Peter Jaret Abbarno (born September 24, 1975) is an American attorney, businessman, and politician from Washington. He is a Republican member of

Washington House of Representatives The Washington House of Representatives is the lower house of the Washington State Legislature, and along with the Washington State Senate makes up the legislature of the U.S. state of Washington. It is composed of 98 Representatives from 49 ...

for

District 20 A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...

. Abbarno took office on January 11, 2021.

Education

In 1997, Abbarno earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from

State University of New York at Fredonia The State University of New York at Fredonia (alternatively SUNY Fredonia, Fredonia State, or Fredonia) is a public university in Fredonia, New York. It is the westernmost member of the State University of New York. Founded in 1826, it is the six ...

. In 2008, Abbarno earned a

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

degree from

Vermont Law School Vermont Law and Graduate School (VLGS) is a private law and public policy graduate school in South Royalton, Vermont. It is the only ABA-accredited law school in the state. It offers several degrees, including Juris Doctor (JD), Master of Law ...

. In 2009, Abbarno earned a master's degree in Laws in taxation from the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

Career

Abbarno was a deputy assistant prosecuting attorney in King County Juvenile Court. In 2010, Abbarno joined the law firm of Olson Althauser Samuelson and Rayan (aka Althauser Rayan Abbarno, LLP) in

Centralia, Washington Centralia () is a city in Lewis County, Washington, Lewis County, Washington (state), Washington, United States. It is located along Interstate 5 in Washington, Interstate 5 near the midpoint between Seattle and Portland, Oregon. The city had a ...

. In 2015, Abbarno was elected to the Centralia City Council. On November 3, 2020, Abbarno won the election and became a Republican member of

for

, Position 1. Abbarno defeated Timothy Zahn with 70.84% of the votes.

Legislation

Abbarno twice introduced House Bill 1004, known as Zack's Law. The bill requires the state to post warnings of the dangers of jumping from bridges and subsequent drowning hazards, with particular outreach to provide information regarding

cold water shock Cold shock response is a series of neurogenic cardio-respiratory responses caused by sudden immersion in cold water. In cold water immersions, such as by falling through thin ice, cold shock response is perhaps the most common cause of death. Als ...

. The law was named after Zachary Lee Rager, an experienced swimmer who perished from cold water shock while jumping into the Chehalis River from a trestle bridge on the

Willapa Hills Trail The Willapa Hills Trail is a intercounty rail trail in the U.S. state of Washington that is part of the Willapa Hills State Park. Following an east–west route alongside State Route 6, the tract links Chehalis and South Bend, traveling throu ...

. The legislature unanimously passed the bill in 2023 by a vote of 95–0. The law also stipulates that a memorial sign about Rager be placed near the bridge where his death occurred.

Awards

* 2019 Person of the Year. Presented by The Chronicle. * 2021 Legislator of the Year. Presented by The Washington Association of Agricultural Educators.archived

Personal life

Abbarno's wife is Holly Abbarno. They have two children. Abbarno and his family live in

References

External links

Peter Abbarno at ballotpedia.org

Peter Abbarno at centralialaw.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abbarno, Peter 1975 births Living people 21st-century members of the Washington State Legislature People from Centralia, Washington Washington (state) lawyers Republican Party members of the Washington House of Representatives