Author Archives: ericcampbell

Braun bill aimed at getting chronically absent students to re-engage with classes, resume path to graduation

OLYMPIA… Chronic absenteeism is among the major obstacles preventing Washington children from recovering from pandemic-related learning loss. Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, has introduced legislation to help school administrators, teachers and parents get students to show up to school and take part in class.

Senate Bill 5850 would provide support for students who are at risk for not graduating high school due to chronic absenteeism. Sen. Lisa Wellman, D-Mercer Island and chair of the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee, is co-sponsoring Braun’s bill. It’s based on a pilot program underway in the state’s Educational Service District 112, which serves southwest Washington.

“Nothing good happens when kids either don’t show up at all or do show up but wander the school halls without attending class,” said Braun. “The students who are already struggling to work at grade level risk falling so far behind that they may not graduate, which jeopardizes their future earning potential and quality of life. School administrators are frustrated because they feel ill-equipped to enforce attendance policies. And no matter how many billions of dollars go into K-12, some of that investment is effectively lost when desks sit empty day after day.

“Many students who chronically skip school or become ‘hall walkers’ are dealing with family issues, substance-abuse disorder, or mental-health issues. Others just don’t care to show up or they wander around as if school attendance policies mean nothing. This can’t continue,” Braun added. “Fortunately, it’s not a partisan issue, as no one opposes the idea of getting students back on track. This legislation is about improving the safety net in ways that will help school-age children to become students again – to reengage and resume their path to a high-school diploma.”

SB 5850, filed Dec. 15, will receive a formal referral to Sen. Wellman’s committee when the 2024 legislative session convenes Jan. 8. People who want to testify in support of this bill once it is scheduled for a committee hearing may do so in person or remotely.

Background:

Under Washington’s current compulsory attendance law, parents of students who are between 8 and 18 years of age must enroll them in a public school or private school, or they must provide the child with home-based instruction. If a child does not attend, the school district must designate and identify to the local juvenile court and to the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) someone to coordinate school district efforts to address excessive absenteeism and truancy,

Under state law and OSPI rules, a student may be eligible to enroll in a statewide dropout-reengagement program if the student meets certain criteria including:

Has not met the high-school graduation requirements,
Is significantly behind in credits,
Has been recommended by a case manager, and
Is not currently enrolled in any high-school classes that receive state basic-education funding.

Summary of SB 5850:

Defines “students who are chronically absent” as students who miss 10% or more school days for any reason including excused and unexcused absences and suspensions.
Requires Washington’s nine educational service districts (ESDs) to develop and maintain the capacity to offer training and coaching for educators and other school district staff, including those designated under current state law, on the development of robust early-warning systems to identify and locate students who are chronically absent and connect them with necessary supports, subject to appropriations.
Directs OSPI to establish a grant program for community-based organizations and tribes to support students who are chronically absent, subject to appropriations.
Requires OSPI to allocate funding, subject to appropriations, to ESDs, school districts, and public schools to help eliminate barriers to high school completion for students who are:
1. 16 to 21 years of age,
2. are severely deficient in academic credits,
3. unable to graduate high school with their peer group, and
4. enrolled in a statewide dropout-reengagement program.
Specifies that OSPI must allocate funding on a per-student basis based on enrollment in a statewide reengagement program and that the funding be differentiated and include a base amount of funding for small and/or rural school districts.
Continues the grant program and per-student funding through December 31, 2026.

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Follow the Washington State Senate Republican Caucus
at www.src.wastateleg.org and @washingtonsrc.

STATEMENT: Just in time for summer driving, Inslee cap-and-tax scheme pushes Washington gas prices to highest in nation

CENTRALIA… The average price of a gallon of regular gasoline in Washington is now worst in the nation, and Senate Republican Leader John Braun says the state’s controversial cap-and-tax law is clearly the main driver of the price jump.

Braun, from Centralia, serves Washington’s largely rural 20th Legislative District. He offered this statement regarding the harm being caused to low- and middle-income Washington families, especially those in rural areas, by a law that functions as a gas tax while doing nothing to improve the state’s roads:

“No matter what you call it – cap-and-trade, cap-and-invest, or the more accurate cap-and-tax – this is also a case of bait-and-switch from Governor Inslee and the Democrats who currently run Olympia.

