Ann Rivers is state senator for the 18th Legislative District, which spans much of Clark County, including Battle Ground and part of Vancouver.

She became the district’s senator in 2012 after serving in the House of Representatives since 2010. Ann serves on the Senate’s Health and Long-Term Care committee (as Republican leader), Ways and Means committee (as a member and as assistant Republican leader on the capital budget), Housing committee and Rules committee. She has six years’ experience as a member of the Senate Republican leadership team, serving as caucus chair in 2021. Her policy- and fiscal-committee experience also includes Early Learning and K-12 Education, and Transportation.

Outside of the Senate’s standing committees, Ann’s work at the state level includes serving on the Legislative Committee on Economic Development and International Relations; the Washington State Women’s Commission; the Joint Oregon-Washington Legislative Action Committee involved in planning for a new Interstate 5 bridge spanning the Columbia River; and the Select Committee on Quality Improvement in State Hospitals.

Her legislative priorities include strengthening Washington’s economy, protecting the state’s taxpayers by prioritizing and controlling state spending, and making sure the projects Southwest Washington needs for a solid transportation system are moving forward.

When she was chair of the Senate Health Care Committee, Ann focused the panel’s work on improving access to medical and dental services in rural and underserved areas, and gaining better control of health-care costs.

Her work on the education and budget committees put her at the center of the successful multi-year effort completed in 2018 (in association with the McCleary v. Washington ruling) to overhaul the state’s outdated education-funding system and offer each child in Washington an opportunity to succeed in school regardless of residential or economic status. A former teacher, Ann also was instrumental in creating the state’s paraeducator law, which established professional standards and encourages professional development.

Ann’s experience with transportation issues ranges from crafting 2015’s successful “Connecting Washington” package of investments and reforms, as a member of the Senate Transportation Committee, to being among the legislative stakeholders on the state’s Road Usage Charge Pilot Project Steering Committee (and a participant in the Road Usage Charge Pilot).  

She resides in La Center with husband Fred; they have two adult sons, Rex and Derick. Ann has a bachelor’s degree in political science (minoring in natural science and history) and a secondary-education teaching certificate.

She is active in her community, belonging to Greater Clark County Rotary and other organizations and volunteering for events such as the American Cancer Society’s West Clark County Relay for Life (as publicity chairwoman); she also has served or is serving on the board of directors for several organizations, including Innovate Washington.