(KMAS) Dan Griffey made his weekly appearance this week on Daybreak and he and Jeff Slakey discussed the new transportation-construction package in the House, among other things.  

The controversial cross-border tax was struck from the bill.  

Unfortunately, according to Griffey, the money would now be taken from the Public Works Trust Fund. Many communities use this fund for a variety of infrastructure projects. Representative Griffey does not think that this redirecting of the Trust Fund money will stand in final reviews.  

Jeff asked who constituents should reach out to should they want to contact someone about this legislation. Representative Griffey suggested contacting the committee chairs, who know the ins and out of the process. Constituents can also call Representative Griffey’s office at (360) 786-7966, and they can help state their case to the committees. His website is dangriffey.houserepublicans.wa.gov.

The two also addressed the “Rainy Day” Fund and how low it is as a percentage of the budget. Griffey guesses the strategic reserves will be somewhere in the amount of $100 million out of a total spending amount of around $65 billion.   “With $13 billion in unexpected revenues, I think we could have done a lot better,” said Griffey.  

Representative Griffey also suggested we should be prepared in light of the war in Ukraine, saying the events between Ukraine and Russia will have global implications.  

He said that the state’s ability to repay debts is similar to an individual’s ability to repay debts and that the more money a state has in reserves, the higher the state’s bond rating. This has a big influence on Washington’s ability to borrow money and to pay it back.

The upcoming fire season was also a subject of discussion in the interview.  

“A resilient forest is one that resists the effects of wildfires."

“When you look at the treated sections and the non treated sections, it’s night and day as far as resistance,” Griffey said. It’s the difference between a fire hitting a forest at a “snail’s pace” versus the swiftness of a “freight train.”

Representative Griffey, a local firefighter as well, explained we can’t let our guard down.

“We will need to make sure our firefighting equipment remains state of the art and that it can be deployed quickly”, said Griffey.  

Representative Dan Griffey represents the 35th District and appears weekly on Daybreak during the Legislative Session.