Author Archives: kimberlywirtz

Intimidating, publicly shaming those with vaccine concerns is wrong path, says Braun

Inslee’s vaccine mandate on K-12 could backfire, hurt students

 

OLYMPIA…Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, issued the following statement in response to the governor’s announcement requiring teachers and other K-12 education employees to get the COVID vaccine or risk losing their jobs and jeopardizing their district’s funding.

“I am vaccinated and urge others to do so. The issue is not whether the COVID vaccines are effective in fighting the spread of the virus. It’s that the governor has now doubled down on the extreme position he has already taken against other hardworking employees in state government and the health-care sector.

“No other governor has gone so far to take deeply personal health-care choices away from people and force them to inject something into their bodies. Today, Governor Inslee also sent a clear message that he doesn’t trust the dedicated teachers and staff at our public K-12 schools to make their own decisions about how to protect students and one another.

“Our kids can’t afford to be deprived of even more in-person education, but that’s exactly what could happen if districts lose teachers and staff. A more collaborative, compassionate and inclusive outreach campaign to persuade people to get the vaccine would be more effective and less damaging than the governor throwing around the weight of his unchecked emergency powers.

“Dictating is not the same as leading. Intimidating and publicly shaming people who have sincere concerns is the wrong path.”

Wilcox and Braun call on Democrats and governor to fix the problems created by controversial police-related bills

Republicans warned House Bill 1310 and House Bill 1054 would make communities less safe, offered amendments that were rejected

Law enforcement, EMT, and local elected officials across the state are expressing their concerns with new police-related bills passed by Democrats this year and explaining how the legislation will jeopardize the safety of first responders, impact how calls for domestic violence and mental health are handled, and make communities less safe. These officials are sharing the real-world consequences of House Bill 1310 (Concerning permissible uses of force by law enforcement and correctional officers) and House Bill 1054 (Establishing requirements for tactics and equipment used by peace officers) being implemented. Both controversial measures passed on mostly party-line votes in the 2021 legislative session and go into effect on July 25.

House Republican Leader J.T. Wilcox and Senate Republican Leader John Braun released the following statement today:

“It is clear that these controversial bills are jeopardizing the safety of first responders and the public. Officials are explaining how this legislation will negatively impact their communities and the media has done a great job of reporting on these issues. Republicans warned of these outcomes and offered amendments to these bills that were ultimately rejected by the majority party. Republicans also provided solutions in response to the state Supreme Court’s Blake decision that were turned down.

“We are calling on Democrats and the governor to push back against the ‘defund the police’ movement, come to the table, and work with Republicans and the law enforcement community on solutions that will address the problems created by their new policies. This needs to be done quickly before more harm is done to the communities and people we represent.”      

 

More information on these bills and others that threaten public safety.

Braun: Inslee again violates state constitution with illegal veto

OLYMPIA…Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, offered the following remarks after Gov. Jay Inslee vetoed parts of two bills he signed today — House Bill 1091, referred to by Republicans as the High Cost Fuel Standard, and Senate Bill 5126, also known as Cap & Tax. Together the two bills set the stage for a projected increase of at least 95 cents per gallon of gasoline at the pump – which Inslee denied today, calling it “swill.”

 

“A court ruled that the governor illegally used his veto power in 2019.  Today, the Governor ignored that by vetoing a subsection of one of his highest priority environmental bills. The Constitution is clear – the governor may not veto anything less than an entire section of a bill. Maybe he’s emboldened by the sweeping authority he continues to have because majority Democrats refused to address emergency-power reform. Maybe he thinks the Supreme Court will overturn the lower court’s ruling. Whatever the reason, his subsection veto today is illegal. That alone says a lot about why our political system has checks and balances on one-person rule.”

Braun reacts to governor’s veto of his COVID-related provision in racial equity analysis bill

OLYMPIA…Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, offered the following remarks after Gov. Jay Inslee vetoed his amendment to Senate Bill 5405.

The bill, sponsored by Democrat Sen. Bob Hasegawa, mandates a racial equity analysis by the nonpartisan Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee (JLARC). Braun’s amendment, which was accepted by the Senate in a 47-2 vote, specifically required a racial equity analysis of the in-person K-12 education restrictions put in place in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In his veto message, Inslee said he would instead ask the Washington Student Achievement Council to conduct a broader review of racial inequities in K-12 education. The WSAC’s primary focus is higher education and not K-12, which leads to doubts about its ability to conduct the analysis with which the governor plans to ask of it.

“We need an even-handed, fair assessment of the racial equity impacts of the in-person K-12 education COVID restrictions. The governor’s veto of my amendment to Senate Bill 5405 shows a lack of understanding of the importance of the data the study would reveal. And his choice to bypass the independent review that JLARC would provide makes me wonder why he doesn’t want an objective assessment of his early K-12 pandemic proclamations. Instead, he plans to water down the results by giving oversight of a broader study with an entirely different set of criteria to an entity that is stacked with members who were selected by the governor, including the executive director.

