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This 1990 photo shows (left to right) Reps. Mary Margaret Haugen, Joe King (who was House Speaker then), Maria Cantwell and Jennifer Belcher during a growth management meeting. Haugen, Cantwell and Belcher were three of the six "Steel Magnolias" in the House who helped craft the Growth Management Act. (Photos courtesy of Washington State Archives)
Movie fans remember the 1989 comedy-drama "Steel Magnolias," featuring a powerful female cast including Sally Field, Julia Roberts, Shirley MacLaine, Olympia Dukakis, Daryl Hannah and Dolly Parton. A year after that movie was released, six female state representatives in Olympia were dubbed the "Steel Magnolias" for their grit and cooperative style that produced a landmark piece of legislation in 1990. Their perseverance led to passage of the Growth Management Act, which transformed land-use regulation in Washington. The “Steel Magnolias” included Jennifer Belcher, chair of the House Natural Resources and Parks Committee; Maria Cantwell, chair of House Trade and Economic Development Committee; Busse Nutley, chair of the House Housing Committee; Mary Margaret Haugen, chair of the House Local Government Committee; Ruth Fisher, chair of the House Transportation Committee; and Nancy Rust, chair of the House Environmental Affairs Committee. The collection of photos featuring Olympia's "Steel Magnolias" is the second Archives Treasure for March. Our third and final Archives Treasure will be featured here Wednesday, so watch for it!Image
The House's "Steel Magnolias" join House Speaker Joe King (middle) at a news conference announcing growth management legislation. The Steel Magnolias included Reps. Busse Nutley (second from left), Mary Margaret Haugen, Maria Cantwell, Jennifer Belcher, Ruth Fisher and Nancy Rust.
