Author Archives: kimberlywirtz

Governor continues to scapegoat others for his false claims about carbon tax effect on gas prices

OLYMPIA…Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, today responded to public comments recently made by Gov. Jay Inslee that attempt to divert attention from evidence in a Washington Policy Center blog showing the governor knew it was false to claim his “cap-and-trade” tax on carbon-dioxide emissions would not increase gas prices, or would do so only by “pennies.”

“During the Legislative Preview, we heard the governor avoid giving straight answers when asked if he and his staff misled the public intentionally about the true cost of his carbon tax. Instead of taking responsibility, he said Republicans overestimated the possible impact, his own Department of Ecology was wrong, and oil companies should show him appreciation. He ultimately dodged the point of the question by pointing to the goals of his policy, implying the ends justify the means.

“The governor continues to point fingers at everyone else for how his carbon tax has driven up gas prices here in Washington. Yes, gas prices have fallen recently all across the country, but it’s due to seasonal and market influences. His gas tax is still there. Washington still has the third highest gas prices in the nation because of his carbon tax. The harm from that tax isn’t excusable just because market fluctuations help hide it.

“The reality is that Republicans and others accurately predicted the CO2 tax would increase the price of gas from 49 to 51 cents per gallon. We said the damage COULD be higher, based on how the program was working in California. It turns out the governor’s office initially predicted a similar price jump, then changed course to get public support for the policy by stating the impact would be ‘pennies,’ or the prices would actually go down. Even worse, the Department of Transportation – an agency he oversees – apparently pressured one of its economists to change his predictions and lie. When he refused the agency forced him out.”

 

Read Sen. Braun’s previous statements about the cap-and-tax program:

Poor awareness, rise in antisemitism necessitates more education about Jewish Holocaust of WWII

Bipartisan bill would make K-12 curriculum Nazi genocide of Jews mandatory

 

OLYMPIA…Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, and Sen. Jesse Salomon, D-Shoreline, pre-filed a bill today (Senate Bill 5851) for the 2024 legislative session that would make it mandatory for Washington’s K-12 public schools to teach the Jewish Holocaust curriculum developed by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), in partnership with Seattle’s Holocaust Center for Humanity (HCH).

The bill was drafted as a response to the pro-Hamas demonstrations and rise in antisemitism seen across the nation in the wake of the attack on Israel on Oct. 7. These activities shine a light on a disturbing lack of awareness of the Nazis’ effort to eliminate all Jews and even the belief that the Jews caused the mass genocide referred to by Nazis as “Final Solution.” During many of the recent demonstrations, participants have called for the “One Solution” – a chillingly similar call.

A 50-state survey of people in the Millennial and Gen Z generations found that 63% of them did not know that 6 million Jews died in the Holocaust. Nearly 36% thought the death toll was 2 million or fewer. Worse, the survey also found that 11% of the respondents thought the Jews were to blame.

However, the survey found that more than 80% of those surveyed believe that more education about the Holocaust is needed.

The current curriculum schools are encouraged to teach includes instructional materials, best practices and guidelines on the Holocaust and other genocidal campaigns, which have been available on the OSPI and HCH websites since September 2020 and are updated according to changes in the subject matter and associated data on the teaching/learning process.

In 2022, OSPI published a report on Holocaust instruction with recommendations. This bill will be referred to the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee.

 

Sen. John Braun, R-20

Sen. John Braun:

“The shocking lack of awareness about the worst incident of mass genocide the world has ever seen is unacceptable and must be addressed through mandatory education in Washington’s public schools. No one should be ignorant of what the Jews suffered during WWII, and it should be clear to everyone that they are not to blame for their own mass murder, torture, imprisonment, mistreatment, and persecution. I’ve said before that schools are more worried lately about teaching things that have nothing to do with academics but spend less time educating our kids on the basics. Knowledge of the Holocaust and the understanding that it must never happen again IS basic historical information every American should know. We can help fix this in Washington by joining the more than 20 other states who require a similar curriculum.”

 

Sen. Jesse Salomon, D-32

Sen. Jesse Salomon:

“We are currently experiencing political attacks on basic democratic norms and principles within our own nation from both ends of the political spectrum.  As someone whose family was deeply and traumatically impacted by the Holocaust, I welcome this bi-partisan opportunity to use the lessons of the past to re- establish norms based on our commonalities and an understanding of the horrors that could arise should we fail this mission. Unless we teach the lessons from the Holocaust, which provide a stark illustration of what could happen, we may fail to prevent its reoccurrence in some form or fashion.”

