Welcome to my website! Here you will find information about our district, the legislation that I have sponsored and co-sponsored, news releases, video updates, and much more.

I have spent a lot of time with citizens around the district. Their message is clear. Businesses and families in Washington cannot survive any more taxation and unsustainable budgets coming out of Olympia. We need to make sure people have jobs, keep our tax rates low, show fiscal responsibility with the state budget, allow businesses to be productive without fighting excessive regulations and provide a quality education for our children.

I encourage you to keep in touch whenever you have questions, comments, or an idea to share. Please call, email me, or send a letter. My door is always open, and I appreciate hearing from people in the 17th District. Whether we meet in-person or virtually, please continue to share your ideas, opinions, and concerns with me. To set up a meeting, please click here. You can also reach out to me via email or phone.

I am grateful and honored the people of our district have sent me to Olympia as their state representative.

Rep. Paul Harris
R-Vancouver
(360) 786-7976  |  paul.harris@leg.wa.gov
Note: Emails may be subject to public disclosure.

Rep. Harris gives a 2023 session review in 17th District newsletter
View my post
Rep. Harris bill to allow judges to consider harsher penalties for negligent driving signed into law
Read my news release
Please join us for our 17th District virtual town hall on Wednesday
Read my update
Session recap from Rep. Paul Harris: Public safety, final state budgets, and successful bills
Read my update

My Priorities

Giving part of the budget surplus back to taxpayers

The Legislature had a $15 billion budget surplus in the 2022 legislative session. Instead of saving some for a rainy day or paying down debt, the majority party voted to spend nearly all of it. Even worse, they did not give anything back to the taxpayers in Washington. In contrast, House Republicans offered several tax relief proposals and a fiscally responsible supplemental operating budget framework that would have reduced the state sales tax rate. State lawmakers could have – and should have – given part of the budget surplus back to taxpayers.

Learn about House Republican tax relief proposals

Prioritizing the safety of our communities

Crime continues to surge in our communities and throughout Washington. Criminals feel emboldened, while law enforcement feels unsupported because of the police reform bills passed by the majority party in 2021. These bills caused a lot of confusion and had serious consequences for public safety. While state lawmakers fixed most of these problems in the 2022 legislative session, legislation to address the vehicular pursuit issued stalled in the Senate. Republicans offered a comprehensive Safe Washington Plan, but many of the solutions were ignored. This is unfortunate. Public safety should not be a partisan issue.

Learn more about the Safe Washington Plan

Holding state agencies accountable

We have great state employees and I respect their work to deliver programs and services to Washingtonians. Unfortunately, we see too many headlines of high-profile failures in state agencies. Perhaps you have been personally impacted by these failures. We must hold the governor and other statewide elected officials accountable for their outcomes. I also believe our state needs common-sense emergency powers reform so balance can be restored to Olympia. For the last two years, the majority party has not allowed any legislation to reform emergency powers to pass. This, too, should not be a partisan issue.

Learn more about emergency powers reform

Empowering parents in their children’s education

As a parent and grandparent, and having served on the Evergreen School Board of Directors, I understand the important role of education in children’s lives. We have great teachers in our communities who continue to help students recover from school shutdowns and learning loss during the pandemic. We need to continue to empower parents so they know what is being taught in their children’s classroom and what is being decided by their school boards.

Learn more about proposals that empower parents

Meet Paul Harris

Paul has called the 17th District home for more than 30 years. He and his wife Lori have been married for 48 years, have five children, and nine grandchildren. Paul earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting and Business Administration from Brigham Young University. He took office in...

About Paul →

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