“Almost a year ago the governor defended this scheme by claiming any effect on gas prices would be ‘minimal’ or ‘pennies’ once 2023 arrived, and more of the law took hold. That was either ignorant or dishonest. A gallon of regular unleaded in our state cost $3.84 on average the first week of January. Today it’s $4.89. No one would call that ‘minimal’ or ‘pennies.’

“Those responsible for this harm keep trying to pin the shocking cost increase on the oil companies, yet I don’t hear them explaining why any oil producer would have incentive to raise prices in our state so dramatically in comparison to our neighbors. In Oregon you will pay $4.58 today, and $3.98 in Idaho. The Democrats’ cry of ‘price gouging’ just doesn’t stick when you set all the gas taxes aside and see Washington’s base cost is 20 cents more per gallon than Oregon and 54 cents more than Idaho.

“Midway through this year’s legislative session, as gas prices were falling most everywhere but here, Republicans again proposed a temporary suspension of the state gas tax. An immediate savings of nearly 50 cents per gallon obviously would have helped families lower their cost of living and employers lower the cost of doing business. But our Democratic colleagues showed no more empathy than they had in 2022, when Olympia had a $15 billion surplus and easily could have acted to make driving more affordable.

“If there is price gouging, it’s being done by the governor and his political allies. They have used the power of the state to turn carbon emissions into a commodity, as part of their crusade against fossil fuel and internal-combustion engines. And there’s no end in sight to the pain at the pump, just as the arrival of summer has people looking forward to some traveling and recreation. We must do better.”

STATEMENT: Republican leader cautious about drug-law ‘special’ session

CENTRALIA… State lawmakers have been called into a special session to continue work toward a new state law on the possession of controlled substances, after failing to come to an agreement before the regular legislative session ended April 23.

Senate Republican Leader John Braun offered this comment following Gov. Jay Inslee’s proclamation that the Legislature will reconvene May 16.

“The governor had indicated he would not call a special session until legislative leaders reached an agreement that is worth bringing in front of each chamber. To be clear, we’re not to that point yet, although there have been productive bipartisan discussions over the past week. In that sense his announcement today was unexpected.

“Republicans worked in good faith throughout the regular session toward a new law that will give drug offenders more incentive to enter and complete treatment. We remain committed to that. While I am hopeful for a better outcome this next time around, there is also reason to be cautious. The House Democrats will need to demonstrate a combination of bipartisanship and leadership that was missing during the 105 days of the regular session – especially at the end, when they failed to pass a proposal that was still far from reasonable, and Democrats from all corners falsely claimed that failure was somehow the fault of Republicans, even though we are in the minority.

“All along, Republicans have insisted on a new drug-possession policy that truly works for the stakeholders – law enforcement, the criminal-justice system, and local governments. They need more leverage to save lives, lift people out of the despair that goes with being addicted to drugs like fentanyl, and also reclaim our streets and sidewalks. That’s still the right path for the upcoming special session. We must do better.”

STATEMENT: Failure to reform state’s disastrous drug-possession law rests squarely with House Democrats, says Republican leader

OLYMPIA… The 2023 legislative session has ended without the passage of a new state law on the possession of controlled substances, leaving it up to counties and cities to put their own drug-possession laws in place once the state law adopted in 2021 expires July 1.

Senate Republican Leader John Braun responded with this:

“Our state’s misdemeanor drug-possession law has been a total disaster. Everyone can see the results on our streets and sidewalks and freeway rights-of-way. In the Senate we worked hard to craft a bill that would not only work for law enforcement and our courts and local governments but would also gain enough bipartisan support. We sent that very reasonable and responsible approach to the House, and the majority Democrats said no. They wanted a weaker version closer to the failed law that’s been in place for two years.

“Some of us on the Senate side have tried multiple times in the past few days to find middle ground. The House majority leaders refused to work with us. They also refused to work with their House Republican colleagues on something that would gain bipartisan support, as we had done in the Senate. Instead, they brought a proposal to the House floor tonight and watched it go down in flames.

