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Impact of Supreme Court Case in Washington

On June 30, the Supreme Court issued its ruling in Harris v. Quinn which deals with the issue of workers being required to unionize. I sent a letter to the Attorney General requesting an informal opinion answering several questions about that case’s effects in our state.

  1. Does the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Harris v. Quinn prevent the state from maintaining a union security provision in its collective bargaining agreement with any union representing individual providers?
  2. In light of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Harris v. Quinn, what must an individual provider do in order to be viewed by the state as a nonmember of Service Employees International Union Healthcare 775NW for the purposes of RCW 41.56.113?
  3. What liability attaches to the state if state agencies deduct union dues or other fees from non-member individual providers without their express, written permission?

 

Read more about this issue here, courtesy of the Washington Policy Center.

 

 

 

Inslee seeks to expand Ecology’s reach, authority

I recently wrote a guest column in the Longview Daily News regarding the governor’s proposed changes to our state’s water quality standards and the challenges that presents. Please read below for excerpts and a link to the full story.

 

Braun Floor

 

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee’s announcement regarding Washington’s water quality standards includes a dramatic proposal that raises many red flags for communities and families throughout the state.

There is consensus that it is time to update our water standards. No one is suggesting that we should do less to protect our environment, but the goal must be to balance cleaner water with protecting family budgets and jobs. What we don’t need is another war on jobs with more uncertainty and threats of regulations that are impossible to measure or attain.

In addition to new rules on water quality standards, Gov. Inslee said that it was time to “take a broader approach to areas that are not currently regulated.” He defined those areas as “up stream at the source,” and that “the majority of toxins come from what we build.”

 

Read the rest of the guest column in the Longview Daily News, here.

My Visit to Centralia College ECEAP Program

Braun Coloring

Photo by Kyle Spurr: The Chronicle

Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia, spent Tuesday night visiting with local preschool students in the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program at Centralia College, which heavily relies on state funding each year.

Braun sat with the youths and helped them color pictures and play games. He said ECEAP is a high priority for the state and Lewis County.

“There is a lot of work that has been done,” Braun said. “In terms of bang for your buck, this is one of the best investments for the state.”

ECEAP, a comprehensive preschool program created in 1985 for children 3 to 4 years old across the state, is geared toward children in low income families. The program helps children and families with school readiness, including the children’s development and growth in physical, social, emotional, cognitive and creative areas, according to the program…

Click here to read the rest of this article.

State neglects tourism at its own peril

Sen. Braun on the Senate floor

I recently co-authored an opinion piece in the Puget Sound Business Journal regarding our state’s tourism industry. I worked on legislation this session to address this need. Washington State currently does not have a state funded tourism office, but tourism is a big driver of our economy and is the fourth largest industry in our state.

Sen. John Braun, R-Centrailia, chairs the Senate Trade and Economic Development Committee and is president of Braun Northwest, a family-owned company that builds emergency vehicles and employs more than 150 workers. Louise Stanton-Masten is the executive director of the Washington Tourism Alliance.

Washington has it all for visitors. Spectacular mountains, beautiful seashore, abundant outdoor recreation, desert sunshine, mountain snow, urban sophistication, wineries and much more – it’s all here.

You might think we’d shout from the rooftops about the wonderful things we have to offer, but surprisingly, we don’t.

This is unfortunate, because despite the state’s benign neglect, tourism is a major Washington industry with the potential to be even bigger. The industry driven Washington Tourism Alliance has stepped up to the challenge, and it is incumbent on all of us to support its efforts to re-establish industry viability.

Tourism is Washington’s fourth-largest industry. Last year, it supported 154,500 Washington jobs with earnings of $5 billion…

Click here to read the rest of this article.

