Budget, religious liberty and burial grounds were the tip of the iceberg of what Washington’s 7th District Rep. Hunter Abell, R-Inchelium, discussed in regards to the 60-day state legislative session starting this week. The 7th District covers Pend Oreille, Stevens, Ferry, and some of Spokane and Grant counties. Abell gave RANGE his rundown on the upcoming legislative session.
“It’s a track meet in pads,” Abell said. “We’ll be running and moving quite a bit.”
While the state budget will be the main focus of the legislative body, Abell said there are also bills important to him that he wants to advance, like the Jim Judd Memorial Act (HB 1541), which would reconfigure the Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee that advises Governor Bob Ferguson on issues affecting veterans, military families and military preparedness. Under the proposed legislation, the 17-member committee must include a member of the National Guard, a tribal member and a veteran with “lived experience,” which could include experience with post-traumatic stress disorder, substance use disorder or homelessness. The bill passed out of the House unanimously last session but got hung up in the Senate, Abell said…