Tag Archives: Senate Transportation Feedback Forums

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 →

Reforms are the cornerstone of the 2014 session

The 2014 legislative session began today, and my priorities this year continue to be reforming state government to make it more efficient, more effective and less costly to taxpayers. In even years such as this, the session lasts only 60 days which leaves very little time to get a great deal of work accomplished. However, I am excited about the coming challenges we’ll be facing and working collaboratively with my Democrat colleagues to find amicable solutions to our state’s problems.

Perhaps the biggest issue we’ll face this year is in the area of transportation. I serve as co-chair of the Senate Transportation Committee and have been extremely active during the 2013 interim working on transportation issues. The Majority Coalition Caucus (MCC) held ten “feedback forums” in ten different Washington cities last fall to listen to your concerns regarding transportation. That feedback helped shape our MCC transportation proposal which begins with a series of much-needed reforms. You can find our list of proposed reforms here. Continue reading →

Transportation co-chair says MCC is encouraged by transportation progress

Senator Curtis King Sen. Curtis King, R-Yakima, and co-chair of the Washington State Senate Transportation Committee, indicated at the conclusion of the November special session that he is looking forward to continuing the discussion with members of the Legislature and is hopeful that agreement can be reached soon.

“Earlier this year, the Majority Coalition Caucus made a commitment to listen to taxpayers, businesses, local governments, and others around the state to hear what they want from a potential transportation package,” King said. “We visited 10 cities all over Washington and heard a variety of opinions on a host of transportation-related issues, and it’s now our responsibility to do our due diligence and consider all that input without rushing through it.” Continue reading →

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

After 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 King Proving 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 →