VIDEO | Abbarno opposes energy bill: “Self-imposed harm” on families (House Bill 1903)

February 14, 2026

Rep. Peter Abbarno, R-Chehalis, rises on the House floor to oppose House Bill 1903, highlighting what he sees as the deep irony of the legislation on Valentine’s Day. He argues that Washington State has over-taxed and over-regulated the energy sector to such an extent that it has created the very affordability crisis this bill seeks to address.

Abbarno contends that instead of addressing the root cause—state policies that drive up costs—the legislature is simply creating a new program to subsidize the high bills they helped create.

He emphasizes that his constituents are asking for lower energy bills, not government handouts necessitated by taxation that drives them into poverty.

Abbarno states that economic security is vital for community health and argues that the state should focus on actual affordability and energy diversity rather than “self-imposed harm.” He concludes by urging a “No” vote as a symbolic rejection of the cycle of taxing citizens into poverty only to offer them assistance to pay for the resulting costs.