 

“The racial and economic disparities that are a direct result of remote instruction under the governor’s proclamations during the COVID-19 pandemic are severe. It’s the equity issue of our time. And although I support the idea of a broad study of racial equity in our schools, we need to understand what inequities were exacerbated or created by our response to the pandemic. There is great value in learning from recent policies so we can do better if there’s a next time. Washington’s kids deserve better than what they got.”

The Joint Legislative Audit & Review Committee (JLARC) is comprised of an equal number of House and Senate members, Democrats and Republicans. It is staffed by nonpartisan staff auditors and it is directed to seek answers independently. Its work is conducted by generally accepted government auditing standards. These standards ensure audit conclusions are independent, objective and accurate. That the amendment was accepted with a 47-2 vote shows that the Senate believes JLARC to be the most appropriate entity to conduct an analysis of K-12 equity deficiencies resulting from emergency gubernatorial orders.

Republican leaders say new CDC guidance supports June 15 reopening

OLYMPIA… Senate Republican Leader John Braun and House Republican J.T. Wilcox offered this statement today after the governor announced many of his COVID-19 economic restrictions will be lifted by the end of June.

“Earlier this week members of all four legislative caucuses encouraged Governor Inslee to share the vision of his counterparts in California and Oregon, and decide that our state should fully reopen June 15. Now that our state is aligning with the new CDC guidance, meaning the mask mandate and distancing guidance are lifted for fully vaccinated adults, we believe June 15 is still a reasonable deadline.

“The governor’s announcement today leaves the door open to reopening earlier than June 30, if the state reaches his vaccination target. Either way, we have concerns about what his new guidance will mean for hospitality establishments, grocery stores and other places where people congregate. After dictating for 439 days about what employers can and can’t do, the governor is now saying ‘you figure it out.’ Republicans have pressed relentlessly for that freedom all along. If all employers had already been able to set their own safety standards, whether it’s masks, or distancing – or now, vaccination status – there would be less uncertainty and less chance that frontline workers would be put in difficult situations.

“The governor made it clear he sees no connection between lifting economic restrictions and ending the state of emergency. We disagree. It’s time to give the authority back to local governments and trust them to act responsibly.”

 

Braun encouraged by governor’s restraint on economic restrictions

OLYMPIA… Senate Republican Leader John Braun offered this statement today after Gov. Jay Inslee announced all Washington counties will remain under their current economic-restart restrictions for two weeks, temporarily ending the threat of a rollback in more than a dozen counties.

“I’m very pleased Governor Inslee eventually recognized the restrictions on in-person instruction were counterproductive for Washington’s children. I hope the same thing is happening with the economic restrictions so that he can reduce the phase-to-phase whiplash and win trust among business owners. It’s helpful when the governor acknowledges – as he did again today – that the vast majority of businesses are doing a good job of following the restrictions. But it’s also fair to question whether case rates and hospitalizations are even the best metrics to use in making decisions that can destroy someone’s livelihood. Hospital capacity and mortality rates would seem to be more significant.

“Other states that have opened up fully, or will in the next two weeks, have vaccination rates that are similar to our own. In Washington, 33.7 percent of Washingtonians are fully vaccinated and 47.7 percent have had one shot. Governor Inslee seemed to focus more today on increasing access to vaccinations, and considering how many people want the shot, that’s a better path than punishing employers and others who are complying with the rules. I would also encourage the governor to avoid segregating people based on vaccination status. People come to their decision on vaccinations based on a variety of personal reasons.”

That’s a wrap: Republican leaders wish Legislature had listened to the people more

OLYMPIA…Senate Republican leaders released the following remarks as the 2021 legislative session came to a close as it prepared for the traditional “Sine Die” adjournment.

 

Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia:

“Throughout this session Republicans have consistently offered ideas and taken positions that come from listening to the people. It’s been disappointing to see the majority go in a different direction on several major issues simply because it had the votes. Some of our sensible proposals are included in the new state budget, which is encouraging, but other policies wrapped into the budget by the majority are going to hurt families and employers, and in a deeply regressive way.

“Besides contending with our colleagues in the majority, we worked very hard this session on another, unexpected front – defending the people whose lives are still being controlled by the executive branch. Republicans drove the discussion on the reopening of our schools, and the reopening of our economy, and the students and families and employers of our state are better off for it. It’s frustrating that our majority colleagues are basically allowing the governor to continue having his way. Their refusal to even discuss updates to the emergency-powers law is incomprehensible. But I’ve very proud of our caucus and how we are standing up for the people.”

 

Senate Republican Caucus Chair Ann Rivers, R-La Center:

“I’m reminded of the saying about actions speaking louder than words. My colleagues in the majority have spoken repeatedly about their dislike for regressive taxes and their intent to apply an equity lens to all their bills – but just look at the actions they’ve taken. The prime example is what happened with the Working Families Tax Credit. Our Senate Republican budget proposal funded this tax relief without needing more taxes, and the Democrats include it in their budget – but along with other policies that may easily cost low-income families more than they’d get from the tax credit. The majority gives with one hand, and takes away with the other. There’s nothing progressive or equitable about that.

