Author Archives: kimberlywirtz

Braun on initiative hearings: Three down, three to go

Amber Goldade testifies in support of I-2113. Her daughter Immacculee was killed as a result of a failure in current vehicular pursuit laws.

OLYMPIA…Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, released the following comments after the conclusion of the hearings for three of the 2024 initiatives submitted by the people of Washington to the Legislature. The initiatives receiving hearings yesterday and today are I-2111, to ban an income tax; I-2081, to protect parents’ rights regarding K-12 public education; and I-2113, to restore the standard for police pursuits to “reasonable suspicion.”

Democrats have refused to grant hearings for the other three initiatives: I-2109, to repeal the income tax on capital gains; I-2117, to repeal the cap-and-tax program in the so-called “Climate Commitment Act”; and I-2124, to allow people to opt out of the state’s mandatory payroll tax for long-term care.

“While I’m glad that the people had the chance to weigh in on three of the initiatives this week, I’m disappointed that Democratic leaders are ignoring the other three. The people of Washington deserve to be heard and there’s still time. We still have a week left in this session during which the majority could hold three more joint hearings. What are they afraid of?

“Some opponents of the initiatives have testified that the Legislature has better things to do than hold these hearings. I couldn’t disagree more – upholding our state constitution should never be characterized as a waste of time. It’s been a tough fight to get Democrats to perform their constitutional duty by prioritizing the initiatives over everything except bills that involve appropriations, but I see no reason why the majority can’t find three more hours in the next week to listen to the people on the three remaining measures. The fight isn’t over. We’ll continue to call upon them to do the right thing and listen to the people.”

Watch this week’s testimony on the initiatives:

Newsletter: Hearings planned for three initiatives — what about the others?

Watch: Debunking false claims about impact of initiatives 2109 and 2117

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

I sent out an e-blast yesterday to alert you to the opportunity to sign in to testify in support of the three initiative below, all of which are receiving hearings next week. This is a huge win for Republicans.

In case you missed it, here is how to sign in to testify or have your opinion put on the record. Any testimony is helpful, but showing up in person to demonstrate your support is most effective.

Testimony can be given in person, virtually or through written testimony.

I-2081 to protect parents’ rights

8 to 9 a.m., Wednesday, Feb. 28
House Hearing Room A, John L. O’Brien Bldg., Capitol Campus, Olympia

I-2113 to restore the standard for vehicular pursuit

9 to 10 a.m., Wednesday, Feb. 28
Senate Hearing Room 4, John A. Cherberg Bldg., Capitol Campus, Olympia

Although each hearing is only one hour long, I encourage you to sign in to testify on them or provide written testimony that committee members can read even after the hearings end.

Even signing in “pro” or “con” makes an impact, whether you actually get to speak or not.

CLICK THE FOLLOWING LINKS TO PROVIDE TESTIMONY

All three are scheduled to be voted out of committee on Friday, March 1. From there, it will be up to the majority to bring them to the floor for a vote.

If any of them are approved by the Legislature, they will not need to be on the ballot in November. They will be enacted.

The bad news is that the majority will NOT grant hearings to the other three initiatives. We still have two weeks left in the session and will continue to fight for the majority to give these initiatives hearings as well.

This means that these will become ballot measures once the legislative session is over and the people will get to decide their fate in November.

If you have any questions, contact me at john.braun@leg.wa.gov.

Sincerely,

Sen. John Braun

Democrat Electioneering

House Democrats’ budget proposal includes a $200 rebate for low-income families who are especially burdened by the impact of the hidden gas tax in the “Climate Commitment Act” (CCA). The Senate budget proposal includes a similar rebate.

The difference between the two is that the House version gives out only HALF the rebate about three weeks before the November election. It only gives people the second half of the rebate IF the initiative to repeal the CCA (I-2117) FAILS.

House Democrat leadership claims that this is because the state won’t have the money to pay for that second half unless the initiative fails. THIS IS FALSE.

The Senate budget pays for the full rebate from money the state has already collected.

House Republican Leader Drew Stokesbary was interviewed by KING TV and called the rebate proposal ‘fishy.’

One might say that offering voters money before an election and promising additional money after the election ONLY if a certain ballot measure fails is electioneering.

In fact, state law forbids legislators from using state resources to directly, or indirectly, influence a campaign. One might say tying half of the rebate to the outcome of an election is doing exactly that.

This is unacceptable and I hope the Senate’s version of the rebate is included in the final budget.

I will keep you updated.

