Rep. Laurie Jinkins: A Busy First Year

Our guest today is state Representative Laurie Jinkins. Laurie represents Washington’s 27th legislative district, a vaguely mushroom-shaped piece of northern Pierce County that includes most of Tacoma and all of Ruston, and stretches from Fife in the east to Highway 16 in the west. Representative Jinkins is midway through her first two-year term in the House. Before running for office in 2010, Laurie was – and still is -- deputy director of the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, managing its daily operations. She’s served as Washington state’s assistant secretary of health, and as a young law-school graduate she worked as assistant state attorney general in Tacoma. She’s also a board member, director or member of far too many civic organizations to mention. In Olympia, Laurie is vice chair of the House Healthcare and Wellness Committee, and sits on the transportation, capital budget and environment committees as well.