Voters in 30th Legislative District will get to choose between two candidates in November to represent them in Olympia. While the challenger offers thoughtful ideas, Rep. Kristine Reeves is the standout for her experience, knowledge and willingness to buck her Democratic caucus leaders. The state Legislature needs more independent, constituent-focused thinkers like the Federal Way Democrat.
Challenger Paul McDaniel, an independent, is a military veteran who briefly served on the Federal Way City Council.
Reeves was a leader among a handful of Democrats who bucked the party and voted against Senate Bill 6346, which created the so-called “millionaires tax” on salaries above $1 million.
“I am not opposed to an income tax. In fact, I’ve said publicly that I will vote for an income tax if we had a clear path to removing regressive taxes for the people of Washington state,” Reeves told The Times editorial board. “I voted against the income tax because I don’t believe it did that. I voted no because it didn’t go far enough to deliver meaningful economic relief for working families across our state.
“And, in my opinion I don’t think it was done transparently with the public in mind, ” she added. Reeves introduced more than a dozen amendments to the income tax bill that injected transparency into the bill. All were rejected.
Still, Reeves said she is opposed to Initiative 645, which would repeal the 9.9% income tax.
“While I disagree with how we got to the income tax conversation, my job as a legislator is to now go back and make sure that that policy works for every Washingtonian, and not blow a $16 billion hole in our budget,” Reeves said.
During her seven years in Olympia, Reeves has been a strong voice on education, the budget and agricultural issues. As a member of the Rural Development, Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, Reeves sponsored a bill signed into law that addresses hunger and food distribution in the state. In response to federal threats to food programs, House Bill 2238 directs the state’s Department of Agriculture to establish a statewide food security strategy and spotlight barriers that could limit production or disrupt the supply chain. She also sponsored a bill that would have given certain farmers a 25% tax credit on their B&O tax obligations. It failed in committee.
When it comes to youth violence, Reeves said she would have supported a failed bill, which would have reduced the number of times a youth can be convicted of unlawful gun possession before being ordered to serve more than 30 days in rehabilitation, from five to three.
She says the consequences for gun possession should be evidence-based, rooted in science. “There needs to be accountability both for the children and their parents.”
Transparency matters to Reeves, who has never invoked legislative privilege or secrecy to keep information from the public and says she never will.
As a lawmaker, Reeves is comfortable not only making tough, thoughtful decisions, but also fighting for them. Her vision and voice are needed in Olympia.
