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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Here’s a very short and quick update this week. Please come to our 18th District town halls in Camas and Vancouver tomorrow. Also, my letter to the Oregon Legislature asking it to mothball the existing Columbia River Crossing project gained some great attention this week on radio and in newspapers. You’ll see details of these items below.
I’ve been working my bills very hard in the Senate and I’m happy to report all three of them advanced out of their respective committees yesterday prior to Friday afternoon’s cut-off deadline. They are now in the Senate Rules Committee and await action on the Senate floor.
As always, it is an honor to serve and represent you. Please don’t hesitate to contact my office if you have questions, comments or suggestions about state government and legislation.
Join us for town hall meetings, Saturday, March 1 in Vancouver and Camas!
From our press release that we sent earlier this week:
As the Legislature enters the final two weeks of its scheduled 60-day session in Olympia, Sen. Ann Rivers and Rep. Liz Pike want to hear from you! They’re inviting citizens to attend town hall meetings Saturday, March 1, in Camas and Vancouver to discuss bills advancing through the Legislature, provide an update of the process, and seek input on legislation that is of interest and concern to the 18th District.
“I am looking forward to connecting with folks from Clark County in person this weekend because nothing beats face-to-face dialogue,” said Rivers, R-La Center. “The feedback we get from these town-hall meetings enables us to best represent the views of the district, and it allows us to provide up-to-date and accurate information about the issues being discussed. Things change so quickly here in Olympia and it’s hard to believe that this year’s regular session is almost over.”
“This is a critical time to hear from the people we represent. We’re going to be taking final votes on hundreds of bills – many of which could impact citizens across the district. We want to know where people stand on the issues that will come before us in the next couple of weeks,” said Pike, R-Camas. “Town hall meetings, such as this one, provide us the ability to discuss important issues and listen to constituents.”
The town hall meetings will be held at the following times and locations:
Saturday, March 1
10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
The Hampton Memory Care Facility at Salmon Creek
2305 N.E. 129th St.
Vancouver, WA
2 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Camas Police Department
2100 N.E. Third Ave.
Camas, WA
Portland radio stations, The Oregonian take note of our letter to Oregon Legislature asking them to mothball the Columbia River Crossing project
On Monday, I issued a press release that told of the joint letter I sent with nine other Southwest Washington lawmakers which asked the Oregon Legislature’s Joint Ways and Means Committee to reject a bill that would revive the Columbia River Crossing (CRC) project, along with light rail.
I was very pleased with the news coverage. Brooks Burford from AM 860 KPAM, Portland, asked us to provide an interview with audio. You can listen to that interview here. He used parts of it for his top story at 5 p.m., Monday.
That evening, the Oregonian wrote an article which you can read here.
On Tuesday morning, I was contacted by KEX News Radio in Portland and did a recorded interview with Paul Linnman that was aired Wednesday morning on his show. You can listen to that interview here.
From all indications, it appears our work to stop this flawed project is succeeding. The co-chair of the Oregon Ways and Means Committee, Rep. Peter Buckley, D-Ashland, said there are no plans to have hearings or to provide an opportunity for a vote on Oregon’s House Bill 4113, the measure that would revive the CRC as an Oregon-only project. That may all but ensure the project’s death when the Oregon Legislature adjourns March 9.
As I said in the press release, we understand how important a new crossing is for the economic well-being of both our states. But the current design won’t cut it. It is time to kill the current project, hit the reset button, bring Oregon and Washington legislators to the table, and begin mapping out a new plan.
Sincerely,
Liz Pike
"Protecting life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness!"
