SENATE RESOLUTION
8680
By Senators Padden, Lovick, King, Short, Boehnke, Wagoner, Dozier, Warnick, Braun,
Torres, L. Wilson, and Fortunato
1 WHEREAS, In Washington state we have no shortage of outstanding
2 women leaders whose dedication and participation in our political
3 process has brought us a brighter and more hopeful Washington; and
4 WHEREAS, Linda Smith was born in LaJunta, Colorado, in 1950 and
5 moved with her family to White Salmon, Washington; and
6 WHEREAS She graduated from Fort Vancouver High School; and
7 WHEREAS, She and her husband owned and managed a group of tax
8 preparation offices in southern Washington; and
9 WHEREAS, She was elected to the Washington state House of
10 Representatives in a special election in 1983; and
11 WHEREAS, Linda was elected to the Washington State Senate in 1987
12 giving her party the majority in the state senate where her work
13 included sponsoring legislation promoting children, families, the
14 elderly, and agriculture; and
15 WHEREAS, In 1992 and 1993 she was a successful proponent of
16 Washington Initiative Measure No. 601 and Washington Initiative
17 Measure No. 134; and
18 WHEREAS, I-601 successfully limited state expenditures by
19 inflation rate and population growth for years and I-134 instituted
20 regulations and accountability for political contributions and
21 campaign expenditures; and
22 WHEREAS, She was sued over I-601 and she raised the money to
23 defend it and won at the state Supreme Court; and
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1 WHEREAS, She was known for getting things done because she
2 would never bargain away principles when she got behind a cause;
3 and
4 WHEREAS, She was elected to the United States Congress in
5 the general election of 1994 after perhaps the first successful
6 congressional primary write-in campaign in United States
7 history; and
8 WHEREAS, She represented Washington's 3rd Congressional
9 District where she served for two terms leading on issues like
10 her "Clean Up Congress Act" to implement campaign finance
11 reform, she led a bipartisan effort to defeat the historic
12 influence tobacco had in Congress, she ended the practice of
13 congressional leaders passing out special interest PAC checks on
14 the floor of Congress, pushing for a balanced budget amendment,
15 bringing reason to the Endangered Species Act, she chaired the
16 Small Business committee on small business taxation,
17 relentlessly worked to lower taxes, worked to reduce regulations
18 on small business owners, and was a leader on international
19 human rights; and
20 WHEREAS, After serving in Congress, Linda started Shared
21 Hope International, an organization that seeks to prevent child
22 sex trafficking, restore worth and dignity to those caught in
23 the child sex trade, and bring justice to victims and education
24 and prevention tools to the public; and
25 WHEREAS, In 2001 she formed the War Against Trafficking
26 Alliance, an organization to coordinate regional and
27 international efforts to fight sex trafficking; and
28 WHEREAS, Linda is a published author on the scourge of sex
29 trafficking; and
30 WHEREAS, Linda has been a tireless advocate for those with
31 no voice, seeking prevention, justice, and restoration for
32 families and communities affected by sex trafficking;
33 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Washington State
34 Senate recognize and honor Linda Smith's contributions in state
35 and federal government for advocating for children and families,
36 and her contributions to uplift and restore individuals and
37 families caught in the vicious cycle of sex trafficking.
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1 I, Sarah Bannister, Secretary of the Senate,
2 do hereby certify that this is a true and
3 correct copy of Senate Resolution 8680,
4 adopted by the Senate
5 February 23, 2024
6 SARAH BANNISTER
7 Secretary of the Senate
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