Dent receives award for his legislative work in aviation/airport issues
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Dent receives award for his legislative work in aviation/airport issues
Last week, the Washington Airport Management Association (WAMA) awarded Rep. Tom Dent the President's Award for his work on aviation/airport issues.
Association President Brandon Rakes says WAMA feels fortunate Dent is serving Washington state.
“Representative Dent was awarded the President's Award for his dedication and support of aviation in Washington state,” said Rakes. “He has consistently worked hard on behalf of airports and aviators throughout the state collaboratively, and it has been an honor to see it firsthand this year. I look forward to working with him for years to come.”
Dent, who has been a professional pilot since 1976, took his passion for aviation and airport-related issues to the Legislature when he was first elected in 2014.
“When I got to Olympia, I realized there was a real need for legislators with a background in aviation and knowledge of how our industry functions, whether it be small municipal airports or large airports like Sea-Tac,” said Dent, R-Moses Lake. “I landed on the Transportation Committee in my third term where I was able to provide input and feedback on aviation issues, as well as work on legislation to strengthen and benefit the industry.”
This year, Dent was the sponsor of House Bill 1243 that benefits communities with municipal airports by providing them additional management tools. The bill was recently signed into law by the governor.
He also co-sponsored House Bill 1791 which replaces the Commercial Aviation Coordinating Commission (CACC) with an appointed work group to provide a comprehensive look at new and existing airport sites in Washington. However, the governor vetoed a large portion of the legislation.
“I am humbled to receive this award and I am grateful for the trust and confidence the association has placed in me,” said Dent. “However, there is a lot of work ahead of us in Washington state to accommodate the projected air travel numbers over the next couple of decades.”
Dent also co-chairs the Aviation Caucus within the Legislature and leads the monthly meetings.
