Click here to read a full copy of the bill
Who are my legislators?
To find your legislator please visit http://app.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/
Prime Sponsors – If your legislator(s) is on this list, please contact them and thank them for sponsoring the bill.
House Bill 2229: Representatives Jeff Morris, Norma Smith, Sherry Appleton, Larry Haler, Luis Moscoso, Gael Tarleton, Mary Helen Roberts, Cindy Ryu, Cyrus Habib, Steve Bergquist
Senate Bill 6195: Senators John Braun, Maralyn Chase, Jan Angel, Jamie Pedersen, Sharon Brown, Curtis King, Jeanne Kohl-Welles
Hearings
WTA will have a panel of industry representatives to testify on the bills the week of January 21. We ask that if your legislators are on the committees below that you contact them this week to ask for their support.
House Bill 2229 will be heard on January 21 before the House Community Development, Housing & Tribal Affairs Committee. If your legislator is on that committee, please contact them and ask them to support the bill.
| Representative | Phone | |
| Appleton, Sherry (D) Chair | Sherry.appleton@leg.wa.gov | (360) 786-7934 |
| Sawyer, David (D) Vice Chair | David.sawyer@leg.wa.gov | (360) 786-7906 |
| Johnson, Norm (R) * | Norm.johnson@leg.wa.gov | (360) 786-7810 |
| Holy, Jeff (R) ** | Jeff.holy@leg.wa.gov | (360) 786-7962 |
| Gregerson, Mia (D) | Mia.gregerson@leg.wa.gov | (360) 786-7868 |
| Hope, Mike (R) | Mike.hope@leg.wa.gov | (360) 786-7892 |
| Robinson, June (D) | June.robinson@leg.wa.gov | (360) 786-7864 |
| Santos, Sharon Tomiko (D) | Sharon.tomikosantos@leg.wa.gov | (360) 786-7944 |
Senate Bill 6195 will be heard on January 23 before the Senate Trade and Economic Development Committee. If your legislator is on that committee, please contact them and ask them to support the bill.
| Senator | Phone | |
| Braun, John (R) Chair | John.Braun@leg.wa.gov | (360) 786-7638 |
| Chase, Maralyn (D) * | Maralyn.Chase@leg.wa.gov | (360) 786-7662 |
| Angel, Jan (R) | Jan.Angel@leg.wa.gov | (360) 786-7650 |
| Baumgartner, Michael (R) | Michael.Baumgartner@leg.wa.gov | (360) 786-7610 |
| Holmquist Newbry, Janéa (R) | Janea.HolmquistNewbry@leg.wa.gov | (360) 786-7624 |
| Pedersen, Jamie (D) | Jamie.Pedersen@leg.wa.gov | (360) 786-7628 |
To leave comments on the bills (please comment on both bills):
House Bill 2229 – https://app.leg.wa.gov/pbc/bill/2229
Senate Bill 6195 – https://app.leg.wa.gov/pbc/bill/6195
Draft message / talking points for legislators
It’s best to express your support for the legislation in your own words, but below is an example of what you could say:
Dear [Legislator],
I am writing to ask for your support of [HB 2229] [SB 6195], which advances self-funding efforts of the tourism industry.
As you know in 2011 the state tourism office closed. To fill the void, the Washington Tourism Alliance (WTA) was formed.
The WTA has made significant progress towards developing its industry-based plan. SB 6195 and HB 2229 establish the principle of a private funding plan. The bills direct state agencies to work with the WTA to establish a reliable and effective collection method for the industry funds.
NO FUNDING is needed to implement this bill. The tourism industry is simply asking legislators to support our steps to becoming a self-assessed marketing entity for the state of Washington. We need the state’s support to help us define a collection mechanism that works for the industry.
Thank you for your consideration of this legislation, I hope you will support it.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
[City, WA]
[Business you represent]