Legislative

The purpose of the BCHW Legislative program is to keep members of BCHW informed of activities in the State of Washington that affect recreation and the use of horses and mules on public lands. We focus on funding and policy matters where we work with legislators and agency staff to support development and maintenance of trail based outdoor recreation.

This page is provided as a resource to current events as well as to find additional information on where to go to connect with your legislators both during legislative session and throughout the year.

Back Country Horsemen of Washington 2025

State Legislature:

Washington State government is made up of 49 Districts, each having 1 Senator and 2 Representatives. It is important to know which District you live in and who your Senator and Representatives are. Generally, your legislators want to hear from their constituents, so the system is designed to allow you to comment to them. It is also important to know what committees they sit on, and also whether they have a position on that committee (Chair, Ranking Member, etc). Always be respectful. You may not agree on every issue, but bills are constantly changing, and you will find some that you do agree on. Be good ambassadors of BCHW.

2025 BCHW Legislative Report (after session). Program Recap of 2025 Session BCHW Legislative

2020 Economic Study of Recreation in Washington State (Not updated since 2020 but still timely). Earth Economics 2020 Study

Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO) Website RCO

The following provides a lookup for your legislator:  District Finder

In fact, the State of Washington legislative site is very well laid out. You can look up the current status of bills, upcoming committee hearings, and if commenting is available, where to do so.: Current Status of Bills.  Bills page: Meeting and Session Bills.  Commenting page: Commenting Page

The Sessions Page will give you links to the Cutoff calendar, Committee hearings, and Floor activity. Sessions Page

How to participate in the Legislative process (good tips!!) Legislative Process

l During the Legislative session (starts January 1 of each year), BCHW members who are on the Legislative Google Group will receive frequent emails on bills that we are following. Being informed is a good way of knowing what our positions are, and it also gives you content to discuss with your legislators. Bill text can change daily, so a comment, even a position, may be dated or change. Legislators know that the public can only address what is the latest information they have. What's important is that you care about an issue, and you are willing to discuss it and recognize when things change. We try to stay up to date, but sometimes you don't know what amendments are beign considered until the time a committee is in session. Again, be flexible and courteous. The main purpose of the BCHW Legislative program is not to "be right" but to show that we are paying attention and are concerned with recreation policy. There is always another session, another bill, and another position. Do your best and then move on to the next matter. Educate your legislators about horses and mules on public land trails.

PLEASE be very careful about not misrepresenting BCHW. BCHW has distinct positions on certain bills and chooses not to have positions on others. If you are representing an official position, feel free to state this. Otherwise, you are entering your comment as a concerned citizen (who belongs to BCHW if you identified yourself as such in the Organization). Remember we are much more effective when we speak with a common voice. Otherwise, right or wrong, we just come across as noise.

Federal Legislators on National Issues

While the BCHW Legislative Committee generally focuses on State legislative matters and leaves the federal matters to BCHA and our Public Lands group, it is useful information to know who your congressional legislators are. Washington State has 2 Senators and 10 Representatives.

Senator Patty Murray: https://www.murray.senate.gov/write-to-patty/

Senator Maria Cantwell: https://www.cantwell.senate.gov/contact/email

Representative Suzan DelBene (1st District): https://delbene.house.gov/contact

Representative Rick Larsen (2nd District): https://larsen.house.gov/contact

Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (3rd District): https://gluesenkampperez.house.gov/contact

Representative Dan Newhouse (4th District): https://newhouse.house.gov/contact

Representative Michael Baumgartner (5th District): https://baumgartner.house.gov/contact

Representative Emily Randall (6th District): https://randall.house.gov/contact

Representative Pramila Jayapal (7th District): https://jayapal.house.gov/contact

Representative Kim Schrier (8th District): https://schrier.house.gov/contact

Representative Adam Smith (9th District): https://adamsmith.house.gov/contact

Representative Marilyn Strickland (10th District): https://strickland.house.gov/contact