Inside the Capitol

The Capitol is relatively quiet now, the session having ended and the members having gone back home to their districts. Not being an election year they have some community events such as parades and meetings and a few fundraisers but primarily they are taking a breath, reconnecting with their families, working at their real jobs, and not focusing on “issues”.

This is the time that people who do business “with” the legislature, individuals and advocacy groups, businesses and associations, local governments and state agencies to plan and develop ideas that they want to be considered by the next session in January. We are doing that too, and you are and can be a part of it.

We had a Western Washington “listening and discussion” meeting of the legislative committee on July 16th at Lincoln Towing in Seattle and another Eastern Washington one in Moses Lake on July 23rd. At both I went over several continuing issues we are working on, talked about how ideas can become laws and listened to members of the TRAW as they talked about what they felt should be done and things that bothered them or made their jobs harder. The discussions were good and what we heard will help us set our priorities as we develop the association agenda for next year. We will have another “listening and discussion” meeting on August 4th in Cle Elum from 7:00 to 9:00 PM and I will be available at times during the Tow Show in Ferndale for “one on one” discussions.

If you can’t get to one of the meetings please feel free to send your ideas and concerns to us, by email or fax to association Executive Director Mike Walcker, our Legislative Committee co-chairs Paul Bressi or Ron Madler, or me. The important thing is to do it now because even the best idea if it is brought forward during the session just won’t be able to be acted upon. Things just go too fast then.

So far the issues that seem to be foremost on members minds include sellers reports of sale, dealer transfers and the inspection and insurance of “non-rtto” towers. On those two we are already developing ideas and soon I will be writing bills.

This fall your legislative committee will discuss all the input we have received and prioritize them with an eye towards what is legally “do-able”, politically “do-able” and what would give our members the most benefit. Please take the time to be a part of this process. We will never know your concerns if we don’t hear them. And you may well find you enjoy the discussions and planning and want to be more acticve with your Legislative Committee.