October 27th Tuesday Roundtable- Senator Curtis King

The Washington Public Ports Association (WPPA) works on behalf of public ports across Washington to advance the interests of ports with the state legislature--and beyond. Our success in ensuring these interests are protected requires the leadership, vision, and collaborative working relationships with state legislators.

Each year, WPPA recognizes legislators who provide "extraordinary leadership and unparalleled vision" in our efforts to advance the importance and future of public ports for the residents they serve. This year, we are pleased to announce Senators Curtis King (R- 14th Legislative District) and David Frockt (D- 46th Legislative district) have won the 2020 Compass Award.

Senator Curtis King has served as ranking member on the Senate Transportation Committee since 2018; prior to 2018 he was the committee chair. He has championed many key issues for ports in Washington, including:

  • Working across party lines to pass the $16 billion Connecting Washington new-revenue transportation package in 2015

  • Setting the stage for the current conversation around additional funding for transportation by including the JTC Statewide Needs Assessment in the 2019 transportation budget

  • When changes in law resulted in wage scales for landscaping to increase over 100%, Senator King looked for common sense solutions to highlight to concerns and resolve the issues

  • Worked with WPPA in the 2020 Legislative session to include needed amendments exempting the state's shortline railroads from legislation mandating minimum train crew standards in Washington

  • Worked with the Port of Klickitat to secure funding for a road/rail grade separation which, when complete, will minimize conflict for workers transiting to and from jobs at the port.  

  • Leadership in creating sustainability for the state's ferry system and is shows leadership across state lines by engaging with stakeholders to find a solution that replaces the Hood River Bridge

 In today’s conversation:

·      Senator King’s take on the Supreme Courts’ ruling on I-976

·      His thoughts on a carbon tax, and the potential for using that on transportation

·      A new revenue transportation proposal

You can listen to the whole meeting here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/rcff0b99zfjhrah/2020-10-27_Tuesday_Roundtable.mp4?dl=0 

Do you have ideas for future topics we could cover in our Tuesday Roundtables? Email your ideas to Washington.ports@washingtonports.org

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