Dan Kristiansen

Daniel P. Kristiansen (born December 13, 1962) is an American politician of the Republican Party. He is a member of the Washington House of Representatives, representing the 39th district, and the House Minority Leader.^[1][2]

Controversy

In 2010, Washington State officials received a formal complaint regarding Representative Kristiansen's campaign finances. According to state law, contributions from a single business were legally capped at $1600 per election. The Rairdon Auto Group, however, contributed four times that amount. This was accomplished by writing 4 separate checks for $1600, with each originating from 4 different Rairdon dealership locations. The dealerships shared ownership and board members, and the donations bore identical dates. During Representative Kristiansen's 2010 campaign for the legislature, the independence of the dealerships was called into question, as well as the legality of using multiple business locations to circumvent campaign contribution limits.^[3]

In 2009, shortly before receiving campaign contributions from the Rairdon Auto Group, Representative Kristiansen cosponsored HB 2182. The purpose of HB 2182 was to reduce business and operations taxes for automotive dealers and automotive service providers. Legislative documents describe HB 2182 as "AN ACT Relating to reducing the business and occupation tax rate for retailers, wholesalers, and service providers of motor vehicles" and an amendment of RCW 82.04.860.^[4]

References