Capitol Ideas: The Washington State House Democratic Caucus Podcast

Rep. Laurie Jinkins, D-Tacoma).

Rep. Tana Senn, D-Mercer Island).

Rep. Marcus Riccelli (D-Spokane).

Rep. Monica Stonier (D-Vancouver) talked with Capitol Ideas a few days before being sworn in as a brand-new state lawmaker, after more than a decade as a classroom teacher and teaching coach. What was that transition like, and what did she learn in her first two years? Listen in and find out.

House Majority Leader Pat Sullivan (D-Covington) talks about House Democratic priorities, what's passed, and what hasn't, as the clock ticks down on the first half of the 2014 session.

Rep. Laurie Jinkins (D-Tacoma) talks about the fight to ensure that reproductive parity continues to be a Washington tradition.

By most any measure, the House Appropriations Committee is one of the plum assignments, and one of the key decision-making groups, in the Washington State Legislature. Rep. Timm Ormsby is vice chair of the committee, and today he reflects on just what that means.

Our guest today is state Representative Tina Orwall. Tina represents Washington’s 33rd legislative district, a South King County district that includes Sea-Tac, Des Moines, Normandy Park and large parts of both Burien and Kent. Before running for office in 2008, Tina focused her energy on strategic planning in health care and workforce development, affordable-housing efforts, advocacy for military veterans, developing public-private partnerships. In Olympia, she serves as assistant speaker pro tem of the House of Representatives, presiding over much of the floor action in that chamber. As a member of House leadership she’s got a seat on the Rules Committee, which decides which bills will make it to the House floor, and her policy committees include Early Learning and Human Services, Education Appropriations and Oversight, and Judiciary. And to make sure she doesn’t find herself with any spare time, she co-chairs the Joint Committee on Veterans’ and Military Affairs. If you’ve listened to Capitol Ideas f

Our guest today is state Representative Laurie Jinkins. Laurie represents Washington’s 27th legislative district, a vaguely mushroom-shaped piece of northern Pierce County that includes most of Tacoma and all of Ruston, and stretches from Fife in the east to Highway 16 in the west. Representative Jinkins is midway through her first two-year term in the House. Before running for office in 2010, Laurie was – and still is -- deputy director of the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, managing its daily operations. She’s served as Washington state’s assistant secretary of health, and as a young law-school graduate she worked as assistant state attorney general in Tacoma. She’s also a board member, director or member of far too many civic organizations to mention. In Olympia, Laurie is vice chair of the House Healthcare and Wellness Committee, and sits on the transportation, capital budget and environment committees as well.

Welcome to the first Capitol Ideas podcast of 2011. It’s a new year, a new session, and we’re speaking today with a new member of the Legislature, Washington state Representative Cindy Ryu. Cindy was elected in November to represent the state’s 32nd legislative district, a north King and south Snohomish county district that stretches from Edmonds in the northwest all the way down to Kirkland in the southeast. In between, the district includes Lake Forest Park, Kenmore, and Shoreline, Cindy’s home. Representative Ryu is new to the statehouse, but this isn’t her first taste of public service. She’s a former president of the Shoreline Chamber of Commerce, and served on that city’s city council for two years before her election as mayor in 2008. Two months ago she became the first Korean-American woman elected to serve in the state House of Representatives.

We’re speaking today with state Representative Mike Sells. Mike represents Washington’s 38th legislative district, a fast-growing Snohomish County district that includes Everett, Marysville and Tulalip. Mike is vice chair of the House Higher Education, and he’s also a member of the Transportation and General Government Appropriations committees. We spoke recently in his Everett office.

State Rep. Tina Orwall represents Washington's 33rd Legislative District, including the communities of Des Moines, SeaTac, and Normandy Park, as well as parts of Burien and the west half of the city of Kent. The Democratic freshman serves as vice chair of the House Human Services Committee and is a member of the chamber’s education and capital-budget panels as well.

One of the most pressing, most expensive, and most controversial projects in Washington state today is the proposed replacement of the State Route 520 floating bridge that spans Lake Washington. It’s a bridge that’s used by more than 150,000 people every day, connecting the city of Seattle with Kirkland, Bellevue, Redmond and other cities on the east side of the lake. Replacing the bridge will be a massive project, and as a lawmaker whose district includes the eastern terminus of the bridge, Rep. Larry Springer is a key member of the Legislature’s 520 Work Group. That’s what we’re going to talk about today.

Rep. Timm Ormsby (D-Spokane) and Legislative Assistant Shannon Waechter give a behind-the-scenes look at how a legislative office works.