Prohibitive costs of banning natural gas and cap-and-tax fall on YOU

Washington State University recently announced it would cost the school $1 billion to comply with a state mandate to ban natural gas. And that’s just one of the state’s public universities.

Where would that money come from? You, the taxpayer. Aren’t you already getting squeezed enough?

You wouldn’t just be paying more for your own energy bill. You would also see your taxes increase to cover the exorbitant costs for state institutions to convert entirely to electric power.

You’re already seeing an impact to your home heating bill from the cap-and-tax program in the “Climate Commitment Act,” even though the office of Attorney General Bob Ferguson advised the Utilities and Trade Commission to rule that one of the largest power companies in our state can’t show that itemized cost on your bill.

If you don’t see it itemized on your billing statement, compare it to your statement from the same time last year.

And now we are hearing that schools are being hit with high increases to their gas bill. One high school in Southwest Washington saw an increase of $2,300 for a single month. And a district in Eastern Washington, has seen their district-wide February gas bill increase $70,000 over February of last year.

Enough is enough. I support Initiative 2117 to repeal the Climate Commitment Act and I strongly oppose any ban on natural gas, especially when we must maintain diverse sources of energy.

Democrats are wrong to use children as defense of income tax

In an opinion piece I recently wrote for The Chronicle in Centralia, I call out Democrats for using children as a way to tug at your heart strings and defend the income tax they imposed in 2021, which is currently limited to capital gains but could easily be expanded. This is despite the knowledge that voters have rejected an income tax in Washington 11 times and more than 400,000 people signed the petition for Initiative 2109, to repeal the capital-gains tax (not to mention Initiative 2111, which would ban any income tax).

This is unfair and makes political pawns out of Washington’s kids.

Read the full column.

2024 Senate budget proposals

Both the Senate and the House have announced their supplemental budget proposals. You can learn more about the Senate versions below.

If you have questions, email me at john.braun@leg.wa.gov.

Newsletter: Fighting for public safety. And, how much will a ban on natural gas cost you?

Fighting for public safety while others fight for the rights of offenders

Watch my legislative video update

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

We have reached the point during the legislative session when the Senate is back to meeting as committees, having hearings on bills that passed the House of Representatives, and vice versa.

I’m happy to say that several of my key bills to make Washington safer and more affordable, and to build a better future for our children, have passed and are now being considered in the House.

These include bills that address the opioid crisis, the cost of housing, and resources for schools.

SB 5299: Provides protections for law-enforcement officers.
SB 5635: Requires the court to consider the safety of victims when determining bail for an offender, as well as gives victims the right to be notified of victim-notification services.
SB 5850: Provides support to help reduce chronic absenteeism in K-12 schools.
SB 5852: Allows additional K-12 public schools to access financial support for special education.
SB 6028: Relieves some people from having to pay the interest accrued on accidental unemployment-insurance overpayments.
SB 6030: Provides property-tax credits to incentivize property owners to rent accessory dwelling units (ADUs) to low-income families.
SB 6031: Allows schools to use transportation funding to transport students by vehicles other than school buses.
SB 6099: Provides more funding for tribal opioid-treatment programs, many of which also often treat non-tribal members.

Several of my Republican colleagues have had important bills pass the Senate as well, and while we’re heartened by that, I am concerned that other critical legislation may die in this process. This includes a bill, sponsored by a fellow Senate Republican, to add fentanyl to the list of drugs included in the child-endangerment law.

Senate Bill 5010 would hold parents responsible for exposing their children to fentanyl smoke, pills, and residue. It is a response to the increasing number of young children overdosing as a byproduct of their parents’ fentanyl use. The Senate passed it nearly unanimously — one Senate Democrat voted no.

Despite that overwhelming bipartisan support in the Senate, the chair of the House Committee on Community Justice, Safety and Reentry won’t give it a hearing, telling The Seattle Times that there isn’t a single vote in his committee to support the bill. He must mean he doesn’t have any Democrat votes to support the bill. I have no doubt the Republicans on that committee would support.

However, if you take a look at what the Democrats on that committee did vote for, you see some dangerous legislation that undermines law, order and public safety. This new legislation completely ignores victims of these crimes.

HB 2178: Lets sex offenders off of community supervision.
HB 2065: Retroactively resentences criminals, potentially shortening their sentences, because they committed crimes as juveniles.
HB 1994: Allows a court to dismiss misdemeanor and gross misdemeanor charges if certain conditions are met; creates barriers to full accountability and gives defendants new ways to escape accountability if they have a clever attorney.
HB 1396: Reduces sentences for certain criminals serving life without parole sentences, including aggravated murderers.
HB 1268: Reduces time served for sentencing enhancements for violent offenders, firearms offenses, and gang members.
HB 2001: Reduces prison sentences for violent offenders.