“Leaders in the Senate worked across the aisle in good faith and stood firm behind the better version of the policy. What we saw from the House Democrats was a complete failure of leadership. It’s as though they are heartless about the death and despair that fentanyl and other hard drugs have caused across our state, including their own districts, for most of the past two years.

“Governor Inslee decries the homelessness situation as a ‘scourge’ but has passed up the opportunity to show leadership on the drug-use issue that is the root cause of so much homelessness. Some are already suggesting he could call a special session, so the majority Democrats can have a do-over. It’s not clear what they would accomplish in a special session that they couldn’t get done in this 105-day session. At this point the people of our state would probably be better off to trust their local prosecutors, law-enforcement leaders and mayors to deal with this at the community level, with their own drug-possession laws.”

The Senate had voted March 3 for a new policy that would make possession of hard drugs a gross misdemeanor, improving on the Legislature’s disastrous response to the state Supreme Court’s 2021 Blake decision. On April 11 the House of Representatives amended SB 5536 to limit the charge for possession to a misdemeanor. After the Senate refused on Friday to go along with the weaker version, negotiators from the two chambers emerged with a new proposal Saturday evening. It failed tonight by a 43-55 vote in the House.

STATEMENT: Braun praises work of outgoing House Republican Leader Wilcox

OLYMPIA… Senate Republican Leader John Braun offered this comment following Rep. J.T. Wilcox’s announcement today that he is stepping down as House Republican leader, a position he has held since March 2018:

“Representative Wilcox and I have similar experiences as legislators, from when we were elected and our budget-committee backgrounds to when we became leaders of our respective caucuses. In the course of working together during our annual sessions and at other times of the year, I’ve seen the unique challenges he has faced and appreciate how he has handled them with grace, conviction and his trademark good-natured humor.

“I could not have asked for a better legislative ally than Representative Wilcox. He and I also have become great friends outside of the Legislature, and as his friend I’m glad he is making this decision on his own timeline. I’ll miss working with him in a leadership capacity but I recognize the demands that go with being a caucus leader. He leaves that position having made the House Republican Caucus a stronger group of leaders than it was five years ago, and has set the bar high for his successor.”

Wilcox, R-Yelm, is in his seventh term serving Washington’s 2nd Legislative District and will continue in that position.

Funding for Chehalis Basin, behavioral health lead list of 20th District investments in state’s new capital budget

OLYMPIA… State government’s capital budget for 2023-25 has full legislative approval after receiving unanimous support today from the 49-member Senate. Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia, says the new spending plan will invest almost $133.5 million in the 20th Legislative District, including $70 million for property- and habitat-protection efforts in the Chehalis River Basin and $21 million for new behavior-health slots at Maple Lane.

The $8.98 billion plan, approved by the House of Representatives yesterday, is the smallest of the three biennial budgets that must be passed by lawmakers before the 2023 legislative session ends – but the investments it makes are often among the easiest for taxpayers to see and touch, as they often involve construction and other land-related projects.

“The success of the Chehalis Basin Strategy depends on a major, long-term commitment of funding from Olympia. This new capital budget represents another big step forward,” said Braun.

The additional spaces at Maple Lane are critical to expanding access to behavioral-health services, he added.

“Mental-health services and substance-use treatment are a part of the answer to the epidemics of violence and drug overdoses, and the rise in homelessness. Those all fall within the Senate Republican priority on public safety. Maple Lane has been part of the social and health services infrastructure in our state for a very long time, and this funding supports the beginning of a new chapter for that facility.”

The 20th District spans parts of Thurston, Lewis, Cowlitz and Clark counties. Each is represented on the list of projects in the new capital budget.

Overall, the state capital budget (Senate Bill 5200) appropriates a total of $9 billion in spending, including nearly $694 million for affordable-housing projects; $872 million for K-12 education projects; $1.5 billion in total funding for higher education; $884 million to address behavioral-health needs; and $2.4 billion for natural-resource projects that address water quality and supply, salmon recovery, outdoor recreation and conservation, state parks, state trust lands and more.

Braun called out the support for housing projects as being a better approach than the $4 billion housing scheme pushed by Gov. Jay Inslee this year. The capital budget includes $2.5 million for the Lewis County Homeless Shelter in Chehalis.

