Higher energy taxes on the way? There are several good bills that should have advanced, but died in one chamber or the other. There are also a large number of bills that I wish would have died, but didn’t — including a constitutionally questionable income tax proposal, a cap-and-tax carbon scheme, a high cost fuels standard, ... Read More...

There’s a better way… This week, Senate Democrats held a debate and vote on their $59 billion, two-year budget spending proposal. The budget assumes the enactment of an income tax on capital gains, which has has already passed the Senate and awaits a vote in the House. During the floor debate on the budget, Senate... Read More...

Tax and Spend is Back Again in Dem Budget With so much money coming into the state, there is clearly no reason for tax increases, yet this week Democrats introduced an operating budget plan that spends the entire rainy day fund and still relies on the creation of a new and most-likely unconstitutional income tax on capital gains. A... Read More...

BREAKING NEWS: Republicans Offer Reopen WA Plan Today I lead my Senate and House Republican colleagues in releasing our Open Safe, Open Now plan for Phase 3 and beyond. I wanted to make sure you had an opportunity to hear about this plan first-hand. Below is the press release we sent out to the media, along with... Read More...

Cops under attack! The most disturbing trend we saw last week was the majority’s war on law enforcement. After hours of debate, the Senate passed SB 5051 to consolidate, in one agency, the power to revoke certification from any officer from any department. Passing Senate Bill 5051 is that first step in losing control... Read More...

It’s about time! We’re officially in Phase 2. The most important news of the week came on Valentine’s Day, when our South Central region finally got the good news that we were moving into Phase 2 of the Governor’s reopening plan. This achievement was hard-earned and came only after heartbreaking news that we wouldn’t advance came on Thursday.... Read More...

Preventing youth suicides and school shootings The first two weeks of the 2021 session are behind us and things are picking up in Olympia. While this session has been anything other than normal, with hearings and floor actions taking place remotely, the legislative process continues to move forward. There were several major proposals put forth, including... Read More...

Can your voice still be heard in this very different session? Greetings from Olympia! The 2021 legislative session is under way, but it doesn’t look anything like any session we have had before. Due to the rule changes made by the Legislature’s majority party because of COVID-19, this session will be conducted primarily online, with only a few select lawmakers and... Read More...

In the home stretch There is less than one week left in the 2020 legislative session. On Friday the Senate completed its work on legislation not necessary to implement the budget that was passed and sent to us by the House of Representatives. On Saturday, the Senate was in session to begin what we... Read More...