The support for these bills, and opposition to a bill that would bring justice to children endangered by fentanyl, reveals a clear priority for the rights of offenders over the rights of victims.

That is unacceptable. It’s this kind of lawmaking that has led to higher crime rates around the state. Republicans on the committee opposed every one of these bills.

If you would like to tell the House Democrat chair of that committee to give SB 5010 a hearing, you can email him directly by clicking HERE.

Sincerely,

Sen. John Braun

Who can afford Democrats’ effort to ban natural gas?

A bill passed by the House that would effectively ban natural gas in homes could cost the average homeowner over $52,000. House Bill 1589 is a part of the Democrat effort to force everyone to use electric power — a burden our current infrastructure can’t handle.

During a recent cold snap, people who lost power relied on natural gas to cook and to stay warm. One Senate Democrat hypocritically posted a photo on “X” (formerly Twitter) of her warm stocking feet in front of a fire and said how glad she was to have a gas fireplace.

Under this bill, she may have to give that up for an electric-powered fireplace, which would have also lost power.

Bans on natural gas are wrong-headed. We need to look for more sensible ways to protect our environment so we don’t unduly burden the regular, working people who can’t afford these “luxury policies” that are being pushed on us.

Myth v. Fact about majority’s property tax bill

Last week, I shared with you how Senate Republicans killed the bill that would allow local governments to raise your property taxes by 3% per year without voter approval, tripling the current 1% cap.

While the feedback we’ve gotten for that effort has been overwhelmingly positive, some people are upset because they’ve been told their local governments will have to cut services. We’ve been asked, “How do you propose to replace that money?”

To be clear: No one is taking revenue from local governments. We simply prevented raising your property taxes more than 1% WITHOUT VOTER APPROVAL.

It’s important to remember a few facts about SB 5770 and the current property-tax cap.

The current 1% cap was the will of the voters put into place by an Initiative.
The cap does NOT limit how much local governments can raise your property taxes — just how much they can increase them without voter approval.
If a local government wants to raise your property taxes more than 1% in a given year, it simply needs to convince the voters.
Some local governments are in their current situation due to poor budgeting practices — and there’s no reason to believe more revenue will lead to better choices.
For example, King County spent one-time federal COVID-19 funds to pay for ongoing services, leaving a hole when the COVID money ran out. Pierce County, however, did not fund ongoing programs with those federal dollars and will not need to cut any services.

The hardworking taxpayers of Washington should not have to bear the burden of backfilling bad budget decisions by their local-government entities — unless they vote to approve.

It’s because so many of you are with us on this that we were successful in killing SB 5770. It is likely to return next year, as Democrats say they want to give governments more “flexibility” to take your money without your consent.

I will continue to oppose any effort to do so.

Majority backs terrible bill that could close rural hospitals, reduce access to care

One of the worst bills we’ve seen this session would make a partisan official, the attorney general, the one to oversee all hospital mergers in Washington.

Senate Bill 5241 would increase regulation when hospitals and health systems combine. The several negative consequences include:

Burdening small hospitals with more bureaucracy;
Giving the attorney general the power to block mergers;
Weakening religious freedom by discriminating against hospitals with a religious mission; and
Causing some small hospitals and clinics to disappear.

I voted against this bill, as did my Senate Republican colleagues. The fate of Washington’s hospital system shouldn’t rest in the hands of one partisan individual.

Important News Clips

Braun bill to reduce chronic absenteeism in schools passes Senate

OLYMPIA…A bill aiming to reduce chronic student absenteeism Washington’s K-12 public schools passed unanimously in the Washington State Senate Tuesday. Senate bill 5850 is sponsored by Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia.

According to the Washington Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), students who miss even two days per month are more likely to read at lower than their grade level and more likely not to graduate on time. A student is considered “chronically absent” if they miss 10% or more of their school days for any reason.

“Students who are struggling to perform academically at grade level are at risk of falling so far behind their class that they are at risk of not graduating with their peers, or even at all,” said Braun.

SB 5850 would create a pilot program to provide support for students in nine educational service districts (ESDs) who are, or at risk of becoming, chronically absent. The districts would be required to develop and maintain the capacity to offer training and coaching for educators and other school district staff to identify and locate students who are chronically absent and connect them with necessary supports, subject to available funding.

