A legislative update from Rep. Mike Steele

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

It's a privilege and an honor to work on behalf of the 12th Legislative District. For my first email update of 2021, I'd like to begin by thanking you for allowing me to serve another term as one of your state representatives.

Virtual legislative session

The Legislature will convene for the 2021 session in just a few short days—on Monday, Jan. 11th. This year, because of the coronavirus pandemic, we will meet remotely. Although it's not a perfect solution, in order to keep people safe, floor sessions and committee meetings will be held virtually, while the House and Senate facilities remain closed to the public.

While a virtual session creates challenges for both lawmakers and constituents, I'll do my utmost to keep you well-informed. Along with answering emails, phone calls and attending Zoom meetings, I'll be scheduling virtual town halls and sending regular email updates.

Also, please keep in mind that all committee hearings will be televised on TVW, Washington's public affairs network, and remote testimony will be available to anyone interested in testifying on important public policy issues.

Staying connected

Your participation is vital to the legislative process. Here are several ways you can stay connected to the work of the Legislature:

My legislative website | Here you will find my contact information, bio, news releases, email updates, videos, opinion pieces, bills, and other information. 
The Capitol Buzz | A weekday roundup of online news stories. Click on the link to subscribe. 
The Current | An online legislative publication from the Washington House Republicans. Click the link to subscribe.
TVW | The state's own version of C-SPAN, TVW broadcasts floor and committee action live online.
The Ledger | A legislative news aggregator.
Legislature's website | Bill reports, committee agendas, and information about upcoming activities at the Legislature.
State agencies | You can find a list of all state agencies, boards, and commissions here.

Tracking a bill?

Click here to find information on specific bills. In addition, when you visit my website you can easily view the legislation I'm sponsoring or co-sponsoring by clicking “Sponsored Bills.”

Here is a quick set of “bill tracking” instructions

• Go to leg.wa.gov
• On the left-hand panel, click “Bill Information.”
• If you know the bill number, enter it in the search field and hit enter.
• Don't have a bill number? Under the section “Standard Reports,” you'll find alternative tracking tools. You can search based on topic, legislative digests, cross-references and/or within a specific biennium.
• If you click on the House Floor Calendar, this helpful tool gives you a detailed list of all bills scheduled to be heard on the House floor each day.

Need more information? Please reach out to me directly if you need more details on specific bills or key public policy proposals.

Remote Testimony

Let your voice be heard! Want to testify on a bill or other important public policy? Here are links that will help you do that:

• House remote testimony.
• Senate remote testimony.

Need more information? Please reach out to me directly if you need more details on specific bills or key public policy proposals.

House committee assignments

I'm honored my colleagues recently selected me as the lead Republican for the House Capital Budget Committee, which considers matters related to the state's long-term public infrastructure investments. Revitalizing our communities has taken on even greater importance since the coronavirus pandemic began. Prioritizing funding for projects, such as the repair and construction of public buildings, will be a critical part of our state's recovery in these challenging times.

Along with my work on the Capital Budget Committee, I will also serve as a member of the House Appropriations and Education Committees. Both of these assignments put me front and center on some of the most demanding and controversial work of the upcoming session: Getting our kids safely back to school and balancing the state's budget. I welcome the opportunity to work with other lawmakers as we navigate our way through those issues.

Legislative awards

Being recognized for doing the legislative work that I find so personally rewarding is humbling. In November, the Pacific Education Institute named me their FieldSTEM Legislator of the Year for my work supporting strong, yet balanced, environmental education.

In addition, I was given the Guardian of SAGE Award. Located in Wenatchee, the Safety, Advocacy, Growth and Empowerment (SAGE) organization deals with domestic violence services, sexual assault programs and they run the National Children's Alliance (NCW) Child and Family Advocacy Center, and the Crime Victim and Trauma Assistance Center. I'm glad I could help this worthy organization.

Thank you!

As always, if you have questions or concerns, feel free to contact me.

It's an honor to serve you!

State Representative Mike Steele