Tom Dent

Over the last two legislative sessions, whenever the farming community heard about a new Riparian Bill coming from Olympia, concerns and worries started to grow.  But, this time, it could be different, so says state Representative Tom Dent.   ...

The 2022 Washington Legislative session wrapped up Thursday, and according to Representative Tom Dent, lawmakers addressed a lot of bad legislation that could have harmed farmers and ranchers statewide. But, he noted, thankfully much of that legislation did not come to fruition ...

In an effort to help stop wildfires before they become large and unmanageable, Tom Dent has once again proposed legislation allowing for the creation of Rangeland Fire Protection Associations in Washington. The Moses Lake Representative said RFPAs would be different from fire districts, since they would not have taxing authority and would be made up of volunteers interested in attacking a fire wh

Legislation that looks to prevent catastrophic wildfires in Washington cleared the state Senate by a unanimous vote late last week. House Bill 1168, sponsored by Republican Joel Kretz and Democrat Larry Springer, provides $125 million every two years to boost wildfire response, accelerate forest restoration and support community resilience ...

In September, CropLife America recognized Moses Lake Representative Tom Dent with its State Leadership Award for his “support of farmers, ranchers and the pesticide industry” The Central Washington Republican said the national honor was humbling and completely caught him off guard. “Sh ...

For nearly ten weeks, the state of Washington was under Governor Jay Inslee’s “Stay Home, Save Lives” order, which had a deep impact on the state’s economy; including the state’s farm economy. But the question is how long will that negative impact be felt? Moses Lake Republican Tom ...

While it may seem the 2021 legislative session is far off, Moses Lake Republican Tom Dent said it’s already time for the Ag community to start thinking ahead to next year. He said farming was targeted in a variety of ways during this most recent session, and the Ag community cannot sit idly by and allow that to happen again.   ...

For many producers across Washington, the 2020 legislative session was challenging. But regardless of commodity, one of the bright spots came late in the session with the passage of House Resolution 4653, honoring the state’s Ag industry. ...

Lawmakers in Olympia continue to discuss the idea of low carbon legislation.  One of those proposals in the House looks at increasing the state gasoline tax by 57 cents a gallon, while increasing the tax on diesel sold in Washington by 63 cents per gallon.  Mo...

By a 12-2 vote Wednesday, the Washington House Ag Committee voted to approve HB 2696 to the floor for a full vote.  According to legislation author Tom Dent, the bill addresses meat and poultry misbranding.  Dent said he’s not opposed to alternative proteins in the marketplace, but he wants consumers to know what they are purchasing.   “If it...