Vancouver – Rep. Paul Harris, R-Vancouver, was honored as a YMCA Legislative Champion for 2017 to recognize his work helping children, families and healthy communities.
Harris is championing legislation to prohibit the sale of cigarettes, tobacco products and vapor products to those under 21. He’s also working on a measure to assess physical education in public schools. The Washington State Alliance presented Harris the award last week in Olympia.
“My goal is to get tobacco products out of our schools. The younger a person starts smoking or using tobacco, the more likely they are to become addicted and have serious health problems later in life,” Harris said. “The physical education bill I am supporting will ensure we are finding a balance between exercising our kids’ minds and bodies. We become so focused on the mind that we forget the importance of physical exertion.”
Harris is serving his fourth term in the statehouse. He also served 10 years on the Evergreen school board and is active in the community with Boy Scouts of America and serves as an Explorer Scout leader.