“It’s especially troubling how the majority seems content to limit the people’s access to democracy. All session long, our constituents have been kept away from their Capitol – and today, 25 Democrats in the Senate denied them the right to challenge the new income tax through a referendum. They’re not listening to the taxpayers now, and they clearly have no desire to hear from the voters later this year. That is not how you put people first.”

 

Senate Republican Floor Leader Shelly Short, R-Addy:

“In a year when families have been burdened by the shutdown orders mandated on them by the governor, the Legislature only added to their struggles by passing more regressive taxes that are unnecessary to balance the budget. These taxes will harm manufacturing jobs, do little to improve the environment, and increase the costs of food, fuel and electricity. The particular burden of the income tax on capital gains will only hurt our small businesses and those individuals who have made smart investments throughout their lives to support their retirement and their families and do nothing to fix the purported regressive tax code in Washington state. The majority party did all of this while failing to listen to the voice of our constituents and curb the governor’s emergency powers.

“I do not believe it is any coincidence that so many controversial bills were able to pass this session with the public only participating in their state government virtually. Unfortunately, they will pay a high price for the choices made in Olympia this year.”

 

Senate Republican Whip Keith Wagoner, R-Sedro Woolley:

“When the 2021 legislative session began in January, I was certain we as lawmakers would work in a bipartisan manner to address the governor’s emergency powers; how wrong I was. Senate Republicans introduced legislation which would refine and focus the governor’s emergency powers, but it was continually rejected by the majority party. Now that the legislative session has ended, we are right back where we were a year ago – unable to act as an equal branch of government. Democrats know it is wrong and would never accept this situation if there was a Republican in the Governor’s Mansion.

“The people of Washington state deserve better. They deserve a government that is accountable to them. We failed them this year by not listening to them and restoring the balance of power in Olympia.”

 

Legislative Republicans: Emergency power reform not about the governor – it’s about the people

OLYMPIA…Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, and House Republican Leader J.T. Wilcox, R-Yelm, offered the following statement in response to an interview Gov. Jay Inslee gave criticizing the efforts of legislative Republicans to advance bills this session addressing the reform of the governor’s emergency powers.

During the interview, the governor claimed Republicans’ true motive for seeking to restore the balance of power in Washington was to “gut the ability of the governor to try and save lives.”

“The governor has done some good work in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it’s stunning that he presents himself as a lifesaver yet seems afraid to even consider opinions that aren’t his own. The people of Washington continue to make sacrifices that the governor has not. It’s one thing to issue proclamations while you still collect a sizable paycheck, but it’s entirely different to live by those proclamations when they leave you unemployed, unable to pay your bills, unable to feed your children and unable to be present when a loved one dies in a hospital or nursing home. The credit here belongs to the people of Washington. Not Jay Inslee.

 

“To claim that the Republicans are trying to ‘gut the ability of the governor’ to do anything is ridiculous. It’s as though he doesn’t grasp what our proposals would do. We have been clear from the start that our bipartisan effort to reform the executive’s emergency powers has nothing to do with the governor himself. It’s also not a commentary on how he has used those powers. This is for the people — about having a process that allows for the proper representation of their will.

“Silencing the voices of the people, including those who might disagree with him, by shutting out the Legislature is wrong. We are a coequal branch of government and should have equal input on how the state moves forward. Unfortunately, the Democrat majority has abdicated what little legislative oversight there was, giving the governor unchecked power indefinitely. Despite members of the Senate and House offering multiple legislative solutions, the Democrats have been entirely unwilling to even discuss the issue. That undermines the people.”

No counties should be moving backward, say legislative Republican leaders

OLYMPIA…Legislative Republican leaders released the following statement after learning that three counties will be forced to move backward to Phase 2 in the governor’s reopening plan. Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia, and Rep. J.T. Wilcox, R-Yelm, expressed their frustration with the governor’s decision and the Democrat majorities’ inaction on executive powers reform.

“The communities of Cowlitz, Pierce and Whitman counties need to know that Republicans stand with them and disagree with the governor’s decision to move their counties backward. The governor is punishing people who have followed the rules and it will have devastating consequences for many families and businesses. Through no fault of their own, people in these counties will now face more challenges and uncertainty in the weeks ahead. No county should be moving backward in our state’s reopening plan.

“What’s particularly frustrating is the governor made these decisions alone despite the fact we are in a legislative session. That means state lawmakers who represent these counties had no say in the matter. This is wrong. And it’s why we need emergency powers reform this legislative session – to bring the voices of state lawmakers and the constituents they represent to the decision-making process. These voices have been ignored for too long, by the governor but also by the majorities, who refuse to assert the Legislature’s power as a coequal branch of state government. It’s patently absurd that we’re two weeks away from the end of session and they won’t even discuss it. Republicans in both chambers proposed solutions weeks ago. We’ve been calling for action and we’re ready to stand up and get our votes on the record in support of unheard voices across Washington.”