Senator Tim Sheldon

Sheldon motorcycle ‘lane-sharing’ bill passes state Senate OLYMPIA – A bill that would let motorcyclists pass between cars in traffic jams won approval in the state Senate Tuesday, reflecting a three-year effort by Sen. Tim Sheldon, D-Potlatch, to reduce traffic congestion and improve safety. Senate Bill 5378 passed the Senate 32-17 and moves on to the state... Read More...

Don’t breach dams, Senate says OLYMPIA – The Washington Senate Tuesday took a stand against proposals that would breach lower Snake River dams, calling them vital for power, irrigation, navigation and the state’s clean-energy future. In a memorial to Congress, the president, and the agencies responsible for managing the 14 federal dams on the Columbia... Read More...

State won’t force Belfair sewer hookups, Sheldon says OLYMPIA – State officials are offering assurances they will not require residential property owners surrounding Belfair to hook up to the Belfair sewers, reports Sen. Tim Sheldon, D-Potlatch. Sheldon convened a meeting of state and local government officials last week in Olympia to discuss expansion plans for the Belfair wastewater... Read More...

The monster lurking behind school funding: an income tax This op-ed appeared in Crosscut, Jan. 20, 2017. by Tim Sheldon In this great state of ours, where so many people have so many diverse interests, there is one thing we can count on to unite us all. Every few years, some dang fool puts an income tax on the... Read More...

Senate Majority Coalition tabs Sheldon as president pro tem, continuing bipartisan tradition OLYMPIA – Sen. Tim Sheldon, D-Potlatch, looks forward to a second term as the Senate’s president pro tempore, following a vote that will take place Monday in the state Senate, the Legislature’s opening day. Sheldon was selected by his colleagues this week in the Senate Majority Coalition Caucus. Although the... Read More...

Session ends on a note of fiscal responsibility, 35th District lawmakers say Legislature provides for Mason County veterans’ home, skills center, Turner Joy OLYMPIA – The three lawmakers who represent the southwest Sound’s 35th Legislative District say the 2016 legislative session may have been a bit messy, but the outcome was a big thumbs up for fiscal responsibility. It took 20 days... Read More...

Sheldon announces results of 2016 legislative survey Here’s what residents of the 35th Legislative District are saying about top political issues Here are the results of Sen. Tim Sheldon’s 2016 legislative survey. Sen. Sheldon circulated his annual survey in a newsletter mailed to residents of the 35th Legislative District, and also made it available online. Some 301... Read More...

Democrat Sheldon says party out of step on two-thirds for taxes rule Sen. Tim Sheldon, D-Potlatch, offered the following statement Friday following the Senate’s rejection of a two-thirds-for-taxes constitutional amendment. Senate Joint Resolution 8211 would have allowed Washington voters to decide in November whether a two-thirds vote of the Legislature should be required for tax increases. The measure required a two-thirds vote... Read More...

Failure of bathroom bill a blow to personal privacy, Sheldon says OLYMPIA – State Sen. Tim Sheldon, D-Potlatch, acknowledged his disappointment Wednesday at the failure of a bill that would have repealed a state Human Rights Commission rule creating a wide-open bathroom policy statewide. Senate Bill 6443 would have repealed a rule on sex-segregated facilities that permits men to use the... Read More...

Sheldon bill enables motorcyclists to reduce congestion OLYMPIA – State Sen. Tim Sheldon, D-Potlatch, is calling on the House to pass a bill that makes it easier for motorcyclists to get around stalled and slow-moving vehicles, and speed the flow of traffic. Senate Bill 5623, which passed the Senate Friday 34-15, refines an idea Sheldon has been... Read More...