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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
I want to thank you so much for the opportunity to serve you in the state House of Representatives. It is an honor of a lifetime and I commit to work hard to represent our shared values and priorities.
I have lived in the Colville area since early childhood. I spent more than seven years working for former Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (Who herself started as representative for the 7th Legislative District!) travelling around Eastern Washington meeting with individuals, small businesses, local government officials and employees, associations, and stakeholders in many groups and organizations.
Through it all, I’ve learned there are many different opinions on issues, many different ways to bring people to the table, and many different solutions. This is what I bring with me to Olympia. A hard work ethic and the ability to work with others to get the job done!
I’ve already introduced my first bill. House Bill 1311 would require the WDFW to designate gray wolves as “sensitive” instead of “endangered.” This down-listing would still provide protections but would also give more flexibility to the department when managing wolves, including the investigatory process and penalties levied when a wolf kill has occurred. Below is more information on the various listings and the impacts they have on wolf management:
As I said in a press release that I sent out with my seatmate, Rep. Hunter Abell:
“While we are at record highs for the number of wolf-livestock conflicts in our state, we know that number is much higher than the official reporting done by WDFW,” said Engell. “We have ranchers, livestock owners, and landowners who have had incidents but refuse to report them for various reasons. We must do more to protect the livelihood of many of our citizens and the animals they manage. Down-listing will give department scientists and staff more options when managing gray wolves and responding to conflicts, and give the public more assurance that the state is listening to their concerns.”
I was also honored to be a part of the Washington State Farm Bureau’s livestream last week. I’ve worked with the Farm Bureau many times over the years. They are “my people!” I’m in Olympia to help protect our farmers and ranchers and all those make up our agriculture industry.
Calling all Pages!
Does your child or someone you know want to learn more about our form of government, civic responsibilities and engagement, and the rights and liberties our Founding Fathers fought to protect? All while earning $65/day? The Washington State Page program is an excellent program offered by the Legislature. Click here to learn more about the Page program, the requirements, process, and a FAQ. Click here for the Page application.
My son served as a Page the first week of session for Sen. Shelly Short. He was so intrigued with the process that he came with me one day this week to observe committee hearings in both the House and the Senate. Let’s spark those curious minds, people!
Keep in touch
There are several ways to keep in touch with me throughout the legislative session. You can email, call, or write to my Olympia office. My contact information is at the end of this update. You can also have our Capitol Buzz (daily e-clips from media sources around the state) sent to your inbox each day.
There are more ways to stay in touch through our “The Week Ahead” publication that gives advance notice of upcoming committee and floor action and our news aggregator “The Ledger.” Click here for more information.
Thank you for the privilege of serving you in Olympia. Please feel free to contact me with your questions or concerns about state government.
Sincerely,
Andrew Engell
