Sen. Jeff Wilson was sworn into office Monday by Washington Supreme Court Chief Justice Debra Stephens during opening ceremonies in the state Senate.

OLYMPIA — Sen. Jeff Wilson, R-Longview, got a running start on his second term in the state Senate as he introduced 17 bills in advance of the 2025 legislative session that opened Monday in Olympia. Wilson says there are more to come.

New proposals from Wilson this year include legislation to improve ballot drop-box security and protect voter privacy in Washington’s presidential primary. Wilson also is taking the lead in efforts to end Washington’s twice-a-year clock change by mandating year-round standard time, a cause that is gathering steam nationwide. Several Wilson bills already are scheduled for hearings in the Legislature’s first week.

“This is going to be a busy session,” Wilson said. “We can count on a rip-roaring debate over the budget, but we’re also picking up where we left off last year on important proposals for our district and the state.”

The Longview businessman took the oath of office Monday in Olympia during opening ceremonies for the 2025 legislative session in Olympia. Wilson represents the 19th Legislative District, which covers the southwestern corner of the state. He was elected from the coastal district in 2020 and was re-elected last fall.

Wilson remains the ranking Republican member on the Senate State Government, Tribal Affairs and Elections Committee. He retains his membership on the Senate Transportation Committee, and in a new assignment this year, he is taking a seat on the Business, Financial Services, Gaming and Trade Committee.

“Most of our attention this year is going to go to the budget,” Wilson said. “Our friends in the majority party spent the state into a hole over the last several years. Now they’re saying we have a shortfall somewhere between $6 billion and $16 billion, and the only answer is more taxes. We’re not buying it, and we’re going to be asking tough questions about how this happened and how we can make sure this never happens again.”

Wilson’s legislation this year includes several new proposals as well as measures introduced in previous sessions. Holdovers include a bill that would formally declare ‘The Evergreen State’ to be Washington’s official nickname, correcting an historic oversight. SB 5000, which has passed the Senate two years running, gets a hearing Tuesday in the Senate State Government, Tribal Affairs and Election Committee.

Other Wilson bills getting hearings this week are SB 5011, requiring ballot drop-boxes include a notice that tampering is a felony, SB 5018, requiring that county weed boards have one at-large member, and SB 5033, requiring the testing of biosolids for PFAS ‘forever chemical’ contamination.

Other legislation introduced by Wilson would put the state on year-round standard time (SB 5001), give counties funding for ballot drop-box security cameras (SB 5010), require a map from the Department of Transportation of permissible campaign-sign locations on public highways (SB 5013), require ‘stewardship’ of electric vehicle batteries (SB 5045), and establish a Kimchi Day (SB 5046).

Additional Wilson legislation would block protestors from interfering with initiative signature drives (SB 5047), require notification to the Legislature when initiative signature-counts are challenged (SB 5048), revitalize the Public Records Exemptions Accountability Committee (SB 5049), increase voter privacy in Washington’s presidential primary (SB 5050), transfer the Naselle Youth Camp to the Chinook tribe (SB 5247), create a task force to study potential bridge collisions by large commercial vessels (SB 5248), promote kit homes (SB 5249), and establish new rules giving property owners ability to remove squatters (SB 5250).

Wilson’s office address has changed this year as senators move into a new office building on the Washington Capitol Campus this session.  Wilson is in the Irv Newhouse Building, Office 330. Mailing address for Sen. Wilson remains the same at Post Office Box 40419, Olympia, Wash., 98504. Wilson’s email is Jeff.Wilson@leg.wa.gov, and his office telephone number is (360) 786-7636.