October 14, 2023

Newsletter: How did school districts spend $1 billion in student aid? We’re not sure

An audit by the U.S. Department of Education found that Washington state school officials had little oversight in how school districts spent $1 billion in student funding, 20% of which was intended to help students catch up from learning loss as a result of COVID shutdowns. The Seattle Times reported...
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September 15, 2023

Newsletter: Our kids are still behind academically due to pandemic shutdowns

Dear Friends and Neighbors, The state of Washington’s K-12 education system remains one of my top priorities as we approach the 2024 legislative session. And, according to the Seattle Times, significant learning loss remains a critical problem.   The equity issue of our time Last year, I worked to get...
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September 11, 2023

Newsletter: Gas prices expected to increase again — by 6 cents per gallon

Dear Friends and Neighbors, As I shared in my previous newsletter, I suspected the carbon-pricing auction held by the Washington State Department of Ecology on August 30 (as part of the Democrats’ “cap-and-tax” plan) would result in another increase in the price of fuel. The results of that auction were...
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September 11, 2023

Braun: Legislature has duty to reconvene Redistricting Commission

OLYMPIA…Senate Republican Leader John Braun shared the following comments on the heels of two recent court decisions saying Washington’s legislative district maps, which were created by the Washington State Redistricting Commission during the 2022 redistricting process and went into effect this year, must be redrawn for the 15th Legislative District....
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September 07, 2023

Republican leader calls for new path toward housing affordability

20th District senator says Democrat colleague’s proposal to reduce pain at pump also deserves consideration CENTRALIA… The excessive financial windfall from Washington’s cap-and-tax policy should be used to address the affordability crisis facing the state’s homeowners and renters, says Senate Republican Leader John Braun. As of last month, state government had...
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August 30, 2023

Newsletter: Attorney General’s office tells PSE to hide reason for increase to your power bill

Dear friends and neighbors, Republicans have talked a lot about the record increases in the price of gas. We’ve been clear that the tax program the Democrats refer to as “cap-and-trade” or “cap-and-invest” (but we call “cap-and-tax”) is to blame for Washington having the highest/second-highest gas prices in the nation. ...
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August 21, 2023

Newsletter: What are your legislative priorities for 2024?

Dear friends and neighbors, Although the legislature isn’t in session, it’s important to continue updating you on developments that will affect your families. At the moment, Washington has the second-highest gas prices in the nation. On Aug. 30, another carbon credit auction for the Democrat-sponsored cap-and-tax program will take place....
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August 07, 2023

Newsletter: Long-term care tax hits everyone’s paychecks

Another example of how the government thinks it can spend your money more wisely than you can Did you notice recently that the state of Washington deducted an additional 0.58% of your paycheck? This is to fund what the Democrats are calling “Washington Cares,” which is a state-administered long-term care...
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July 20, 2023

Governor’s “Cap and Gouge” program responsible for highest gas prices nationwide, says Braun

OLYMPIA…Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, released the following comments today after the governor and legislative Democrats held a news conference to announce legislation aimed at limiting the profits of oil companies. Braun reinforced his previous statement about what is causing Washington’s gas prices to remain the highest in the...
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