During the 2023 legislative session, state Sen. Phil Fortunato proposed numerous bills to address substantial policy issues around homeless and housing, transportation, and environmental protection. The Auburn legislator has also taken to the Senate Floor to highlight exceptional aspects of the 31st District, sponsoring several resolutions that recognize local philanthropic...

Residents in the city of Enumclaw are outraged after learning that the state is placing unsupervised sex offenders in their community. As part of legislation that was approved in 2021, local jurisdictions have to provide what is called “less restrictive alternative” or LRA housing to accommodate offenders where they were...

In a recent statement, Gov. Jay Inslee touted his work to keep Washington a pro-abortion state, vowing to “fight to ensure safe, affordable access to every person who needs it,” on the heels of a leak of a draft decision overturning the controversial Roe v. Wade abortion case at the U.S. Supreme...

I would like to invite you to share your thoughts at an upcoming Tax Town Hall. There will be discussion on changing the state’s tax structure to make it “more equitable.” There are various options being considered to change the tax code. One such option is to lower the sales...

I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! Before the Legislature convenes, I need to know what you think I should be working on for our district. A lot of changes are coming our way, new policy battles and possibly a changing district due to redistricting. That is why I’m holding some...

Law enforcement leaders weigh in on vaccine mandates The Senate Democratic Majority has all but ensured that the Legislature will not be able to call itself into a special session in time to stop the governor’s plan to terminate hundreds, maybe thousands of state employees on Oct. 18 who have...

Every 10 years the state’s Redistricting Commission is charged with redrawing the shapes of Congressional and Legislative districts based on changes in population. All the districts are supposed to be similar in population. One of the changes being considered is cutting off parts of our district that are South of...

As the ranking member on the Senate’s housing committee, state Sen. Phil Fortunato, R-Auburn has been looking at innovative ways to address the state’s affordable housing and homelessness crisis. Despite billions of dollars being spent on the problem, homelessness and housing insecurity continue to rise. In a recent hearing on...

Transportation policy leaders have been working to address Washington’s ailing infrastructure since the passage of the last major package, known as “Connecting Washington,” in 2015. Despite record increases in the state gas tax and other transportation-related fees and charges, the state’s transportation needs have remained woefully underfunded. State. Sen. Phil Fortunato...

Freedom is the watchword for the new Senate Freedom Caucus, announced Thursday by lawmakers to advocate for lower taxes, responsible state spending, individual liberties and a government that gets out of the people’s way. The Freedom Caucus will advocate for core conservative principles. Sen. Doug Ericksen, R-Ferndale, said the new...