Tax season in Olympia Dear Friends, On Sunday, April 28 at 11:59 p.m., the 2019 legislative session came to an end. And not a moment too soon… for in the final days and hours, majority Democrats passed several measures that will increase costs for many Washington residents in the near future. Operating budget.  House Bill... Read More...

Brown blockchain bill signed by governor Gov. Inslee signed a bill today sponsored by Sen. Sharon Brown that will recognize the validity of distributed ledger technology, including technology commonly known as blockchain. Substitute Senate Bill 5638 encourages the development of distributed ledger technology, which can help with the management of digital records. This bill ensures an... Read More...

Wrapping up the 2019 legislative session? Dear Friends, Greetings from Olympia! This week marks the final few days of the 2019 legislative session – the regular session, that is, meaning the 105 days allotted by the state constitution. Although lawmakers have put in many long hours, we still do not have final operating, transportation and capital budgets because... Read More...

Your 2nd Amendment right under attack Dear Friends, Greetings from Olympia! This week was filled with late-night votes on the floor of the Senate as we reached the cutoff for approving legislation sent over by the House. We are now in the final stage of the session, when the work is focused on two things: ironing... Read More...

Supporting sexual-assault survivors Dear Friends, Greetings from Olympia! This week was filled with long committee meetings and late-night votes on the floor of the Senate as we reached the fiscal deadline for committees to act on legislation. Lawmakers still have lots of work to do, putting the finishing touches on bills and negotiating... Read More...

Expanding opportunities in higher education Dear Friends, Greetings from Olympia! This week was filled with long committee meetings as we reached another deadline for committees to act on legislation. This included a Ways and Means committee hearing that concluded with a vote in the dark of night (literally, at 1:30 a.m.) by the Senate Democrat... Read More...

Join me Wednesday evening for a ‘telephone’ town hall! Dear Friends, Greetings from Olympia! Last weekend I had the opportunity to give our community a legislative update at an 8th Legislative District town hall meeting in Richland. Representatives Boehnke and Klippert and I had a great turnout, and I thank everyone who was able to attend. For those who... Read More...

Brown, Schoesler, Walsh to hold ‘Benton-Franklin County’ telephone town hall State Sens. Sharon Brown, Mark Schoesler and Maureen Walsh are inviting residents in Benton and Franklin counties to take part in a telephone town hall from 6 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 3. Brown, R-Kennewick, serves the 8th Legislative District, which includes part of Benton County. Schoesler, R-Ritzville, represents the... Read More...

When the economy is generating so much revenue, why propose more taxes? Dear Friends, Greetings from Olympia! The Legislature needs to adopt a new state budget before we can adjourn, and that means we need to know how much tax revenue is available to continue supporting vital services and programs (such as K-12 education) and for new investments. The latest revenue figures... Read More...

Legislative Cutoff: an update on my bills that survived! Dear Friends, Greetings from Olympia! Wednesday marked the “house of origin” cutoff for this session. That meant the deadline for the full Senate to approve any bill originating in the Senate – and by doing so, to keep that bill “alive” for the House to consider this session. The exceptions... Read More...