“In spite of the many billions of dollars Washington invests in basic education for K-12, some students are slipping through the cracks as they deal with family issues, substance-abuse disorder, or mental-health issues. We need to be more proactive and help them succeed by making sure they are in class more often.”

SB 5850 would also direct OSPI to establish a grant program for community-based organizations and tribes to support students who are chronically absent. OSPI would also be required to allocate funding to the school districts and schools to help eliminate barriers to graduation, such as being severely deficient in academic credits.

SB 5850 now heads to the House of Representatives for consideration.

Braun bill to give school districts transportation options passes Senate

OLYMPIA…A bill that will allow school districts the flexibility to use student transportation funding to pay for the use of vehicles other than school buses passed the Senate Monday.

Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, sponsored Senate Bill 6031 after seeing a full-size school bus transporting only two children. After talking to local school superintendents about why the bus, and not a smaller, less-expensive, more environmentally friendly vehicle was being used, he discovered that state law requires money allocated for student transportation be used only for school buses.

“It seemed a waste of resources to use a big school bus to transport just two kids. It makes more sense to allow school districts to use vans or other alternative vehicles, so long as they meet safety standards and are operated safely,” Braun said.

“This will allow school districts more flexibility. Perhaps they’ll also save money by sometimes transporting kids in a vehicle that’s better suited to a specific use than a bus. Seems like common sense.”

SB 6031 will now be considered in the House of Representatives.

Property tax increase bill dies, won’t get a vote

OLYMPIA…Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, made the following comments in reaction to the announcement that the proposal to allow local governments to raise property taxes by up to 3% annually without a vote of the people is dead for this legislative session.

The Democratic sponsor of Senate Bill 5770 told The Washington State Standard that the bill, which was in the queue to come to the Senate floor for a vote Thursday, will not be brought forward.

“This is a win for the people of Washington. Senate Bill 5770 could have resulted in the largest property tax increase in our state’s history – without a vote of the people. This bill is overwhelmingly unpopular. People can’t afford a 3% annual increase in their property taxes. And renters can’t afford another tax that could push them out on the street. I’d like to think Democrats are starting to listen to people’s very real concerns.

“Counties who claim they will need to make cuts to services because they can’t triple their annual increase to their property taxes is misleading. They can raise taxes that high IF they can get people to vote for it, but not without voter approval. Some counties, such as King County, spent one-time federal COVID-19 funding on ongoing programs. And now that money is gone. That’s bad budgeting. Pierce County was smarter with their budget and won’t have to cut services. Some counties have a spending problem, not a revenue problem.”

Letter to Gov. Inslee regarding Green Hill School

Sent to Gov. Jay Inslee on Feb. 9, 2024

Governor Inslee,

It’s no secret that the environment at Green Hill School in Chehalis has become extremely
dangerous for students and staff. News reports have shown you claiming the situation at the
facility is improving. The reports of repeated riots, multiple drug overdoses, smuggling of
contraband into the facility, employee misconduct, lack of proper supervision and other incidents
paint a different picture – one of chaos and lawlessness.

When the chief of police in Centralia, Stacy Denham, requested that you investigate the facility,
you dismissed his concerns and the firsthand reports of how bad the situation had gotten. When
asked about the staff storing contraband in lockers rather than turning it over to law enforcement,
as required by law, you claimed there had been a misunderstanding and said things were
improving thanks to the state taking stronger measures to keep drugs out of the facility.

I assure you that things are not improving, assaults are more frequent, and drugs are still flowing
into Green Hill School.

According to a news report on Feb. 6, there have been thirty-four 9-1-1 calls from the facility
since you made the claim that stronger measures are being enacted.

In a single week in January, four students overdosed on fentanyl. More than one of those young
men required multiple doses of the rescue drug Narcan to survive. Other students who have not
used drugs in the past are being pressured to use by those who possess smuggled opioids, Xanax,
and other illegal substances. Riots are becoming more common. And gang activity is rampant.

In addition to inadequate protocols and staff misconduct resulting from poor management by the
Department of Youth, Children and Families, the change in law that opened Green Hill School to
students between the ages of 18 to 25 created even more problems. Majority Democrats who
passed the law – which you signed and I opposed – made a huge mistake.

Adults do not belong locked up with children.

Since that’s not likely to change, the challenge is for you to make it work. The change in law that
moved adults to Green Hill School was poorly implemented and what we are seeing now is the
disastrous fallout.

