caucus, which leads the state Senate, repeatedly made compromises sought by the Senate minority, but to no avail.

“During the 2013 transportation feedback forum tour, we visited ten cities across Washington in five weeks. The vast majority of citizens made it clear that they wanted reforms before they’d accept any gas-tax increase, and we listened to the people.”

“From the very beginning, the MCC has prioritized reforms, and additional revenue was never off the table. But in the end, the Senate’s minority Democrats weren’t serious about making the tough reforms. They were more interested in tax increases and sound bites, despite knowing as well as I do that the state can’t win public support for a multibillion-dollar transportation package without first establishing that we are serious about fixing the waste, mismanagement and abuse that exists within the system.” Continue reading →