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Haler takes oath of office
as new 8th District representative
Larry Haler’s years of
experience in city government have taught him the importance of getting
up to speed on issues. With that in mind, and with his election to the
House of Representatives certified earlier this week, Haler today took
the oath of office in a special ceremony at the state Supreme Court in
Olympia.
“The need to keep Washington’s economic recovery on track and the huge
shortfall anticipated in the state budget are two of the most pressing
issues the Legislature will face,” said Haler. “After 15 years as a
council member and mayor in Richland, I understand the challenges of
economic development and budgeting. But now I’ll be working on them at
the state level, and the sooner I can get to work, the better. That’s
why I didn’t want to wait to be sworn in when the legislative session
starts in January.”
Haler has asked to be appointed to three House policy committees that
reflect both his experience in local government and the needs of the 8th
District. First on his list is the Trade and Economic Development
committee.
“Richland and the Tri-Cities have had a lot of success in attracting
employers, but we also have the potential to lose lots of jobs in the
next couple of years, as Hanford’s environmental restoration projects
evolve. I’ll be happy to work on bringing jobs anywhere in the state,
but I especially want employers to have a reason to look at Eastern
Washington and particularly the Mid-Columbia region,” said Haler.
He also has requested to serve on the Technology, Telecommunications and
Energy committee, because of Hanford and the Pacific Northwest National
Laboratory; and the Financial Institutions and Insurance committee,
given Haler’s interest in attracting venture capital. His alternate
choice is the House Higher Education Committee, which would let Haler
advocate the expansion of WSU-Tri Cities into a four-year university.
Haler will be assigned to committees in time for the House committees to
assemble on Dec. 2-3 in preparation for the 2005 session.
He took the oath of office from Supreme Court Justice Susan Owens, as
his wife Jenifer, his 8th District colleague Rep. Shirley Hankins and
others looked on.
Haler has a bachelor’s degree from Pacific Lutheran University and
earned his MBA from City University in 2001. He has worked for federal
contractors at the Hanford Site for 30 years and is a Fluor Hanford Co.
senior training specialist and operations engineer.
Haler spent Thursday in Tacoma taking part in House Republicans’ meeting
to reorganize the caucus and choose a slate of leaders following the
Nov. 2 general election.
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For more information, contact:
Brendon Wold, Public
Information Officer: (360) 786-7698
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