Posted on September 30, 2013 by Stevie Mathieu State Sen. Ann Rivers condemned the state attorney general’s office over the weekend for saying an Oregon-led Columbia River Crossing project could legally move forward without approval from the Washington Legislature. Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s top assistant said earlier this month that...

OLYMPIA… Sen. Ann Rivers is disappointed in the Washington State Attorney General Office’s support for proceeding with the multi-billion dollar Columbia River Crossing Project without any specific legislative authority. The attorney general’s opinion was expressed in a memo to the Coast Guard, which must approve any project that could affect...

Sen. Ann Rivers and Rep. Liz Pike want to hear from citizens on legislative-related issues of interest and concern to the 18th District. The two lawmakers have scheduled town hall meetings for Ridgefield and Battle Ground on Oct. 5. Another town hall meeting has been set for Nov. 9 in...

The 2013 legislative session ended today with the passage of a new two-year capital budget. The transportation-revenue package that would have provided Washington’s share of Columbia River Crossing (CRC) project funding failed to progress in the final hours of the session. “I take neither pleasure nor joy in this eventuality,”...

OLYMPIA… Sen. Ann Rivers lauded the $33.6 billion budget approved Friday by the Senate and House of Representatives. The new operating budget includes $15.2 billion in overall K-12 funding, an 11 percent increase over the previous budget.  The budget also prevents higher-education tuition increases by providing funding for Washington’s six...

In light of a significant boost in resources available to legislative budget-writers, Sen. Ann Rivers today said the Senate and House of Representatives should be able to complete their work this weekend and prevent layoff notices from going to state workers. “With nearly a half-billion dollars more on hand today...

Sen. Ann Rivers today helped pass a bill that could stave off an increase in the premiums paid by Washington workers and employers for the industrial insurance commonly known as workers’ compensation. “Although our state’s economy is slowly improving employment in Washington is generally well below the pre-recession level. I’d...

Legislation introduced by Sen. Ann Rivers to balance air-quality concerns with the fiscal realities facing local governments completed its legislative journey Tuesday when Gov. Jay Inslee signed Senate Bill 5099 in a Capitol ceremony. Rivers’ bill acknowledges the challenges associated with converting fleets of publicly owned vehicles, vessels and construction...

Although the new transportation budget adopted by the Legislature doesn’t include nearly enough money to keep the proposed Columbia River Crossing project on schedule, Sen. Ann Rivers says she and others who oppose or question the controversial $3.5 billion bridge-replacement have reason to remain vigilant. “For CRC supporters, the fact...