Higher Education & Workforce Development

March 17, 2020

A recap of the 2020 session, the latest on coronavirus, and an update on the results of my legislative priorities

Just like that, 60 days have come and gone, and the 2020 legislative session officially adjourned on Thursday, March 12. It was a whirlwind two months. During this session we saw more than 2400 bills introduced in both the House and Senate with more than 380 passing both chambers and...
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February 18, 2020

Come meet with us in the 25th District this weekend. Details below.

Can you believe the 2020 session is already more than halfway finished? We only have three weeks left to get bills through both chambers and to the governor’s desk. Wednesday is the last day to consider bills in their house of origin. Each bill has to pass through both the...
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February 13, 2020

Rep. Chris Gildon talks about incentivizing businesses to help fund college scholarships

Last year, the majority party in all three branches of our government passed a package of last-minute bills that created $2.1 billion dollars more in taxes. One of those bills was House Bill 2158, which imposed the business and occupation (B&O) tax surcharge on certain businesses to pay for higher...
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February 10, 2020

Amendment to exclude veteran owned businesses from B&O tax increase is rejected

Senate Bill 6492 passed the Senate and the House last week and will now be signed into law. Numerous republicans introduced amendments to the bill during floor debate, including Rep. Chris Gildon, R-Puyallup. Gildon introduced two amendments, including 1071, which would have exempted any business owned by a veteran from...
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February 06, 2020

Survey results are in!

We’re now four weeks into the 2020 legislative session. Friday will be policy cut-off, which means lawmakers have been busy introducing, hearing, and passing legislation. To date, we’ve seen nearly 1,400 new bills introduced in the House and Senate. Before we get into some of the policies and issues, we...
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January 17, 2020

Rep. Chris Gildon recaps the first week of the 2020 legislative session

The 2020 legislative session is underway and there’s a lot to talk about. Rep. Chris Gildon, R-Puyallup, discusses the new Speaker of the House, his higher education bills, $30 car-tabs, title-only bills, and making Washington more safe, more affordable, and more accountable.
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December 27, 2019

Gildon proposes to use higher ed grants for high-demand workforce degrees

Legislation is being proposed that would encourage college students to not only pursue degrees for high-demand jobs, but to stay and work in Washington state after graduation. John Sattgast reports from Olympia. SATTGAST: The Workforce Education Investment Act, adopted during the 2019 session, was funded by a tax increase on...
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April 16, 2019

Items still remain on Legislature’s to-do list before adjournment April 28

We’re nearing the end of the 2019 legislative session. With only a few days left, there’s still a lot left to tackle, including: 2019-21 operating budget, which as the name implies, funds our state’s operational costs and services. I discussed the House proposal in my last email update, which you...
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March 14, 2019

Washington State Legislature reaches halfway point of 2019 session

Last week, the state Legislature passed the halfway point of the 2019 legislative session. For the past week and a half, lawmakers have been on the floors of their respective chambers passing legislation. Before we dive into some of the policies the House explored the past few days, I wanted...
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