Learning at the Legislature: 19th District’s JD Rossetti Transitions From Aide to Lawmaker

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State Rep. JD Rossetti’s Wednesday work day at the Capitol started before 8 a.m. with a cup of coffee in a Washington State University mug.

The former Starbucks barista and a WSU-Vancouver graduate took a look at his multicolored, packed schedule for the day and remainder of the week. 

“We’re going constantly,” he said.

Rossetti represents the 19th Legislative District, which includes a chunk of Lewis County west of Highway 603 and south of state Route 6, enveloping portions of Napavine, Winlock and the Boistfort Valley. The district stretches from Aberdeen to Longview. 

For Rossetti, Wednesday’s legislative lineup included a committee hearing, caucus, a quick meeting about the Chehalis River Basin to discuss scheduling and a timeline and a chat with an automobile industry representative, followed by meetings with constituents and their bills of interest.

It’s just one of many busy days during the 60-day legislative session, but Rossetti, D-Longview, knew what he was getting into before joining the ranks of Washington state lawmakers.

He previously interned for former Sen. Brian Hatfield and worked as an aide for Rep. Brian Blake, D-Aberdeen. But now, after being appointed to a seat previously held by fellow 19th District Democrat Dean Takko in October, he’s got his own office — his first office. When Hatfield left to take a position in Gov. Jay Inslee’s administration, county commissioners chose Takko to fill the Senate seat, opening an opportunity for Rossetti, who replaced Takko in the House.

Located in the John L. O’Brien Building, his office is complete with a coffee maker, of course, a view of the dome, a map of the 19th District and family photos. 

He pulled one down to show a Chronicle reporter Wednesday morning before an 8:30 a.m. committee hearing. 

It was of a Little League team bookended by Rossetti and his wife, Amber. Their three boys, Cadin, Jude and Boston, all played on the same team that year. It doesn’t usually happen, Rossetti said. That’s why he chose that photo for his office. 

It’s his family, his kids, that led the 34-year-old to choose education as his focus in Olympia. He serves on the Education committee, as well as Transportation and Technology & Economic Development committees. 

He said if he has to work on policies he wants to work on ones that will impact his kids. Working on education helps him feel connected to his family. 

He’s also continuing serving on the Longview School Board, which he was elected to in 2013.

Serving there has helped him consider state education issues from a local level, he said.

Right now, he, and his colleagues have a big education issue to tackle — fully funding schools as required under the McCleary decision.

The McCleary workgroup recently released a plan to address the decision. Rossetti said he most wants to see levy reform so levies for rural schools aren’t so high compared to urban areas.

“We still have a long way to go to solve (it),” he said, but noted that steps were taken last session to increase funding to schools. 

Rossetti’s been regularly walking the halls under the dome and following the McCleary decision since it dropped.

But his interest in politics and government goes back further than 2011, when Rossetti first interned for a legislator. It started even before he graduated from high school.

“I was kind of a nerd growing up. I still am,” he said.

He ran for a student office at Rainier High School on the slogan, “Remember Spaghetti, Vote for Rossetti.”

It got laughs then too, he told The Chronicle. 

When he decided to go to college at Lower Columbia College nearly a decade after graduating from Rainier, he again got involved and served as president of the Associated Students of LCC. 

It was then that he learned public service was his passion and he wanted to keep going with it.



While at WSU in Vancouver in 2011, he got an internship with Hatfield and his first taste of a  legislative session at the Capitol.

Since then, Rossetti has been involved with legislators as an aide but also got to provide input to enact change. 

During his time in Olympia, he’s learned that sometimes the most important meetings happen in the hallways. Constituents and lobbyists alike snagged Rossetti for a few moments between appointments. 

“My philosophy is just to take every opinion that comes,” he said. That doesn’t mean he’ll agree with it, but he’s willing to talk about it.

The constituents, Mark Smith and Bruce Barnes, discussed the support they’re gathering on a bill sponsored by Rossetti that aims to have a citizen chair on Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife workgroups instead of an employee chair that increases the agency’s control. The bill came as a response to an elk hoof disease work group.

Rossetti is the primary sponsor on six other bills so far this session, including two that he thinks might be tough to pass.

He has a bill to prevent unfunded mandates, requiring all legislation that needs a school district fiscal note to include funding or identify a resource for the money, not including local levies or federal funds, might be tough to pass. As of Wednesday afternoon, 12 other lawmakers had signed on to it.

He also thinks his bill to stop allowing the state to use school district federal forest land funds as a way to offset its basic education allocations to those schools could see some opposition.

Sponsoring legislation — signing his name to bills and speaking to them — has been the biggest transition from aide to representative, he said.

“People know who to be mad at,” he said. 

He also doesn’t get weekends off anymore, but he doesn’t mind, he said. 

Not all citizens of District 19 get the same days off and he wants to be available to talk to the residents about their issues even if their opinions differ.

“In this work it’s not about me. It’s about the constituents I represent,” he said.

Rossetti is the primary sponsor on six additional bills so far this legislative session, including two that he thinks might be tough to pass.

He has a bill to prevent unfunded mandates, requiring all legislation that needs a school district fiscal note to include funding or identify a resource for the money, not including local levies or federal funds. 

As of Wednesday afternoon, 12 other lawmakers had signed on to it.

He also thinks his bill to stop allowing the state to use school district federal forest land funds as a way to offset its basic education allocations to those schools could see some opposition.

Sponsoring legislation — signing his name to bills and speaking to them — has been the biggest transition from aide to representative, he said.

“People know who to be mad at,” he said. 

He also doesn’t get weekends off anymore, but he doesn’t mind, he said. 

Not all citizens of District 19 get the same days off and he wants to be available to talk to the residents about their issues even if their opinions differ.

“In this work it’s not about me. It’s about the constituents I represent,” he said.