Democratic 1st District State Rep. Luis Moscoso and 21st District Rep. Marko Liias will be two of the three vice chairmen of the transportation committee of the House of Representatives when the Legislature reconvenes Jan. 14.
They will share vice chair duties with Rep.-elect Jacob Fey.
Liias will continue as a vice chairman with Moscoso and Fey joining him
Moscoso expressed satisfaction with his new post.
“I am honored to assist in vice chair responsibilities. My background in transit gives me a real hands-on perspective in working on these issues,” said Moscoso, who worked at Community Transit for 25 years as a transit operator, union president and finally as organizational improvement specialist on the organization’s executive team. “Transportation infrastructure and transit have languished for years; it’s time to get Washington moving again. To do so we need a robust, multimodal statewide transportation plan that includes the highway and transit investments necessary to meet system maintenance and operation demands.”
As one of the vice chairs of the transportation committee, Moscoso will be working directly with the committee chairwoman, Rep. Judy Clibborn, on the transportation budget and revenue sources, as well as on issues relating to transportation policy and agencies such as the Department of Transportation and the Washington State Patrol.
Last year, Moscoso worked on prevention and intervention legislation for youth anti-violence and gang issues. He was reappointed to the Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Committee, which will enable him to continue addressing these problems.
“Saving our youth from violence of any sort is our responsibility as legislators and parents, and I remain committed to finding funding to support evidence-based practices that prevent and reduce youth involvement in street criminal gangs across the state,” Moscoso said recently. “This is not just a problem in urban areas. Gangs are mobile and can prey on our children anywhere. It’s clear that our schools are not as safe for children as we would like them to be.”
The committee considers issues relating to law enforcement agencies, crime prevention, criminal penalties, sex offenders, mentally ill offenders, and government preparedness to respond to public emergencies.
Moscoso also will serve in the new Government Accountability and Oversight Committee, which considers issues relating to the organization and structure of state government, as well as issues relating to the regulation and oversight of liquor, tobacco, gambling and marijuana.
Moscoso recently won election to a second term representing the 1st Legislative District, including most of Mountlake Terrace, all of Brier and Bothell, north Kirkland, unincorporated areas of King County between Bothell and Kirkland, and unincorporated areas of Snohomish County north and east of Bothell.
Liias won re-election in November, representing the 21st Legislative District, which includes most of Edmonds, the north outskirts of Lynnwood, all of Mukilteo and part of south Everett.
Evan Smith can be reached at schsmith@frontier.com
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