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Haler upbeat about upcoming
House committee roundtable at
WSU Tri-Cities
Rep.
Larry Haler isn’t
looking past this week’s legislative committee meetings at the Capitol,
but he’s definitely looking forward a couple of weeks when a trio of
House committees will meet Sept. 30 at WSU Tri-Cities to discuss a trio
of Haler’s priorities: economic development, technology and higher
education.
“Technology and the economy of the Tri-Cities area have gone
hand-in-hand for decades, and access to higher education is critical to
both. I can talk to my colleagues this week about how our area needs a
four-year university, and what the Legislature could do to help the
Mid-Columbia area and Eastern Washington in general attract employers,
but there’s nothing like having them see and hear it for themselves,”
said Haler, R-Richland.
Haler serves on the House Economic Development, Agriculture and Trade
Committee, which will meet in Walla Walla and Yakima in the two days
before the three-committee meeting in Richland. He is assistant
Republican leader of the House Technology, Energy and Communications
Committee, which will convene specifically for the Sept. 30 meeting.
The House Higher Education Committee will have work sessions in Walla
Walla and Pasco the day before the WSU Tri-Cities roundtable, which will
begin at 7:30 a.m. in Rooms 120/120A of the Consolidated Info Center.
Lawmakers will have an opportunity to tour the Hanford Site following
the joint meeting.
“In February the Speaker of the House and other key House leaders took a
day away from the legislative session to visit and tour our area.
Bringing these three committees to the Tri-Cities is another step toward
helping legislators from around the state to understand our needs and
priorities. That can only help the 8th District delegation move
legislation forward,” Haler said. “Having the higher education committee
members here will be especially good timing, seeing how much public
interest there is in a four-year university for our area.”
The other Economic Development, Agriculture and Trade Committee meetings
will be at noon Sept. 28 in the Walla Walla council chambers, 15 North
3rd Avenue; and 2:30 p.m. Sept. 29 in the State Fair Room at the Yakima
SunDome, 1301 South Fair Avenue.
The other Higher Education Committee sessions will be at 9 a.m. Sept. 29
at the Walla Walla Community College Center for Enology & Viticulture,
500 Tausick Way, and at 1 p.m. that day in Columbia Basin College’s
Administrative Building boardroom on its Pasco campus, 2600 N 20th
Avenue.
House committees are assembling in Olympia through Friday to discuss
pending issues and begin preparing for the 2006 legislative session.
# # #
For more information, contact:
Brendon Wold, Public
Information Officer: (360) 786-7698
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