Prentice selected to continue as Senate Ways & Means Committee chair

OLYMPIA – Sen. Margarita Prentice, D-Renton, will continue to chair the influential Ways & Means Committee. She was retained by the group of 14 majority-party senators who met over the weekend to name the chairs and vice chairs of the Senate’s 14 standing committees. Democrats, who now hold a 26-23 majority in the upper chamber, will see their numbers swell to 32 when the Legislature convenes next month.

Prentice, a retired nurse, has been a member of the Legislature since her appointment to the House of Representatives in 1988. After two terms, she was elected to the Senate, where she has served as chair of the budget-writing committee for the past two years.

“I’m eager for the next session to start,” Prentice said. “We passed fiscally responsible budgets the past two sessions which have sustained exceptional economic growth for Washington’s families and businesses. We made wise investments in education, transportation and health care. This session, we will look at targeting programs that will continue to promote a vital economy and build a skilled, educated work force. With the national economy now showing signs of slowing, we’ll also maintain a strong reserve for the next downturn.”

The Legislature convenes on Jan. 8 for what is expected to be a 105-day session.

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