Bi-State Bridge Work Group bill gains unanimous committee passage; Other Pike bills get thumbs-up

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Feb. 5, 2016

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Bi-State Bridge Work Group bill gains unanimous committee passage;
Other Pike bills get thumbs-up

Rep. Liz Pike, R-Camas, is a co-sponsor of House Bill 2414. She was thrilled with such large support from the committee.

"This is probably one of the most important bills this session for Southwest Washington. Congestion on the I-5 bridge across the Columbia River is continuing to worsen, especially now that two shipping companies have pulled out of Terminal 6 at the Port of Portland. Those shipping containers are now being diverted onto our local interstate highways," said Pike. "This is a bipartisan bill sponsored by leaders from Southwest Washington who recognize, as I do, that we need to begin a new forward-thinking dialogue to find affordable solutions that will move commuters, families, freight and goods between Washington and Oregon."

The bill would form a bi-state, bipartisan bridge project work group that would be charged with identifying the most affordable, efficient project that would improve freight mobility, safety and congestion on Interstate 5 adjacent to, and over the Columbia River.

"I'm especially grateful to Representative Sharon Wylie for sponsoring this bill. We are trying to bring leaders together from across of the ideological spectrum to address a problem that impacts everyone on both sides of the river. I believe this legislation is a great step forward," added Pike.

The measure now goes to the House Rules Committee for further consideration.

Pike also noted unanimous House committee passage on other bills she prime-sponsored:

House Bill 2417 would require license examiners to read new drivers' log books and verify completion of the required 50 hours of practice driving. It passed Thursday from the House Transportation Committee.

House Bill 2416 would require the Department of Corrections to directly pay workers' compensation premiums for inmates participating in Correctional Industries, instead of reimbursing local government and nonprofit agencies for the costs of workers comp insurance. It passed from the House Public Safety Committee on Wednesday.

House Bill 2511 would direct the Department of Early Learning (DEL) to allow five-year-old children, regardless of whether or not they attend elementary school, to be placed in the same group of five-year olds within a licensed day care facility. DEL had recently ruled against that, forcing day care centers to employ additional staff to take care of the two groups. The measure passed Jan. 29 from the House Early Learning and Human Services Committee and has been referred to the House Rules Committee.

Another measure she co-sponsored, House Bill 2948, would establish a pilot project to create and expand instructional worksite learning. It passed Thursday from the House Education Committee with a unanimous vote. The measure was requested by the Clark County High Tech Council.

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For more information about Rep. Pike, visit: www.representativelizpike.com.

Rep. Pike's media: