Record increase in fentanyl overdoses due to lax Democrat approach to hard drugs

OLYMPIA…Properly storing the dead is proving to be more than the Seattle-King County Morgue can handle. Public Health Director Dr. Faisal Khan attributes the shortage of morgue space to record increases in fentanyl overdoses across the county – 35 people this month alone. King County saw 686 fentanyl-related deaths in 2021. Officials expect the deaths from 2022 to be even higher once final numbers are compiled.

Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, issued the following statement in response to reports of the lack of storage and its ties to the abuse of hard drugs.

“Those who support legislation that essentially legalizes hard drugs should be ashamed of the real-world consequences of their misguided ideologies. That includes Democrats in our state Legislature who won’t listen to the pleas of law enforcement, community leaders and families who must confront the drug crisis head on.

“The idea that Seattle is scrambling to find alternative cold-storage options for the dead is like something out of a dystopian movie, thanks to permissive drug laws and the lack of adequate treatment options. The fentanyl-related death toll is like a cancer spreading across Washington.

“Democrats are running out of time to decide whether they will move past virtue-signaling to expand access to substance-abuse treatment and compel drug addicts on the street into long-term treatment programs. We often think only people living in homeless camps are at risk of overdose, but it’s gone far beyond the clusters of tents and RVs to now include average homes and college campuses. Stronger drug laws and better enforcement of those laws are critical to any possible solution. Allowing addicts to use until they die in the streets is not empathy. It’s apathy.”

OLYMPIA… Senate Republican Leader John Braun of Centralia made this statement following tonight’s approval of Senate Bill 5919, which would restore some of the public-safety tools lost by law-enforcement agencies due to anti-police bills adopted by majority legislators in 2021:

“Many people across our state feel less safe today because the majority’s restrictions on law enforcement have clearly backfired. Republicans came into this session with a priority on reestablishing public safety, and our role in improving and passing SB 5919 is a step forward on that path.

“The criminals know important tools were taken away from our law-enforcement agencies. They know officers are unable to respond to 9-1-1 calls and other situations the way they could have just one year ago, because without the standard of ‘reasonable suspicion’ it is much more difficult to detain or pursue someone. The damage to public safety is clear from the numbers. Preliminary data from this past year has Seattle reporting nearly 1,000 more violent crimes than in 2020, and in King County, the reported number of gunshot victims – including victims of shootings involving criminal gangs – doubled from just 4 years earlier, hitting an all-time high. And it’s not just about apprehending criminals: Under the changes made in 2021, officers don’t even have the authority to use physical force when dealing with a person experiencing a mental-health crisis.

“This bill doesn’t resolve all of the public-safety concerns created by the majority’s actions this past year – but the amendments proposed by Republicans on the Senate floor have made this measure stronger, and our votes made sure it passed. I hope the House follows the Senate’s lead, so the pendulum of public policy can begin to swing away from the criminals, and back toward the people who put their trust in government to keep the peace and enforce laws effectively.”

The vote was 31-18, with all 21 members of the Senate Republican Caucus voting yes, joined by 10 senators from the Senate majority.

OLYMPIA… Under Senate Bill 5036, passed today by the Senate’s Democratic majority,  128 offenders now serving time for aggravated murder or first-degree murder would immediately become eligible to apply for commutation of their sentences. Another 68 such offenders would be eligible to seek commutation within the next five years.

An additional 321 inmates sentenced to life without parole (LWOP) who have been in prison for more than 20 years can apply for commutation. Those convicted of capital murder — such as Gary Ridgway, better known as the “Green River Killer” – would be eligible to apply for commutation if they have served over 25 years. Other LWOP offenders in Washington prisons include 10 offenders convicted of first-degree rape; five more convicted of first-degree rape of a child; and eight more convicted of first-degree child molestation.

Under SB 5036, LWOP offenders would no longer be subject to the “utmost scrutiny” standard found in the state law on clemency and pardons.

Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, released this statement in response to today’s vote::

“I believe in redemption, in forgiveness and in grace, but how tone-deaf can the Democratic majority be to pass a bill that would result in our communities being exposed to murderers and rapists who should never go free? Washington already has a public-safety crisis, between rising crime rates and the anti-police laws that absolutely must be fixed this year. The Legislature should be creating laws that protect our communities and victims, not be looking for ways to put violent offenders back out on the street to victimize others.

“Senate Bill 5036 has a host of problems. Just yesterday, a member of the Clemency and Pardons Board said the most important aspect of the board is that it is voluntary. Yet the majority’s bill would change the board from voluntary to paid. Language buried in Section 7 of the requires the Clemency board to recommend an incarcerated individual be released unless they determine by a preponderance of the evidence that the inmate is more likely than not to commit new crimes – the bill presumes release.  Our communities and victims, in particular, deserve far better than that.

“This bill was put down by the House last year. That needs to happen again this year. I hope the House will recognize just how damaging this bill would be if it becomes law – how insulting it is to the victims and their families. It’s unconscionable.”

OLYMPIA…Senate Republican Leader John Braun introduced Senate Bill 5965, which would repeal the wildly unpopular long-term care trust program referred to as “Washington Cares.” It would also repeal the taxes employees are required to pay through payroll deductions.

More than 400,000 people applied for exemptions to the plan – a number that would have been far greater had the application deadline been extended and private insurance carriers not pulled their long-term care products out of Washington. Their decision to stop selling such plans was driven by the concern that the payroll tax would cause people to purchase and hold policies just long enough to obtain an exemption, then cancel.

