While Puyallup is home to the Washington State Fair and a really great roller coaster, sometimes roller coaster rides are not so enjoyable. Such is the fate of our local transportation legislation which experienced its own type of roller coaster ride during the recent special session. Initially the Transportation Revenue package coming out of the house did not pass it's first vote. However after a motion to reconsider was granted, HB 1954 Transportation Revenue package did pass the House last Thursday, 51-41. And then it was off to the Senate. Unfortunately, the 2nd legislative special session adjourned on Saturday evening with no action being taken on the Transportation legislation. A disagreement over the controversial Columbia River Crossing was at the heart of the issue. The failure of the Transportation Package is definitely a disappointment to our local business community because the completion of SR167 would mean 80,000 good paying jobs and that translates to a boost in our local economy as well as keeping our local ports competitive in the global markets. Our Chamber has worked diligently with our legislators to support the business interests of our communities and specifically the completion of SR 167 for the past six months. In the coming weeks we will be meeting with our regional partners to consider how we can best utilize our resources to continue advocating for this critical transportation project.
Our Chamber would like to thank Congressman Denny Heck, Senator Bruce Dammeier and Representatives Hans Zeiger and Dawn Morrell for their leadership on this issue.
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