Legislative Update – April 30, 2014

Greetings,

We adjourned this legislative session in March on time and on budget. During the following weeks, the Governor signed various bills passed by the Legislature, and I had the opportunity to see some of the bills I sponsored or their companion bills signed into law. Our work on the budget this year was challenging, but the version delivered to the Governor passed with an overwhelming majority, 48-1 in the Senate. This session my focus has been to make our government more efficient and create a climate where businesses can thrive and create jobs. I have also worked with my colleagues to make sure that the state is meeting its obligation to fund basic education. More than two-thirds of the new revenue has gone to funding basic education in this year’s supplemental operating budget. In addition to these successes, our community will see real benefits in terms of increased school funding, more efficient forest land management and, most importantly,  no new taxes.

It is an honor to serve as your state senator. If you have any questions or concerns please reach out to my office.

 

John Braun,

20th District Senator

Please Click Here to Read the Rest of this Newsletter

 

Forest land management more efficient now that Braun bill signed into law

Forest land management more efficient now that Braun bill signed into law

OLYMPIA… Today the governor signed Senate Bill 6180 into law which changes how counties administer forest land and open space timber programs. This legislation authorizes counties to merge programs for more efficient and cost effective administration. Both programs are forestry related and the legislation will remove duplicative accounting while maintaining levels of tax revenue.

“The state should be doing everything it can to let communities plan and manage their forestry programs. This legislation is a simple fix to burdensome land management practices and allows counties to better manage their forestry programs without negatively impacting residents,” said Braun.

Lewis County Assessor Dianne Dorey noted the benefits to her county should commissioners choose to participate. “This bill will save time for us. We don’t know the direct savings yet as the Board of County Commissioners will decide whether or not we participate. If we do, we will be able to manage parcels with more efficiency by not having to dually assess property values and have property owner’s transfer between programs.   Lewis County has 1/5 of the acreage that is currently in the Open Space Timber program in Washington State.  Property owners will not have to deal with the cost and time of transferring between programs when their land falls below 20 acres.”

The bill places no requirements on counties to adopt changes; rather it lets them opt in. The bill also reduces the minimum size for land to be designated forest land from 20 acres to five.

 

 

 

20th District schools see more money from timber in supplemental budget

Recent budget negotiations by Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia have resulted in restoration of revenues to rural districts from forestry activities on federal lands. Local school districts would receive more than $350 thousand dollars under this legislation. Both House and Senate passed the measure today that partially eliminates reductions in basic education funding for low-income districts.

“It is past the time that we restored funding to our rural schools. This bill along with funding in the supplemental operating budget lets our resources go back into our community,” said Braun.

The proposed funding fluctuates yearly depending on forestry activities and is now dependent on federal action to reauthorize distribution of those funds. Currently, 21 percent of Washington is designated as national forests which are exempt from property tax. Rural districts have relied on timber sales and revenues from logging on federal land but the state retains authority in how those funds are allocated.

“We’ve been able to put funding back into the schools and communities that need it most. Our work on this year’s supplemental budget prioritizes education and this is another way we can direct money back where it is needed.”

Braun’s companion bill signed by governor boosting tourism in the state

Sen. John Braun introduced Senate Bill 6195 this session that would create a task force to study how the state can better market the state’s tourism industry. Tourism is the fourth largest export industry in the state and accounts for more than 150,000 jobs. Today the governor signed the House companion to Braun’s bill that directs the Washington Tourism Alliance to identify sustainable private funding sources for the state’s tourism marketing needs.

In 2011 the Washington State Tourism Commission was defunded due to budgetary constraints. The commission’s purpose was to find ways to expand tourism in the state with public and private stakeholders. Since the commission was defunded, Washington became the only state in the nation without a state-funded tourism office.

“We need to expand and promote the tourism opportunities in our state because they are such an important part of our economy. However, when identifying what government should do, I think we can look to the private sector to step up and find a sustainable solution for marketing our state’s tourism industry,” said Braun.

“The tourism industry applauds Sen. Braun for his leadership on the legislation.  He recognized that this industry is a critical part of the economy in all parts of the state and that we need to have a statewide program to market our tourism assets.  Because of this legislation we will be able to develop a plan for a statewide tourism marketing program,” said Cheryl Kilday, president of the Washington Tourism Alliance board of directors.