Tri-City GOP lawmakers to talk wins and losses from 2025 session at town hall
State lawmakers representing the Tri-Cities region will host a joint town hall Saturday in Pasco to debrief on the 2025 legislative session.
The meeting will take place 1-3 p.m. in the Gjerde Center (H Building) at Columbia Basin College.
All representatives and senators from the 8th and 16th Legislative Districts will be in attendance. That includes Sen. Matt Boehnke, Rep. Stephanie Barnard, Rep. April Connors, Sen. Perry Dozier, Rep. Mark Klicker and Rep. Skyler Rude.
In a joint statement, the Republican lawmakers from the two Southeast Washington districts said they were looking forward to meeting with constituents.
“There’s a lot to cover, from historic tax increases and record spending to legislation impacting housing, education, energy policy and public safety,” they said. “This town hall allows residents to hear directly from us, ask questions, and share what matters most to them. We hope they’ll join us.”
Presented with a multi billion-dollar budget shortfall, lawmakers in Olympia had their work cut out for them this session. In the end, Democrats passed a two-year, $78 billion operating budget that included about $9 billion in new taxes spread out over the next four years.
Republicans criticized the budget’s final outcome, noting its passage on party lines and the lack of inter-party collaboration and compromise.
But Gov. Bob Ferguson lauded budget writers and lawmakers’ ability to get the state’s finances in check in a timely fashion, saying earlier this month that the task required “working together and a lot of compromise.”