“Affordability is another Republican priority for this session, and housing figures very prominently in that. The governor equates billions more for housing as being the solution to homelessness. Clearly there is a need for more housing, as well as more shelter for people who are living on the streets, but that needs to be coupled with policies that lower the cost of constructing homes and get at the root causes of homelessness, like drug use,” Braun said.

“How this new capital budget approaches housing makes far more sense. It’s not just about housing that low-income people can afford, but about adding to the housing supply. That’s crucial to affordability.”

STATEMENT: Republican leaders call foul on Democrats’ late-session bid to raise property taxes

Sen. Lynda Wilson, R-17

OLYMPIA… In what amounts to the ninth inning of the 2023 legislative session, more than two-thirds of the state Senate’s majority Democrats have slid an extreme tax-increase proposal into the lineup of bills still in play.

Senate Bill 5770 would raise the limit on increases in state and local property taxes to 3% per year, without voter approval. It would replace the 1% annual cap established by Washington voters in 2001 through Initiative 747, and reenacted by a Democrat-controlled Legislature in a 2007 special session after the state Supreme Court invalidated the I-747 law.

The 20 Democrats sponsoring the new tax scheme include five of the eight Democratic senators behind SB 5618, a similar tax increase that died in the Senate local-government committee in mid-February. A similar House bill, HB 1670, has been parked in the House Rules Committee since Feb. 23.

Because Democrats include the state property tax in the bill, which affects state revenues, it is exempt from today’s cutoff for non-budget legislation. Because it was filed today, SB 5770 is also exempt from a constitutional provision that requires a two-thirds vote of the Legislature to introduce bills during the final 10 days of the session.

Sen. Lynda Wilson of Vancouver is Republican leader on the Senate Ways and Means Committee. She offered this reaction:

“Governments can always find more ways to spend the taxpayers’ money, but come on – state government already takes more from the people than it needs, and local governments can’t plead poverty either. Over the past decade the 30 largest cities in Washington and state government itself have seen their revenue grow more than 6%, and county governments are not far behind. The high rate of inflation alone is having the opposite effect on family incomes.

“A survey by the Tax Structure Work Group created by the Legislature found people dislike property taxes even more than even an income tax. I keep introducing legislation to lower property taxes for everyone by exempting the first $250,000 value of a home from the state property tax. The Democrats keep killing it. This year they came up with a ‘me too’ bill to offer property-tax rebates, then killed it also. It’s revealing that most of the sponsors of that legislation are behind this new tax bill.

“The Democrats got their capital-gains tax. Their deeply unpopular payroll tax, which was delayed for reasons we can all guess at, is back on track for collection starting in July. They killed their own Senate bill to lift the property-tax cap to 3%, and now it’s back with a text tweak that keeps it alive through the end of the session. The Democrats keep claiming Washington’s tax code is so regressive, then they support a scheme to triple the growth rate of a regressive tax. On top of that, they drop hints in the bill that the tax would go to support public safety and criminal justice… as though they’re the party of law and order. Unbelievable.”

Senate Republican Leader John Braun of Centralia made this comment:

“Reducing the cost of living is a Republican priority for 2023, This tax would significantly increase the affordability crisis in our state. On average residents of our state already pay $6,220 annually in state and local taxes. That’s in the upper third nationwide, nearly $1,000 more than Oregon and nearly $2,100 more than Idaho. A property-tax increase not only means a higher cost of living, but when we talk about the need for housing people can afford, it also affects the ability of people to continue affording the homes they already own. Enabling property taxes to go up 3% per year instead of 1% is going to be the tipping point for some homeowners.

“As much as I would like to dismiss SB 5770 as a late-session stunt, we must take it seriously. The senators sponsoring this bill include a member of the Senate Democratic leadership team, and one of the Democratic leaders on the Senate budget committee. Also, the Democrats have a history of approving big new taxes at the last minute, as our state’s banking industry learned in 2019 – the public had not even seen that tax proposal until there were 48 hours left in the session, and yet it was pushed through.

“The opening section of this bill suggests the tax would be used to help support special education. The Legislature absolutely should be supporting special education more, and I’m proud of the bipartisan work being done this year on that, especially in the Senate – but there is no way our special-education students should ever have to depend on the passage of a new tax. They’re covered under the constitutional mandate to support basic education that is the Legislature’s paramount duty. It’s wrong for the Democrats to use them to try justifying an unjustifiable tax increase.”

