Tag Archives: Curtis King

King supports minimal changes for second year of transportation budget

20140304_LegWA_4097shThe state Senate last night approved minor adjustments to the state’s 2013-15 transportation budget that will continue maintenance and preservation of Washington roads, bridges and other infrastructure. Sen. Curtis King, co-chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, says the modest changes he supports through Senate Bill 6001 are not about adding spending for new projects but simply continue to fund existing work.

“Because of the hard work we put into the biennial transportation budget last year, there were very few areas that needed adjustment in 2014,” said King, a Yakima Republican who represents the 14th Legislative District. “Supplemental budgets are meant to address unforeseen issues, appropriations that didn’t balance right or issues that are time-sensitive. They’re not meant to be another bite at the apple.” Continue reading →

King bill to let rural districts save through shorter school weeks passes Senate

king_120Small, rural school districts could transition to a money-saving, four-day school week if a bill proposed by Sen. Curtis King, R-Yakima, becomes law. Senate Bill 6242 would make permanent a 2009 pilot program set to expire this year that allows up to five school districts with fewer than 500 students to condense their school week.

“The communities of Bickleton and Paterson have taken advantage of this pilot program and found it to be an excellent cost-saver,” King said. “In talking with the superintendents of these school districts, they have found the shortened week has not affected their educational standards and they’ve been able to maintain the same level of quality education as before. It’s really working well for them, and my bill will allow them to keep going.” Continue reading →

Push for transportation reform begins with committee hearing on King bill

Senator Curtis KingSen. Curtis King today began the Majority Coalition Caucus’ drive toward reforming the state’s transportation system by testifying in favor of his bill to return sales tax collected on transportation projects to the transportation budget, rather than diverting it to the general fund. According to King, Senate Bill 6102 – which received a public hearing in the Senate Ways and Means Committee – would actually implement something that most people believe is already happening.

“There’s a general assumption in Washington that taxes collected on transportation projects go back into the transportation budget, but that’s simply not always the case,” said King, R-Yakima, and co-chair of the Senate Transportation Committee. “My bill would help reaffirm the state’s commitment to transportation as well as help the public regain confidence that we’re being honest stewards of their tax dollars.” Continue reading →

King urges Governor to come clean on carbon fuel tax

Sen. Curtis King, chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, called on Governor Inslee to come clean with the Legislature on his future intentions to impose a carbon fuel tax through executive order.

“This is an issue of trust. We cannot ask the people of Washington and our job creators to support a 10-cent gas tax if the governor plans to add more taxes. The governor is about to give his state of the state address, so now is the time to be open and direct about his plans.”

King, Eide call first five transportation feedback forums a “great success”

feedbackforumAfter establishing the goal of listening to the public’s input on transportation issues at venues across Washington, state transportation leaders are now halfway through their ten-city tour and are calling the feedback forums a great success.

“At the forum in Pasco last week, the governor made an appearance and was impressed by the level of engagement from citizens across Washington,” said Sen. Curtis King, R-Yakima, and co-chair of the Senate Transportation Committee. “We’ve heard the calls for more revenue and we’ve heard the calls for no gas tax increases, but perhaps the clearest message we’ve heard is that the state’s transportation system needs help, and that some of our reforms would do a lot to restore the public’s confidence in that agency. Continue reading →

Senate transportation feedback forum in Spokane relocated to Spokane Valley

Senator Curtis KingProving to be even more popular than expected, the Senate transportation feedback forums being hosted by Senate Transportation Committee co-chairs, Sen. Curtis King, R-Yakima, and Sen. Tracey Eide, D-Federal Way, have attracted hundreds of area residents to the Bellevue location and most recently, to the Snohomish County location in Everett. Because of the overwhelming response, transportation leaders have decided to move the Oct. 2 forum from Greater Spokane Inc. in downtown Spokane to the theater at Central Valley High School in Spokane Valley.

“In Bellevue, we saw close to 400 people pack themselves into a school gymnasium,” King said. “It was standing room only, and the same was true for the Everett location. Hundreds of people turned out, which made us realize that some of the other facilities may not be large enough to handle the crowd. I’ve said it before, but it’s a good day in state government when we have to make room for more citizens due to the overwhelming turnout.” Continue reading →

74 residents testify at Senate’s first transportation feedback forum held in Bellevue

Transpo hearing 2Hundreds of Washington citizens turned out to share their thoughts and ideas on state transportation issues at Stevenson Elementary School in Bellevue Tuesday evening. Senate Transportation Committee co-chairs, Sen. Curtis King, R-Yakima, and Sen. Tracey Eide, D-Federal Way, heard from 74 transit advocates, business representatives and daily commuters during the three-hour public forum.

“For over two hours, we listened to the concerns and comments of transportation taxpayers and that was just the tip of the iceberg,” King said. “I expect tonight’s forum in Everett to be equally well-attended, and I’m looking forward to receiving input from hundreds more as we embark on our feedback forum tour around Washington.” Continue reading →

King adds three stops to Senate’s transportation feedback tour

Tour MapMore people in Washington will have a chance to be heard now that Sen. Curtis King, R-Yakima, has announced the addition of three locations to the Senate’s statewide transportation feedback tour. The additional stops in Seattle, Tri-Cities and Bellingham stem from an overwhelming public response to a series of public forums scheduled around the state to gauge public opinion on potential transportation reforms and revenue.

“So many people were interested in attending that we had to add a few more to accommodate the overflow,” King said. “It’s a good day in state government when there are so many people interested in participating that you have to increase the number of meetings.” Continue reading →

Dates set for bipartisan statewide transportation forums

Senate Transportation CommitteeSenate Transportation Committee co-chairs Sen. Curtis King, R-Yakima, and Sen. Tracey Eide, D-Federal Way, today announced the dates and cities that will be included in a statewide listening tour aimed at gathering input from Washington residents on building a new package of transportation projects.

Beginning on Sept. 17 in Bellevue, legislators will hold at least one public meeting in each of the Department of Transportation’s six regions. Each meeting will begin at 6 p.m. and last until 9 p.m. and feature presentations from regional transportation officials, as well as opportunity for public comment. Continue reading →