Democrats passed two bills earlier this legislative session to delay the long-term care tax by 18 months and to provide for certain exemptions to the program, claiming they needed time to fix the many glaring flaws Republicans have been highlighting since the program was proposed and later passed in 2019. Braun says the people would be better served by repealing “Washington Cares” instead of delaying it.

“If a long-term care program managed by the state and funded by taxpayers is something a majority of the people want, then legislators should go back to the drawing board and work to create a bipartisan solution. This needs to be done right,” says Braun. “Let’s work toward something that doesn’t work against the military community, people who live in bordering states but work in Washington, or those who pay into the program but never see a dime because they moved out of state. It needs to be something we can all support.

“If the Legislature does create a new long-term care program, I hope it’s properly vetted. If Democrats had done so in the first place, there wouldn’t be any need to fix it. This is what you get under the hubris of one-party rule. The plan is expensive, the benefit is insufficient and the tax is unpopular. Given how the state has mismanaged this program, starting fresh and involving more legislators from both sides of the aisle would be a better path forward.”

OLYMPIA…Senate Republican Leader John Braun shared the following comments upon learning that Sen. Reuven Carlyle, D-36^th District, announced he does not plan to run for re-election this year.

“Reuven has served a long and distinguished career both in the House and Senate. I’ve had many opportunities over the years to work with him on a number of challenging issues. We sometimes disagree, but he’s always been kind and professional. He’s always worked in good faith and stands up for what he believes is in our state’s best interest. I thank him for his service and wish him the best for the future. His constituents are losing a dedicated leader.”

One day a week of remote schooling without teacher contact a huge mistake

OLYMPIA…Senate Republican Leader John Braun offered the following reaction upon hearing Senate Bill 5735, which would allow up to one day a week of school to be held remotely on a permanent basis, will receive a hearing Wednesday.

The bill, which codifies rulemaking ability the State Board of Education gave itself to make this same reduction, also says communication between the teacher and the students during that time would not be required. SB 5735 would mean students could lose 20% of critical instructional time.

“Parents should find it alarming that anyone would propose taking away one-fifth of our kids’ instructional time when teachers and students are trying to regain academic and psychological ground lost during a year of remote learning and isolation. Most disturbing is the idea that students and teachers would not be required to communicate during this remote learning time. We pay teachers to teach. If we reduce their time with students by 20%, maybe we should reduce their salary 20% as well.

“Parents will struggle to find and afford childcare for time that their kids should be at school. And whoever supervises the children will have to provide assistance and instruction if the teacher is not required to do so – instruction caregivers may not be qualified to provide.

“Senate Bill 5735 would create an unnecessary hardship for families already struggling to pay the bills, especially for those with multiple children in school or for single parents. It would create an undeserved roadblock for children with special needs who depend on classroom time and teachers’ aides for their development. And it would worsen our shortage of affordable childcare.

“Senate Bill 5735 is a huge step backward in restoring Washington’s K-12 education system to its prepandemic success. It’s a huge mistake.”

SB 5375 is scheduled for a hearing in the Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee meeting at 10:30 a.m., Wednesday, Jan. 19. Click here to sign in to testify remotely, submit written testimony or have your position on the bill recorded.

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Before the 2021-22 school year, the State Board of Education (SBE) adopted permanent rules that allow school districts to “deliver instructional hours through learning modalities other than in-person instruction which may include, but are not limited to, distance learning, hybrid classrooms, rotating schedules, or other methods that allow for delivery of basic education services under certain conditions, including emergencies.” While this flexibility seems practical during a pandemic, it means the SBE could implement the 20-percent reduction even if SB 5735 doesn’t pass.

OLYMPIA…Senate Republican Leader John Braun issued the following statement after the Washington State Supreme Court announced that it will accept the plan approved by the Washington State Redistricting Commission that redraws our state’s 49 legislative districts.

“While the plan developed by the Redistricting Commission does not reflect exactly how we would like the legislative districts to look, it is a compromise that was reached through a transparent, democratic process. The Supreme Court made the right decision to accept the plan as-is. Had the Court decided to start from scratch, the process would not have been transparent – the public would not have been involved. The huge amount of public participation likely would have been wasted and we might not have had a plan for months.

“During the redistricting process, our goal was to fulfill the statutory requirement that the districts be competitive so that future election results were not predetermined. The people deserve to have the ability to make changes when their elected leaders’ decisions don’t reflect their priorities. The plan approved by the Supreme Court today is the closest we could get to that goal.

“It’s important to point out the Commission created a 73-percent Hispanic district in central Washington which greatly exceeds the requirements the federal Voting Rights Act.

“Despite the hiccups at the end of the process, I still believe that Washington has the one of the best redistricting processes in the entire country. I hope the citizens of the state of Washington will be well-served by these new political boundaries.

“Finally, I would like to thank Commissioner Joe Fain, Chair Sarah Augustine, her staff and all the citizens of the state of Washington who took time to participate in this important process.”

CENTRALIA… Senate Republican Leader John Braun offered this response to today’s announcement by Sen. Ann Rivers, R-La Center, that she will step down as the 18th Legislative District’s state senator:

“Having served with Senator Rivers for nine years, from a neighboring district, I know how hard she has worked for the people of the 18th District, and our state. I also appreciate how she has been fearless in taking on our state’s most difficult problems, like the successful multi-year effort to come up with a new funding approach for our public K-12 schools. Because of her focus on finding solutions without concern for who receives the credit, she will leave the Senate with a legacy of policies that are important to the people of our state.

“I was very much looking forward to another year with Senator Rivers as the chair of our caucus, because of the experience and the energy she’s brought to that position. At the same time, this is a great opportunity for her to take on an important local leadership role in our region. We will deeply miss her leadership, but wish her the very best in this new chapter of her life.”