Washington Farm Bureau 2020 Legislator of the Year Awards Announced

Earlier this week, the Washington Farm Bureau announced that Aberdeen Representative Brian Blake (D) and Yakima-area Senator Curtis King (R) will receive the 2020 Legislator of the Year awards.

The Farm Bureau said the two were selected for their leadership and exceptional dedication to working on key issues important to agriculture.

As the chair of the House Rural Development, Agriculture, and Natural Resources Committee, Blake manages a number of issues vital to the state’s farmers and ranchers.  The Farm Bureau says his even-handed approach provides opportunity for multiple positions to be heard and for thoughtful legislation to be developed and acted upon by his committee.

“Representative Blake was pivotal again this year in ensuring good policy came out of his House committee,” said WA Farm Bureau President Mike LaPlant. “Issues related to the use of important pesticides and changes to water law were carefully reviewed and discussed in his committee.

These complex issues deserve the time and attention that Representative Blake gives them, said LaPlant.

“We believe the outcome shows that his careful approach to addressing complex issues continues to work for all in Washington,” he added.

Senator King is the highest-ranking Republican on both the Transportation and the Labor and Commerce committees, two extremely important committees to the state’s farmers and ranchers.

“Senator King has used his experience, knowledge and relationships with other state senators to effectively improve bad bills or, when possible, kill them so they don’t harm the state’s ag industry,” LaPlant said.

Notably WFB said, Senator King’s leadership was instrumental on legislation relating to farm labor contractors, railroad crew size and low carbon fuel standards.

Both of these legislators went above and beyond to ensure that their constituents, and farmers and ranchers all across this state, were protected from legislative proposals that would unnecessarily raise taxes or increase an already high regulatory burden, said LaPlant.

“For this reason, we are honored to award our Legislator of the Year award to Representative Brian Blake and Senator Curtis King,” he said.

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