I recently completed my third year as Ranking Minority Member of the Senate Transportation Committee. This position has required more of my time than any other area of involvement. The budget negotiations alone take dozens of hours each week during session. Interim activities put a heavy demand of my time throughout the rest of the year. It has been very rewarding to see the state adopt a comprehensive transportation strategy for the next 10 years. The success of this effort was the direct result of the bipartisan collaboration which took place largely in the Senate.

As the previous Vice-chairman and current Ranking Member of the Highways and Transportation Committee I helped identify projects along I-5 in Lewis and Thurston County as priorities for state funding. I served as one of 3 Senate Republican budget negotiators that set aside major appropriations to widen I-5 from Maytown in Thurston County to Mellen Street in Lewis County.  We also obtained the funding to provide a new interchange at Labree Road and widen the freeway from 13th Street in Chehalis to the Napavine exit.