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January 24, 2020

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Thank you for subscribing to my legislative email updates! Topics in this update include:

• We asked, you responded: 2020 legislative priorities survey
• House Republican priorities this session
• Sharing my story at this year's March for Life rally
• House Page Program
• Contacting me

As this year's 60-day session progresses, I encourage you to get involved in the legislative process. I know that can be a daunting task if you don't know where to start, which is why I've provided a number of links below that I hope will be helpful:

• Visit the Washington State Legislature's website to view a list of bills by topic and learn how to testify on a bill in committee.
• Bookmark my legislative website, where you'll find my latest press releases, op-eds, video updates, and more.
• Follow House Republicans on Twitter and Facebook.
• Visit The Ledger, our legislative news aggregator that features the top stories from around the state.
• Watch TVW's “Legislative Review,” which airs nightly and gives viewers a 15-minute overview of what happened that day at the Capitol.

Please also feel free to email me any time with your comments, questions or concerns.

We asked, you responded: 2020 legislative priorities survey

Before session got underway, Sen. Zeiger, Rep. Gildon and I sent out a mailer that included a tear-away survey with questions about your legislative priorities.

We received more than 1,500 surveys back!

We were absolutely blown away by your response. Thank you for being so passionate about the well-being of our communities! Staff members are still compiling the data, but we hope to have results to share with you soon.

House Republican priorities this session

During interim, the 40 members of our caucus got together on several occasions to craft an agenda based on the feedback we've received from our constituents on a wide range of issues. Ultimately, we decided our focus this session would be on safety, affordability and accountability. Our slogan is:

Quite simply, we believe you should expect more from the governor and those who control the agenda in Olympia. Unfortunately, one-party control has made our state less safe and less affordable, and there's been virtually no accountability for the long list of failures we've seen in recent years. Our caucus is focused on developing long-term, results-oriented solutions for the many pressing issues we face in our communities and around the state.

Safety:

• Support our law enforcement professionals. | House Bill 2537, House Bill 2538, House Bill 2539, House Bill 2560
• Ensure safe neighborhoods through proactive policing. | House Bill 1501
• Crack down on property crime. | House Bill 1159
• Provide local governments more options to address homelessness. | House Bill 2282, House Bill 2658, House Bill 2639
• Prohibit supervised injection sites. | House Bill 2112
• Encourage safe schools through common-sense reforms. | House Bill 1035, House Bill 1507
• Protect communities from wildfires. | House Bill 1188

Affordability:

• Implement $30 car tabs. | House Bill 2227, House Bill 2659
• Oppose all new taxes on income — including local, state and capital gains income taxes.
• Reaffirm the prohibition of the imposition of a local income tax. | House Bill 2479
• Oppose any new low-carbon fuel mandate or costly fuel program.
• Oppose a new vehicle-miles-driven tax or road user charge.
• Reduce the state property tax. | House Bill 2222
• Lower the cost of owning or renting a home. | House Bill 1353, House Bill 1805, House Bill 1938, House Bill 2010
• Streamline licensing and regulations to lower the cost of childcare. | House Bill 1378
• Provide a back-to-school sales tax holiday in support of parents and teachers. | House Bill 1559
• Establish a program to provide outreach, resources and housing for rural homeless and at-risk veterans. | House Bill 1939
• Lower the costs of attending college. | House Bill 1701, House Bill 1702

Accountability:

• Protect all constitutional rights.
• Eliminate title-only, “ghost bills” and increase legislative transparency. | House Bill 2190
• Respect the will of the voters (I-976) and address transportation revenue shortfalls with existing revenue. | House Bill 2323
• Impose strict penalties for sewage spills into Puget Sound. | House Bill 2275
• Implement metrics and performance audits for state spending. | House Bill 2150
• Require a 2/3 majority of the Legislature to raise taxes. | House Joint Resolution 4206

I encourage you to visit the priorities page on our website to learn more.

Sharing my story at this year's March for Life rally

Earlier this week at the March for Life rally here at the Capitol, I had the opportunity to share my story with everyone in attendance. I hope you'll take a few minutes to listen. The transcript of my remarks is below.

Thank you to everyone for being here today and standing up for unborn children. This is an important issue and your presence means a lot.

This is my first term as a legislator. I've been running my businesses for 16 years and really didn't have plans to run for public office. But looking back, I can see there were many steps in my life that prepared me and led me to this point.

In the same vein, I never really saw myself as someone who would ever be addressing a group at a rally for life. But looking back at my experiences, I was being prepared to talk to you today.

I grew up in Tacoma and was raised in a church that opposed abortion.

[Outside of church] I was bombarded with messages all around me that in order to be a smart, informed, progressive woman, I had to be pro-choice and that was the only way to go – that life was disposable.

I regret I didn't place a high value on life.

I know there are many young women in our community who face an unintended pregnancy, and think abortion is their only option. I want to thank you for surrounding and supporting these young women, and showing them there are other options for them and their baby.

I had to face this dilemma as well.

When I was a sophomore in high school and just 16 years old, I got pregnant, and I was in no position to raise a child. I was still in school, I had a part time job – but I certainly didn't have enough money for a baby – my dad had gone to prison, and my mom was beyond angry with me.

The faith community I was raised in and taught would always be there for me completely shunned me. I knew I had disappointed so many people who believed in me, even my teachers.

But I had a can-do attitude, and I knew I would keep my baby and still achieve my goals of graduating from high school and becoming the first person in my family to go to college.

It was the best decision I could've made.

This path wasn't easy. It was a lot of hard work to be a single mom on welfare putting yourself through college, but I'm one of the most determined people you will ever meet.

I graduated from high school on time. I graduated from college in just over four years. And I have demonstrated to my daughter what discipline, hard work and persistence looks like.

But I couldn't stop there. I needed to break the cycle of poverty in our family. It was my goal that my daughter get through high school and college without being pregnant (or married!), and we reached that goal too.

I'm happy to share that my daughter, Ashton, graduated from WSU with a degree in Communications. She has a great job with the Seattle Mariners, and she turns 27 next month.

She is a beautiful, strong, confident and kind person, and I have a best friend in her.

Thank you for what you are standing for.

House Page Program

Here in the House, students ages 14 to 16 have an excellent opportunity to get involved in their state government by serving as a page for a week. Students in the House Page Program attend page school every day, deliver messages and documents to legislators and staff, and fulfill other tasks critical to the efficient operation of the Legislature.

To apply, students must have a legislative sponsor and obtain written permission from their parents and school. If you know of someone who you think would be a good candidate to serve as a page for a week, please reach out to me at kelly.chambers@leg.wa.gov. To learn more about the House Page Program, click here.

Contacting me

Hearing directly from you helps me do my job more effectively, so please don't hesitate to contact me with your comments, questions or concerns about this year's legislative session or anything else that's on your mind.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Kelly Chambers