Jay Robert Rodne (born March 21, 1966) is an American lawyer and politician of the Republican Party. He is a former member of the Washington House of Representatives, representing the 5th Legislative District.[2] Rodne is of Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians ancestry. He was appointed to the House in 2004 and did not seek reelection in 2018.[3]
Jay Rodne | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Washington House of Representatives from the 5th district | |
| In office January 20, 2004 – January 14, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Cheryl Pflug |
| Succeeded by | Bill Ramos |
| Snoqualmie City Council, Position No. 5 | |
| In office January 1, 2002 – January 20, 2004 | |
| Preceded by | Cathy (Runkle) Reed |
| Succeeded by | Maria Henriksen |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Jay Robert Rodne March 21, 1966 Minnesota[1] |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Heidi Lynne Rodne |
| Residence | Snoqualmie, Washington |
| Alma mater | Creighton University (BA) Gonzaga University (JD) University of Washington (MHA) |
| Profession | Lawyer |
| Website | Official |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Marine Corps |
| Years of service | 1989 – 1993 [4 years] (active) 1993 – present [31 years] (reserve) |
| Rank |  Colonel |
Career
editRodne was the primary sponsor for 13 bills in the 2015–2016 session.[4] His most recent co-sponsored bill was HB 2453 that passed unanimously and is designed to improve oversight at state mental hospitals.[5] His committee assignments included Transportation, Health Care and Wellness, and Judiciary, where he was the ranking minority member.
Rodne is a Colonel in the USMC Reserve. He has been the commanding officer of 4th Landing Support Battalion, headquartered in Fort Lewis, Washington. He deployed overseas as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. During his active duty years, he deployed to Operation Restore Hope in Somalia and Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm in the Persian Gulf War.[6]
Comments about Islam
editFollowing the November 2015 Paris attacks which ISIS claimed responsibility for, Rodne made a Facebook post claiming that President Obama "wants to import 1.5 million Muslims into the U.S." The Seattle Times found Rodne's claim to be false.[7] After receiving criticism for his comments, Rodne said, "The majority of the world's 1.2 billion Muslims are peaceful and want nothing more than to live in peace. And if they are here in America, they want nothing more than to live and enjoy our freedoms."[8]
Lobbying career
editIn April 2019, he registered as a foreign agent to consult and lobby for the Kingdom of Cambodia. His consulting company co-owned with state senator Doug Ericksen will be paid $500,000 a year to arrange official visits between the countries and business leaders.[9]
References
edit- ^ "Legislative Manual, 2017-2018" (PDF). Washington Legislature. 2017. Retrieved 2021-12-24.
- ^ "Jay Rodne". votesmart.org. Retrieved 2012-07-09.
- ^ "5th District state Rep. Jay Rodne of Snoqualmie won't seek re-election". The Seattle Times. 2018-02-28. Retrieved 2019-04-06.
- ^ "Representative Jay Rodne 2015-16". Archived from the original on 2017-07-18.
- ^ "Bill to improve oversight at Western State Hospital passes House - Washington State House Republicans". Archived from the original on 2016-03-16. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
- ^ "About Rep. Jay Rodne". houserepublicans.wa.gov.
- ^ Truth Needle: Is Obama trying to import 1.5 million Muslims?. The Seattle Times, November 18, 2015.
- ^ Oxley, Dyer (November 20, 2015). "State rep. from Snoqualmie under fire for 'bigoted' and 'Islamaphobic' comments". KIRO. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
- ^ "A Washington state senator praised the Cambodian government last year. Then it gave him a $500,000 lobbying contract". The Seattle Times. 2019-04-05. Retrieved 2019-04-06.