Legislature
A look ahead
As the 2026 Washington State Legislative Session gets underway on Jan. 12, the Washington Association of Wheat Growers is preparing for a short, intense session that is likely to bring some challenges. While wheat growers will be formalizing state and national priorities for the year at the Jan. 13 state…
Rep. Tom Dent, District 13
Editor’s note: This transcript of an interview with Rep. Dent has been edited for clarity and length. What are your priorities for the 2026 Legislative Session? We did a bill here two, three years ago about the use of aircraft and wildfire, the Aviation Assurance Funding bill. That bill allowed…
Rep. Kristine Reeves, District 30
What are your priorities for the 2026 Legislative Session? While I am working on a variety of policy proposals, including textile recycling to take on the impacts of fast fashion on our waste streams, tobacco/vape regulation to protect our kids, natural resource policy that provides balance between the state’s economic…
Sen. Shelly Short, District 7
What are your priorities for the 2026 Legislative Session? Agriculture in our state is at a critical juncture; its viability is a top priority this session. We’ve all watched the impacts on agricultural operations from burdensome and costly labor policies and incessant regulations. I want to focus on alleviating that…
Sen. Mike Chapman, District 24
Editor’s note: This transcript of an interview with Sen. Chapman has been edited for clarity and length. What are your priorities for the 2026 Legislative Session? I try to run the committee in a collaborative format, so my priorities will be what the committee’s priorities are. I’ll certainly see what…
Savoring the land
Wheat, potatoes, shellfish, and irrigation interests came together in late August to help state legislators “savor the land” during a day-long agricultural tour across the Skagit Valley. Approximately 20 legislators took part in the tour, which included visits to several farms, a local flour mill, a tidegate, and an estuary…
Wheat heads to Olympia
Last month, wheat representatives visited state legislators and agencies to talk about the industry’s priorities during the Washington Association of Wheat Growers’ (WAWG) annual Olympia Days trip. Cookies were involved. “Growers spent two impactful days in Olympia, advocating for critical issues like tax exemptions and the Climate Commitment Act fuel…
2025 legislative preview
On Jan. 13, 2025, the Washington State Legislature will be back in session. There will be a lot of new faces, including a new governor (Bob Ferguson), commissioner of public lands (Dave Upthegrove), and a couple dozen new legislators. The Washington Association of Wheat Growers (WAWG) will need to do…
Warning … Advocacy ahead
As the 2024 legislative season begins, leaders and staff of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers (WAWG) are kicking up advocacy efforts at both the state and national levels. “Over the next few months, we’ll be traveling between Olympia and Washington, D.C., to present the concerns and issues that Washington…
Fuel workgroup winds down
In September, the Washington State Department of Ecology’s (Ecology) Fuel Exemptions Workgroup wrapped up four months of work. Whether it was successful or not might depend on who you are talking to. Washington State’s Climate Commitment Act, which includes a cap-and-invest program, went into effect in January 2023 and requires…
