Fey to Lead House Transportation Committee

Update: The post originally stated that Rep. Joan McBride was re-elected. Actually, she retired. The author apologizes for the error.

On December 13, the House Democratic Caucus elected its new leaders and new committee chairs. Rep. Jake Fey (D - Tacoma) was elected the new Chair of the House Transportation Committee, replacing the retiring Judy Clibborn (D - Mercer Island).

Rep. Fey gave a brief statement upon his election to the Transportation Committee Chairmanship. In part"

Businesses can hire people a lot faster than we can build highways, train stations and ferry terminals. Keeping up with that population growth is a massive challenge that requires not just more highways, but investments in trains, buses and other ways to get cars off the road. And in the end, long-term solutions on transportation will require creativity and cooperation. I look forward to listening to all stakeholders and lawmakers from both parties so we can move Washington forward and utilize all of our transportation alternatives, including mass transit.

Fey has been serving as Vice Chair of the current House Transportation Committee. He had a lot more to say about his views on his campaign website and his caucus page. While voting for the transportation package that authorized ST3, he has been an unabashed supporter of freeway expansions in Pierce County, and voted to reduce the ST3 car tabs each time the issue has come up.

House Transportation Committee Membership

Now that both the House Democratic and Republican Caucuses have made their committee assignments public, we know the full membership of the 2019 House Transportation Committee.

• Jake Fey (D - Tacoma), Chair
• Sharon Wylie (D - Vancouver), 1st Vice Chair
• Vandana Slatter (D - Bellevue), 2nd Vice Chair
• Javier Valdez (D - Seattle), 2nd Vice Chair
• Andrew Barkis (R - Lacey), Ranking Minority Member
• Jesse Young (R - Gig Harbor), Assistant Ranking Minority Member
• Jim Walsh (R - Aberdeen), Assistant Ranking Minority Member
• Matt Boehnke (R - Kennewick)
• Kelly Chambers (R - Puyallup)
• Mike Chapman (D - Port Angeles)
• Tom Dent (R - Moses Lake)
• Beth Doglio (D - Olympia)
• Jeremie Dufault (R - Selah)
• Debra Entenman (D - Kent)
• Carolyn Eslick (R - Sultan)
• Keith Goehner (R - Dryden)
• Mia Gregerson (D - SeaTac)
• Morgan Irwin (R - Enumclaw)
• Shelley Kloba (D - Kirkland)
• John Lovick (D - Mill Creek)
• Bob McCaslin (R - Spokane Valley)
• Jared Mead (D - Mill Creek)
• Ed Orcutt (R - Kalama)
• Lillian Ortiz-Self (D - Mukilteo)
• Dave Paul (D - Oak Harbor)
• Mike Pellicciotti (D - Federal Way)
• Bill Ramos (D - Issaquah)
• Marcus Riccelli (D - Spokane)
• Sharon Shewmake (D - Bellingham)
• Sutherland (R - Granite Falls)
• Luanne Van Werven (R - Lynden)

With both current Republican leaders on the committee - Mark Harmsworth (Mill Creek) and Mark Hargrove (Covington) - defeated in their re-election bids, Republicans had to bring in new leadership. They passed over previous Ranking Minority Member Orcutt, and brought in Barkis, to take over as Ranking Minority Member, and Walsh, to serve as the second Assistant Ranking Minority Member, even though they are not on the current committee. Another Republican committee member, Dave Hayes (R - Camano Island) was also defeated in his re-election bid. Re-elected Matt Shea (R - Spokane Valley) is leaving the committee. Current committee Republicans Liz Pike (Camas), Jay Rodne (Snoqualmie), and Melanie Stambaugh (Puyallup) are retiring voluntarily from the House.

Two re-elected Democrats are leaving the committee: Jeff Morris (Mount Vernon), and Gael Tarleton (Seattle). Clibborn and Joan McBride (Kirkland) are the only Democrats on the committee who are retiring. Tarleton's departure leaves Seattle with only one member on the committee (2nd Vice Chair Valdez). Tarleton has been elected Chair of the House Finance Committee, replacing the retiring Kristine Lytton (Anacortes)

Democrats have 7 new members (Slatter, Doglio, Entenman, Mead, Paul, Ramos, and Shewmake) and Republicans have 10 new members (Barkis, Walsh, Boehnke, Chambers, Dent, Dufault, Eslick, Goehner, McCaslin, and Sutherland) on the committee, which has been augmented from 25 members this year to 31 members next year. If you are doing the math, that is only 4 returning Republicans out of 14 returning members.

Senate Transportation Committee

Both the Senate Democratic and Republican Caucuses have selected their members for the 2019 Senate Transportation Committee. The committee membership will be:

• Steve Hobbs (D - Lake Stevens), Chair
• Rebecca Saldana (D - Seattle), Vice Chair
• Curtis King (R - Yakima), Ranking Minority Member
• Tim Sheldon (D, but in R Caucus - Potlatch), Assistant Ranking Minority Member
• Annette Cleveland (D - Vancouver)
• Mona Das (D - Covington)
• Phil Fortunato (R - Auburn)
• Marko Liias (D - Everett)
• Joe Nguyen (D - Seattle)
• Steve O'Ban (R - University Place)
• Mike Padden (R - Spokane Valley)
• Emily Randall (D - Bremerton)
• Dean Takko (D - Longview)
• Claire Wilson (D - Federal Way)
• Hans Zieger (R - Puyallup)

Das, Nguyen, Padden, Randall, and Wilson are new to the committee. The five departing members are Maralyn Chase (D - Esperance), who lost her re-election bid, Manka Dhingra (D - Redmond), John McCoy (D - Tulalip), Maureen Walsh (R - College Place) and Lisa Wellman (D - Mercer Island).