Tenure
In the state senate, Baumgartner represented parts of the City of Spokane, Airway Heights, and Cheney including Eastern Washington University.
In 2012, he was named one of the National Federation of Independent Business's Guardians of Business, the highest award they offer, in recognition of his votes that side "100 Percent" with small businesses. The Association of Washington Business awarded him their 'Cornerstone Award' also, in recognition of his support for employers, economic development, and business-related issues in the Washington State Legislature.
During his tenure, Baumgartner pushed to improve infrastructure in Eastern Washington, including securing the $900 million funding needed to complete the north–south corridor route first proposed sixty years ago, being the sole local Republican to support the major transportation package, helping lead successful efforts to build a new medical school in Spokane which addressed physician shortages in underserved and rural areas of Eastern Washington, which contributed to boosting healthcare economy jobs growth. The medical school, which was directed to be spearheaded by Washington State University, was originally blocked due to a 100-year old law that had given the University of Washington a monopoly on training doctors in the state. Baumgartner lead efforts to repeal the law, ultimately being successful in 2015.
Baumgartner considered public education a top priority during his tenure and led efforts to halt increases and reduce tuition for public universities by 20% in Washington State in 2015, including the University of Washington and Washington State University. It is currently the largest successful tuition reduction in the country's history. He has consistently fought for charter schools, which received significant opposition from the Washington State teachers' union Washington Education Association.
In 2016, he intervened in the expulsion of an American Samoan student, Robert Barber, from Washington State University. Barber had been only one credit short of a college degree when he was accused of involvement in a brawl. Baumgartner told a meeting of WSU regents: "If you don't fix this, I goddamn will." Barber was reinstated to the student body, and was later found innocent of all criminal charges.
During the 2016 presidential election primaries, Baumgartner chaired Scott Walker's campaign for president in the state of Washington.
In February 2018, Baumgartner was one of a handful of Washington State legislators to vote against a bill that would have exempted legislators from public records rules.
In 2018, he received the Champion of Freedom award from the Washington Policy Center.
At the 2018 legislative session conclusion, Baumgartner introduced a satirical resolution calling for April 1 to be celebrated as "Governor Jay Inslee Integrity Day", mocking the Governor for his about-turn on vetoing public records legislation.
Committee assignments
In 2011 and 2012, Baumgartner was the ranking minority member of the Economic Development Trade & Innovation Committee, served on the Ways & Means Committee, and the Higher Education & Workforce Development Committee.
In 2013, two Democrats joined with the 23 Republicans to form the Majority Coalition Caucus. With the new coalition, Baumgartner was named Vice-Chairman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, and was also assigned to the Senate Trade and Economic Development Committee, the Higher Education Committee, and the Human Services and Corrections Committee.
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