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January 29, 2026

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

I have two very important bills receiving public hearings over the next few days and I need your input and support so that my colleagues in Olympia understand what these mean to my constituents back home.

House Bill 2221 is my bill to address significant declines in ungulate (deer, elk, moose) populations in areas of Eastern Washington where gray wolves are no longer federally protected. The bill establishes clear, science-based thresholds that require the Department of Fish and Wildlife to act when ungulate herds fall to unsustainable levels. This bill has a public hearing tomorrow, Jan. 30 at 10:30 AM in the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee. To testify remotely, submit written, or simply register your support for the bill, click here!

Under my proposal, if a local deer, elk, or other ungulate population drops 25% below its 10-year rolling average, the department must designate the herd as “at risk” and initiate predator mitigation within 60 days. Actions may include nonlethal deterrence, translocation, or targeted removal, as needed, with management decisions tailored to regional conditions.

House Bill 2514 is my bill to establish a permanent Global War on Terror memorial on the Washington state Capitol campus to honor Washington service members who lost their lives in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It creates a formal process and timeline to design and build the memorial, ensuring those who answered the call after Sept. 11, 2001 – and who gave their “last full measure” – are appropriately honored alongside veterans of earlier conflicts already memorialized on the Capitol grounds. It will receive a public hearing in the House State Government Committee on Tuesday, Feb. 3 at 1:30 PM. To testify remotely, submit written comments, or simply register your support, click here.

My bill is designed to have the memorial largely funded by private donations. It applies to the period beginning Sept. 11, 2001, through the conclusion of U.S. operations in Afghanistan. It also establishes a work group tasked with determining who should be memorialized, soliciting and selecting a design, identifying a suitable location, and developing a budget. A state account for a Global War on Terror memorial already exists, but progress has stalled due to the lack of a clear process.

For more information on this bill, you can read my press release or watch my short video.

Please take a moment if you can and register your support for bills. It only takes a few seconds with the links I’ve provided above. It is important that Olympia hears the voices from the other side of the state – and hears them LOUDLY!

Thank you for being involved and for allowing me to serve you in the state House,

Sincerely,

Hunter Abell