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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
In my email update last month, I mentioned how fortunate we have been to avoid the catastrophic wildfires and smoke this year. Unfortunately, that has changed over the last weeks. Our wildland firefighters and crews are battling fires around the state. This reiterates my commitment to ensuring wildfire funding is not cut and we have as many initial attack assets in place as possible.
Our next Wildfire Caucus meeting is scheduled for October 9 at the Aero-Flight hangar at the Spokane International Airport. If you are interested, please contact me or my office. My office number is (360) 786-7932, or you can email me and my Legislative Assistant, Jennifer Hanna, at Tom.Dent@leg.wa.gov and Jennifer.Hanna@leg.wa.gov.
Renaming the Vantage Bridge
In the 2026 legislative session, House Joint Memorial 4002 was unanimously passed by the Legislature. This is my legislation that would rename the I-90 bridge near Vantage to the “Medal of Honor Bridge.”
A personal connection to a war hero and Medal of Honor recipient inspired the idea. It is an opportunity to honor those who honored us with their bravery and service in a picturesque setting.
The Medal of Honor is the nation’s highest military award given “For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty.” Less than one-tenth of 1% of America’s service members have been awarded the Medal of Honor, with 34 known recipients accredited from Washington state.
With the passage of HJM 4002, the Washington State Transportation Commission was directed to consider renaming the bridge. The commission is responsible for naming state highways, bridges, and ferry vessels. On September 17, I provided some very heartfelt testimony before the commission, based on my experience with the award recipient whom I had met. I am pleased to say that the commission unanimously voted to rename the bridge the “Medal of Honor Bridge,” and the resolution can be read here.
The bridge will officially be renamed at a dedication ceremony in late 2027 or early 2028, once the current construction, which involves replacing the bridge deck and other structural repairs, is completed.
American Farmland interview
I recently had the opportunity to do an interview with David Price of American Farmland Owner. Founded in 2017, they provide news, analysis, and resources for farmland owners across the country. We covered several topics in the interview, including the regulatory burden on farmers, the economic strain on family farms, and the farmers’ relationship with the environment. Click on the photo below to listen to the interview.
Discouraging revenue forecast
Last week, the Economic and Revenue Forecast Council released its revenue forecast, which shows that Washington state is expected to have $900 million less in revenue over the five-year outlook period. Revenue decreases include:
- -$13.4 million to close out the 2023-25 biennium;
- -$412.3 million in the 2025-27 biennium; and
- -$477.3 million in the 2027-29 biennium.
Anticipated revenues for the current and next budget biennia are $2 billion lower than what was assumed in the 2025-27 operating budget. That means we are looking at a $418 million deficit within this biennium, which increases to a $1.2 billion deficit by the end of the next biennium.
While I am throwing several numbers at you, all you really need to know is the bottom line. There will have to be some very difficult budget decisions to be made next session because of the operating budget decisions and overspending we have seen for a decade.
The operating budget has more than doubled since I started serving in Olympia in 2015. I shared the graph below after we adjourned in April. However, it is worth sharing again.
Commercial Aviation Work Group
The Commercial Aviation Work Group, that was created in House Bill 1791 during the 2023 session, has some seats available for those who want to serve.
The work group’s goal is to evaluate long-range commercial aviation and transportation needs of the state, including alternatives for additional aviation capacity which includes expanding use of existing airports and multi-modal opportunities. The group is not out seeking a location to build another airport.
The group needs:
- a representative from a commercial service airport and ports from Eastern Washington;
- a citizen from Eastern Washington;
- a citizen representative for the public interest in the communities that are included in the work group’s site research and understand the impacts of a large commercial aviation facility;
- a representative from a freight forwarding industry;
- a representative from the trucking industry; and
- a representative from the statewide environment organization.
You can click “apply to serve” to go the application webpage, or to access the application form click here.
Stay in touch
My interim has been busy with legislative committees, tours, constituent meetings, and much more. However, if you need assistance navigating state government, would like to schedule a meeting, or would like me to tour a facility or speak to your association or organization, please take the time to contact my office. My Legislative Assistant, Jennifer, is ready to assist you. I appreciate you taking the time to share how our state government is affecting you and your livelihood.
It is an honor and privilege to represent the great people of the 13th District.
Sincerely,
Tom Dent