STATEMENT: To save lives, Senate should stand its ground on reform of failed drug-possession law, says Republican leader

OLYMPIA… The state Senate voted more than five weeks ago to make possession of hard drugs a gross misdemeanor, and improve on the Legislature’s disastrous response to the state Supreme Court’s 2021 Blake decision. The state House of Representatives just passed a version of Senate Bill 5536 that would lower the charge for possession to a misdemeanor, the same as in the state law that has been in effect since 2021.

Senate Republican Leader John Braun says the Senate’s approach would save lives and needs to become law this year. Braun, who serves the 20th Legislative District, offered this statement as the 2023 legislative session nears its final phase, when the two chambers work to settle differences between bills each has passed:

“We saw this same thing two years ago – a bipartisan majority in the Senate votes to make possession of fentanyl and other hard drugs a gross misdemeanor, and the House Democrats say no, it should only be a misdemeanor. In 2021, the Senate Democrats made a huge mistake by going along with the House. It would be an even bigger mistake if that happens again. The Senate needs to stand its ground.

“There is more than enough empirical evidence that the current law’s threat of a misdemeanor charge isn’t enough to get people into treatment. Stepping the charge up to a gross misdemeanor is not about more incarceration, it’s about more leverage to get people with substance-use disorders onto a path that could save their lives. Too many have ended up in the morgue already. It’s hard to understand how, with drug overdoses becoming the leading cause of death in our state for people younger than 60, the House Democrats can possibly cling to their extreme position as being right for the communities they serve.

“Four of the Democratic senators who didn’t support a gross misdemeanor in 2021 helped pass SB 5536 on March 3. Clearly, something changed their minds. There are some on the Republican side who, understandably, may still view the Senate’s version as not doing enough to combat the fentanyl epidemic. Either way, the House has gotten it wrong – again. The Senate needs to get it right this time, by holding firm behind the better policy we passed.”

STATEMENT: Police-pursuit bill narrowly passed by Senate today is ‘half step’ in the right direction, says Republican leader

OLYMPIA… Senate Republican Leader John Braun today offered this statement following the Senate’s narrow passage of legislation that would let law-enforcement officers engage in vehicular pursuits in more situations than Washington law has allowed since 2021. Senate Bill 5352 was passed with a 26-23 vote on the final day of this session for the Senate to act on Senate legislation that is not connected to a budget.

“Criminals have been able to act with impunity since the majority Democrats put extreme restrictions on police pursuits in 2021. They know they can commit felonies without being at risk of being chased. Our communities have suffered great harm as a result.

“For the past two years Senate Republicans have worked to restore the ability of police to use their judgment when deciding to engage in pursuits. We almost succeeded in 2022, but this session the majority had kept SB 5352 and other worthwhile proposals bottled up. For that reason I appreciate that the majority leaders changed course and agreed with us on bringing a pursuit-reform bill to the Senate floor, so we could have an open debate.

“Unfortunately, this bill as passed would only move our state a half-step in the right direction. Republicans proposed amendments that would again allow pursuits when there is reasonable suspicion of vehicle theft or reckless driving. The majority voted them down, with some claiming a choice must be made between protecting life or protecting property. That is a false choice. I believe our law-enforcement officers are trained and capable of making good choices regarding pursuits and should be trusted to do so. By rejecting our amendments, the majority showed its lack of trust in police.

“I realize our Democratic colleagues can now honestly say they have taken action on this issue, even though SB 5352 is not nearly sufficient to address the lawlessness that has been sweeping through our communities. Criminals will figure out what laws they can still break without being pursued. People will continue to suffer when a vehicle is stolen. Employers will continue to be hurt when criminals use stolen vehicles as battering rams against their places of business.

“I don’t believe this is the policy the people of Washington deserve, which is why I voted no. Some of my Republican colleagues took the position that a half step is better than none, and voted in support. I respect their choice – that’s part of trusting the process and letting democracy work. Either way, Republicans will keep trying to fix the mistakes made two years ago. We must do better.”

(Click here to view Senator Braun’s remarks prior to the final vote on SB 5352.)