 

Summary of Draft S-3512.2/24:

  • Designates April as International Genocide Prevention and Awareness Month.
  • Requires public schools to conduct and promote age-appropriate educational activities that provide instruction, awareness, and understanding of the Holocaust and genocide education to all students during this month.
  • Strongly encourages public schools to offer at least one Holocaust and genocide education stand-alone elective that is available to students at least once during grades 6-12.
  • Directs the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction to annually update best practices and guidelines.
  • Requires public middle schools, junior high schools, and high schools to provide instruction on the Holocaust and other examples of genocide and crimes against humanity beginning with the 2027-28 school year when this topic aligns with the social studies learning standards including U.S. history and contemporary world history.

NEWSLETTER: Chronic absenteeism — Kids can’t learn if they keep skipping class

Friends and Neighbors,

This will be my final e-newsletter for 2023. You will receive my next one during the first week of January, so I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

The 2024 Legislative Session begins Monday, Jan. 8. It will end Thursday, March 7. You will receive weekly e-newsletters from me so that you are kept informed about my work, but I will also cover other legislative issues that affect you.

If you want to follow the list of legislation I sponsor, you can find it here. If you want to testify on any of my bills, or any other bills, that receive a hearing, you can find out how to do so here. 

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

Regards,

John Braun

 

Students can’t learn if they keep skipping class

Before the pandemic school closures, chronic absenteeism was a problem for schools nationwide. About 15% of our students were missing school too often. As a result of the closures, the number of students who are chronically absent has nearly doubled to 29%.

Kids can’t learn if they aren’t in class. And if they are missing class too often, they will not merely miss a lesson or two here and there. They will fall far behind. This problem is contributing to the lasting and significant learning loss we are facing.

Interestingly, a trend schools are seeing now that is different than being absent from the school, but still counts as absenteeism, is “hall walking.” This is when students show up to school but do not actually attend class. They walk the halls, congregate and socialize, and disregard their courses. This not only undermines their own education, but also disrupts the learning environment for others. It is difficult to find statistics to determine how widespread this is, but it is a growing problem.

There are even online chats guiding kids on how to skip class and walk the halls without getting caught.

Currently, I am drafting a bill that will address the issue of chronic absenteeism. I’m hoping to provide tools for school districts to get our kids back into the classroom. If we are to close the gap that learning loss has created, we have to find a way to improve attendance and hold students accountable. More on this as the process moves forward. If you have thoughts on this issue, email me.

 

 

 

UPDATE: Governor’s office downplays whistleblower’s claims

In my last newsletter, I shared my thoughts about a lawsuit being filed by an economist who worked for the Washington State Department of Transportation and was tasked with predicting how much the “cap-and-tax” program would cost you at the gas pump. He was forced out of his job after he refused to lie about the numbers.

Now being reported is the governor’s office’s reaction when confronted about the lawsuit. His deputy communications director didn’t deny the whistleblower’s claims. Instead, he said they relied on estimates from the Department of Ecology and not WSDOT.

It doesn’t matter whose numbers the governor claims he relied on. What matters is that an agency serving his interests pressured an employee to lie to make the program look less burdensome to Washington drivers.

That alone is unconscionable, but not taking the accusations seriously is a dereliction of duty. I will update you further as this situation evolves.

 

Important News Clips

NEWSLETTER: Did Inslee’s OFM and WSDOT pressure staffer to lie about expected gas price increases?

Several of my e-newsletters have highlighted news about the governor’s cap-and-trade program that would be more appropriately titled “cap-and-tax.” This is the policy that has resulted in a 50-cent increase to a gallon of gas — an increase that could climb much higher.

As I shared before, the governor was either ignorant or outright lied to the press and the public last year when he said the program would cost only pennies or might even lower fuel costs. More recently the Attorney General’s office advised the state Utilities and Trade Commission that it would be too confusing for the power companies to itemize the impact of this policy on your home-heating bill. And Inslee and majority Democrats continue to scapegoat oil companies –– accusing them of price-gouging. He even blamed a downed pipeline for the price spike, even though it had already been open at that point for nearly a month.

Now, a state employee whistleblower who refused to lie about the expected price impact of cap-and-tax is planning to file a lawsuit against the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT). The employee is an economist who was one of the top staff members at the WSDOT. He prepared estimates that showed the cap-and-tax program would have a significant impact on the cost of fuel in Washington. He was then pressured by the governor’s Office of Financial Management (OFM) to change the numbers in his reports.

The employee says that after he refused to fudge the numbers, WSDOT began an effort to drive him out of state service, ultimately eliminating his position and forcing him into early retirement.

