HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 2022-4671

HR 4671

ByRepresentatives Jinkins, Wilcox, Abbarno, Barkis, Bateman, Berg, Bergquist, Berry, Boehnke, Bronoske, Caldier, Callan, Chambers, Chandler, Chapman, Chase, Chopp, Cody, Corry, Davis, Dent, Dolan, Donaghy, Duerr, Dufault, Dye, Entenman, Eslick, Fey, Fitzgibbon, Frame, Gilday, Goehner, Goodman, Graham, Gregerson, Griffey, Hackney, Hansen, Harris, Harris-Talley, Hoff, Jacobsen, Kirby, Klicker, Klippert, Kloba, Kraft, Kretz, Leavitt, Lekanoff, MacEwen, Macri, Maycumber, McCaslin, McEntire, Morgan, Mosbrucker, Orcutt, Ormsby, Ortiz-Self, Orwall, Paul, Peterson, Pollet, Ramel, Ramos, Riccelli, Robertson, Rude, Rule, Ryu, Santos, Schmick, Sells, Senn, Shewmake, Simmons, Slatter, Springer, Steele, Stokesbary, Stonier, Sullivan, Sutherland, Taylor, Thai, Tharinger, Valdez, Vick, Volz, Walen, Walsh, Wicks, Wylie, Ybarra, and Young

WHEREAS, Representative Jesse Johnson has dutifully and proudly served the people of Washington's 30th legislative district since 2020 and was one of the youngest lawmakers; and

WHEREAS, Representative Johnson was born and raised in the city of Federal Way, graduated from Federal Way High School, and attended college for both his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and his Masters of Education at the University of Washington; and

WHEREAS, He also served as the youngest city councilmember in Federal Way history when he took office at the age of 27; and

WHEREAS, As the son of a Navy Veteran and a commercial and residential painter, he has prioritized the needs of working families and seniors, students, and families struggling with housing insecurity across the state; and

WHEREAS, Representative Johnson's passion for education and youth development has been a driving focus in his tenure in the Legislature, where he regularly met with students and youth advocates, and championed legislation and budget investments in youth in South King County; and

WHEREAS, His values are rooted in equity, inclusion, and social justice and those values shine through in the work he has done on reducing police violence, preventing youth violence, and in expanding educational opportunities for the young people of Washington state; and

WHEREAS, Approaching the work of being a legislator by listening first and ensuring all voices are present, he prioritized people who did not have traditional pathways to the Legislature, giving respect to all; and

WHEREAS, His approach also included handling pressure with grace by remaining steady and keeping balance in the work even when facing extreme and passionate points of views; and

WHEREAS, Representative Johnson's accomplishments in his short time in the Legislature are vast, including addressing equitable educational outcomes for foster care and homeless children, establishing a statewide environmental sustainability education program, increasing access to baby and child dentistry programs, and working closely with families of victims of police violence to address community concerns and elevate the debate on reasonable use of force; and

WHEREAS, He has said that "Justice is just us coming together to make policy that can have infinite impact" and will be remembered by his colleagues long after he has retired;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Washington State House of Representatives honor Representative Jesse Johnson for his service to the Legislature and recognize his years of public service as a public official and a private volunteer to the people of the state of Washington.