Members of the SR-167 Completion Coalition comprised of business, labor, environmental and a group of bipartisan elected leaders plan to continue their push on Olympia lawmakers to pass a Transportation Revenue Package in a special session suggested for November. Falling just short in the Senate at the end of the last special session, the Coalition is encouraged by recent actions by lawmakers and the Governor to address infrastructure needs that are critical to our State’s economy.
Congressman Denny Heck recently led a meeting of Coalition leaders and reiterated that there is no more important time for this effort than right now. He went on to say that, “Lawmakers need to hear from us all. Our message is that there is no bigger priority in the State of Washington right now than a Transportation Funding Package. Senate leaders will be in Tacoma on October 9th for a listening session and I call upon every member of this Coalition to be there.”
A bipartisan group of Senate leaders will be holding listening sessions across the state over the next month to receive feedback on a potential Transportation Revenue Package. The remaining schedule of events is below and Coalition members are encouraged to attend as many of these sessions as possible to voice support for SR-167 completion. Coalition members are also encouraged to reach out to colleagues and contacts throughout the state and encourage them to attend their local sessions to express support of SR-167 completion. It is absolutely imperative that anyone available to attend the October 9th event in Tacoma does so. “We need you!”
Oct. 9 – Tacoma (Olympic Region) 6-9 p.m
Evergreen Tacoma Campus, Lyceum Hall, 1210 6th Ave., Tacoma, WA 98405
John Parrott, President of Totem Ocean Trailer Express Inc. expressed his ongoing support for a package when he said, “we can make no better investment in our economy than transportation infrastructure which is why it is imperative that our legislators come together and pass a Transportation Revenue package in November. We cannot ignore or delay the potential creation of 80,000 jobs in our region alone. We must act now."
“The strength of this effort has been a direct result of the cooperation between business and labor and we continue to stand together in our support of the Transportation Revenue Package,” said Scott Mason, President of the ILWU Local 23. He went on to say, “I know that our members will be there alongside business leaders on October 9th with the same message, your job is not done this year, pass a package in November.”
In Washington State, four out of every ten jobs are trade dependent. It’s for this reason that so many disparate groups continue to come together to show that there is no time to waste in modernizing our infrastructure for 21st-century global trade. Our leaders in Olympia must act now and vote to approve the Transportation Revenue Package.
Should you choose to attend any of the remaining listening sessions beyond Tacoma on the 9th the schedule is below:
• Sept. 26 – Tri-Cities 6-9 p.m.
Columbia Basin College, Gjerde Center, 2600 N. 20th Ave., Pasco, WA 99301
• Oct. 2 – Spokane (Eastern Region) 6-9 p.m.
Central Valley High School theater, 821 S Sullivan Rd., Spokane Valley, WA 99037
• Oct. 7 – Vancouver (Southwest Region) 6-9 p.m.
Vancouver Community Library, Columbia Room, 901 C St., Vancouver, WA 98660
• Oct. 9 – Tacoma (Olympic Region) 6-9 p.m.
Evergreen Tacoma Campus, Lyceum Hall, 1210 6th Ave., Tacoma, WA 98405
• Oct. 14 – Seattle 6-9 p.m.
King County Courthouse, Room 1001, 516 3rd Avenue, 10th Floor , Seattle, WA 98104
• Oct. 15 – Bellingham 6-9 p.m.
Port of Bellingham Cruise Terminal, 355 Harris Ave., Bellingham, WA 98225
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