Legislators serving the 9th District will hold a town-hall meeting by telephone on the evening of Monday, Feb. 22. The conversation will begin at 6:30 p.m. and last approximately an hour; Sen. Mark Schoesler, Rep. Joe Schmick and Rep. Mary Dye will participate from the state Capitol, where the 2016 legislative session has reached its halfway point.

Many residents will receive invitations by phone just before the meeting begins; those wishing to call in simply need to dial 1-800-269-1146. To participate online, go to listen.townhallinteractive.com and use 742951 as the PIN.

“I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to discuss the issues that matter most to the citizens of the 9th District during our telephone town hall,” said Dye, R-Pomeroy. “With Olympia being so far away from our district, I’m looking forward to answering questions people have as well as getting to hear straight from them about legislation that impacts their daily lives. I’m lucky to be joined by my colleagues, Representative Schmick and Senator Schoesler, and am looking forward to the discussions that will take place between us all.”

“These events have been very successful in the past and serve as a convenient way to reach a large number of 9th District residents,” said Schmick, R-Colfax. “Our district is quite large. This give folks from all over the district the opportunity to speak with their representatives in Olympia.  I’m looking forward to a robust discussion as our citizens are very involved in their state government.”

“This will be a great time for us to visit because budget proposals should be on the table by then, and we will have a good idea about which bills are likely to reach the governor’s desk,” said Schoesler, R-Ritzville, who is in his second year as Senate majority leader. “We can also talk about some of the state-agency issues that have cropped up and how we have stepped in to bring more accountability to Olympia.”

The 2016 legislative session is scheduled to end March 10.