I ask you again to launch a complete and credible investigation into the staff, policies,
procedures, and executive mismanagement at Green Hill. Get to the root causes of the
dysfunction and take swift, meaningful, and common-sense actions to fix them. If staff have
engaged in illegal activity, such as smuggling drugs into students or refusing to comply with the
law, ensure their prosecution.

I also ask you to stop ignoring and covering up the serious problems brought to light by law
enforcement, the press and Green Hill staff who have blown the whistle on the facility.

Policies passed by majority Democrats over the past many years to improve the juvenile justice
system are a failed experiment in the name of compassion. It is not compassionate to allow
Green Hill School students to be injured, to overdose or to die.

The duty to address this problem is yours.

Sincerely,
Sen. John Braun
Senate Republican Leader
20th Legislative District

DOWNLOAD THE LETTER

Executive mismanagement, bad law result in child’s death

OLYMPIA…Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, released the following statement after foster families protested at the Capitol yesterday against a bill they believe is partly to blame for the death of a 3-week-old Port Townsend infant born with fentanyl in its system who died after being placed in the care of its father by the Department of Children, Youth and Families. The father is a drug addict without a stable home.

The protesters demanded the repeal of House Bill 1227, also known as the “Keep Families Together Act.” The law made it more difficult for children to be removed from homes by child protective services. It requires proof of imminent physical harm or risk. Although intended to protect low-income families, it is negatively affecting children from parents who are active fentanyl addicts. This was the case with the death of the infant in Port Townsend.

DCYF, an executive agency overseen by the governor, reportedly chose to place the infant with the father, who had passed a urinalysis drug test, without supervision. The baby’s mother is also reportedly addicted to drugs.

Immediately following the placement, the father stopped complying with DCYF requirements and would not return messages. Police discovered him in a homeless encampment. He told police the infant was dead and led them to bushes in a Port Townsend park where the body was hidden. The baby’s mother told police the father passed the drug test by purchasing clean urine on the black market.

“How many more children are going to die because of laws that favor offenders or because DCYF either doesn’t do its job or does it so poorly that they place an infant with unsuitable, and even dangerous, adults? I wish this kind of tragedy was rare, but it is not. Children like this baby are victims of their family situation, but they are further failed by the Legislature and DCYF. There should be a full audit of the laws that govern DCYF’s policies and procedures on child welfare and safety. We need to take a hard look and see if we can identify things that need to be corrected and stop pretending the child-welfare system isn’t broken.

“Although House Bill 1227 was intended to help low-income families keep their children, it is hurting low-income children by keeping them with caregivers who can’t even take care of themselves. The infant who died should have been removed from his parents and placed with someone with a stable home and without a recent history of addiction.

“The state has paid hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements to families who have lost children or vulnerable adults as a result of DCYF’s terrible decisions and laws that undermine children’s safety. Authorities are still looking for Oakley Carlson, the Grays Harbor girl who was taken from a safe and stable foster home by DCYF and put back in the care of her parents, despite their history of drug use, child endangerment and controlled-substance charges. Last year, Representative Jim Walsh sponsored the ‘Oakley Carlson Act’ to improve the operation and oversight of Washington’s child-welfare system, but Democrats killed it in committee. He has reintroduced it this year, but Democrats let it die.

“Legislative Democrats seem resistant to acknowledging the magnitude of this problem or allowing anyone to fix it.”

Bill to protect rights of victims and survivors passes Senate

OLYMPIA…A bill sponsored by Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, that would prioritize the safety of crime victims by expanding their right to be informed of the trial and sentencing hearing of the offender in their case passed the Senate unanimously Tuesday.

Senate Bill 5635 applies to victims and the survivors of victims and would also allow them to present a statement in person or by representation at the sentencing hearing. It requires that victims’ safety be more of a factor when the court considers bail, as well as requires that victims or their survivors to be informed of the offender’s place of incarceration, their release date (if any), and escape by the offender.

Included in the bill is the Washington State Legislature’s intent to provide funding to support crime victim advocates and prosecutors as they work to protect the rights of victims, their survivors, and any witnesses of crimes.

“With crime at record levels, victims of crime – or their survivors – need assurance that their rights, security, and safety are taken seriously,” said Braun. “They should have the opportunity to speak to the court, and their safety must be considered when determining bail for their offender. These seem like basic rights, but they are important for victims. They are a big step forward. This bill places a higher priority on the rights of those an offender has harmed. That’s the balance our courts have been missing.”

SB 5635 now heads to the House of Representatives for consideration.