OLYMPIA - Sen. Janéa Holmquist Newbry, R-Moses Lake, was recently named chair of the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee, and will head the bipartisan coalition when the 2013 legislative session begins Jan. 14.

"My number-one priority for my district and for the state as a whole is creating jobs and getting this state's economy growing again," said Holmquist Newbry. "The last thing I want is for the sort of partisanship that paralyzes Washington, D.C. to get in the way of finding solutions here in Olympia."

Holmquist Newbry will also be a member of the Senate Republican Caucus and the new Majority Coalition Caucus when the 2013 session begins.

Holmquist Newbry was previously involved in several bipartisan coalitions over the past few legislative sessions, according to a recent press release, including a coalition in 2011 that produced unemployment insurance and workers' compensation reforms.

"Those efforts came together during relatively short periods of time, so I'm really looking forward to seeing what this new coalition can do, being in place from day one of the 2013 session," said Holmquist Newbry.

Holmquist Newbry said there are still areas in the state's government that need reform, and working cooperatively across party lines is a way lawmakers can focus on state needs.

Under the coalition's new committee structure, six of the Senate's 15 committees will be chaired by Democrats and six will be chaired by Republicans. The remaining three committees will have Republican and Democratic co-chairs.

"By fundamentally changing how the policy and fiscal committees operate, Democrats won't be able to block all of the Republican bills and vice versa, and legislation with bipartisan support should have the best chance of making it through." said Holmquist Newbry.