Rep. Adison Richards

During an election year, there are certain restrictions on my communications to prevent the use of state resources for election purposes. One of these restrictions is a freeze on this Facebook account, meaning the page will not be updated beginning May 4, 2026, until after the general election in November. Per the Legislative Ethics Board, this page is unable to accept comments during this same time period. If you have questions or comments about legislative issues, please feel free to continue to contact me using the link below. Thank you!
https://housedemocrats.wa.gov/richards/contact/

Thanks to Councilmember Denson and the work of so many volunteers in our community to clean litter off our roadways.

In the legislature, we increased penalties for littering, and I’m in communication with ecology and WSDOT as we work on addressing the volume of litter on our roadways to step up our efforts. I was also out with my Rotary club recently picking up trash in Gig Harbor.

We all have to step up though and make sure we don’t litter. Here’s a fun video from Pierce County that highlights it all, and let’s all play a part to protect the beauty of our state: https://youtu.be/CGNFEeDHlow

I’m closely following the reporting and developments concerning the Narrows Bridge, and I want to address a few concerns:

First concerning the emergency repairs started yesterday. That repair work is accounted for in the transportation budget. Repairs to joints and other emergency repairs are foreseen in existing funds, of course to a point.

Concerning the price tag on future repairs: we passed a significantly trimmed down version of a bond authority request this past session to start making progress on the backlog of preservation and maintenance needs in our state, and meet the most pressing needs. It’s worth $800 million, and it is not a tax increase.

By trimming the bond measure down, we have more capacity to pass a similar measure should we need to add authority to meet specific and emergent needs. Certainly ensuring we are taking care of the older Narrows bridge to protect safety and integrity is a very high priority, and the House transportation chair serves the other side of the bridge (and is quoted exclusively in some of the reporting).

Finally, tolling on the Narrows goes towards paying for the new bridge. The new bridge is the worst funded project in state history and the tolls are paying off the debt. We kept tolls from going up on the new narrows bridge last session. The bridge is on schedule to be paid off in 2032.

In the meantime I spoke with WSDOT on Friday, and have been in communication with them this week. I’ll continue working with them and members of the legislature on making sure this remains a priority while keeping tolls down.

We have to continue investing in rural spaces around our district, particularly for vital needs, like access to water in emergencies. Grateful to all of the partners who worked with me and the legislature to secure funding for a back-up generator to keep water flowing to the Mustard Seed and other properties during a power outage.

Tour of the 26th District - Well project with Dr. Roes Rep. Adison Richards chats with Dr. Roes about state funding for a generator which will ensure water supply in case of a power outage at the Villages and nea...

We need to government to deliver more efficiently for you. The transportation permitting reform effort is ongoing. Our workgroup is making progress, and we continue working on ideas to make changes so that we can deliver projects on time and on budget.

Tour of the 26th District - Doing things faster with permit reform Rep. Adison Richards chat with Gig Harbor City Councilman Reid Ekberg as he visits projects with state funding. Richards and Ekberg talk about infrastructure...

Worked hard to obtain funding for opportunities outside of the classroom for our youth- including field space near the Gig Harbor YMCA and in South Kitsap Regional Park. We need more recreation opportunities for our youth and their families, and I’ll keep working on that. Thank you to the City of Gig Harbor, as this project would not be possible without their leadership, incredible investment, and effort to ensure this space would be used for the public!

Tour of the 26th District - Gig Harbor YMCA project Rep. Adison Richards visits with the YMCA Executive Director Efrain Gonzalez about $1 million in state funding for a new sports complex that will give access...

Proud to have helped secure funding to complete West Sound Tech last session. We have to keep investing in trade and skills opportunities for our students, and I’ll keep at it.

Tour of the 26th District - West Sound Technical Rep. Adison Richards visits the construction at the West Sound Technical Skills Center, where state funding is expanding the center to boost opportunities fo...

Session Flashback: We passed HB 2238 to help with food security across the state. The high price of food is a topic that comes up again and again as I travel in every corner of the 26th District. We passed bipartisan amendments in committee to improve this bipartisan bill, and I look forward to working with other lawmakers from all parts of the state on solutions to help folks struggling to keep up with prices.

House Agriculture & Natural Resources - TVW Public Hearing:

I wrote House Bill 2310 to help victims of crime, which is work I’ve done as an attorney that sticks with me. We need to spend more time and effort listening to survivors and setting up our justice system to give them the justice and accountability they seek. We can and must do better- and I’ll continue the effort.

https://www.tvw.org/watch/?clientID=9375922947&eventID=2026011353&startStreamAt=289&stopStreamAt=563

Proud of all the work that went into passing HB 2445 to end abusive and predatory use of the probate process. It took a lot of work from many stakeholders to ensure we targeted bad actors and improved the integrity of our probate process to protect grieving families.

This marks the 7th and final piece of legislation that I sponsored to be signed into law in two years. Grateful for all of the work from staff, fellow members, and partners across the board to make that possible. And there’s only more work to do, but let’s keep at it.