All of this was happening at the same time the governor and legislative Democrats were blaming oil companies for price-gouging and demanding they open their books for “radical transparency.” 

This whistleblower’s lawsuit is the real example of radical transparency because it shines even more light on what appears to be a coordinated effort to manipulate you, the people, into accepting a policy that is cutting into your family budget.

Read the employee’s demand letter.

We should instead support smart environmental policies that do not unduly burden working families. Those responsible for making laws and implementing them should be honest about the effects of government policies rather than be misleading about an agenda the people might not support if they knew the truth.

I will keep an eye on how the lawsuit develops. In the meantime, I am working on policy solutions to alleviate the pressure you feel every time you fill up your tank.

Read my statement on this latest development. 

Regards,

John Braun

 

State adopts energy-code rules that will add $9,000 to $30,000 to the cost of building a home

The Washington State Building Code Council (WSBCC) has adopted amendments to the statewide energy codes that will increase the cost of building a home in Washington.

The amendments favor heat pumps, which have high upfront costs. Citing environmental and health benefits, proponents have argued against other clean-energy options such as the use of natural gas.

My colleague, Sen. Lynda Wilson, R-Vancouver, serves on the council and pushed back against adopting the amendments because a complete cost-benefit analysis had not been provided. She also noted that limiting the use of natural gas puts Washington out of compliance with a 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that struck down a city ordinance regulating energy use because federal law preempts it.

The Building Industry Association of Washington (BIAW) estimates these changes will add $9,000 to the cost of all-electric homes and $30,000 to homes that use natural gas. The executive vice president of BIAW also notes that “these rules clearly continue to violate the federal Energy Policy and Conservation Act. This assault on energy security is unfair and unnecessary.”

I agree. While we must build energy-efficient homes, promote clean energy and conserve energy in general, it is a mistake to make housing even more expensive at a time when Washington has a critical shortage of affordable housing. 

Did you know that right now, in King County, you have to earn twice the median salary to afford the median-priced home? Rules like the ones adopted by the WSBCC are driving us toward a similar situation in Southwest Washington and all over the state. Higher construction costs will also result in higher rents for those who can’t afford to buy a home. Not only is this a violation of federal law, it is bad policy. We must do better. 

 

 

Poor management plagues Washington’s juvenile detention centers

In light of recent problems at the Green Hill School juvenile detention center in Chehalis, I wanted to share a story that shows how broad the problem of poor management is at similar facilities.

Last weekend, three violent teenage offenders escaped from Echo Glen in Snoqualmie. Two of the teens were being held for murder.

Both facilities are run by the Department of Children and Youth Services (DCYF).

Sen. Mark Mullet, one of my colleagues from across the aisle, fought for $8 million in funding to install secure perimeter fencing at Echo Glen. But that fence won’t be completed until July 2025.

The escapees are back in custody, but this incident is the latest of many examples of how dangerous and poorly managed our juvenile detention centers are.

I have joined the call for an investigation into Green Hill School, but a wider investigation of Washington’s juvenile detention centers is warranted.

 

 

Important News Clips

Newsletter: We’re facing a “time for choosing” on K-12 learning loss

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Two full academic years have passed since Washington’s
governor belatedly ended his pandemic-related closure of the state’s public K-12 classrooms.

Data from the state’s latest assessment of Seattle high school students shows those at more affluent schools are close to the pre-pandemic scores of their peers. The opposite is true for students with lower incomes, especially those attending high schools in lower-income areas.
Those who have spoken loudest about equity and injustice in recent years seem less than serious about fixing this glaring public-policy issue, even though it is also at the core of the state’s paramount duty to provide for education.

It is a time for choosing: Legislators must lift these children up now, or let them continue to fall.

Read more about this problem and my plea for intervention in my latest issue of “Economic Sense.” 

 

 

 

Supporting and protecting Washington’s most essential industry

The number of farms in Washington is steadily declining and, every year, it seems as if the Legislature makes it more expensive to operate a farm through increased regulations and taxes.

This is a threat to our food supply, to the communities who depend on the farm economy, and to the entire agriculture industry here in Washington.

Earlier this week, several of my colleagues who are very involved in farming and ranching in their everyday lives held a news conference and announced a policy agenda for 2024 that would focus on reducing barriers to the survival of Washington’s farms, improve education about Washington agriculture, and encourage food security. It’s called “Cultivate Washington.”

We are very lucky that so many farms, ranches, orchards, dairies and vineyards call Washington home. Unfortunately, Washingtonians who live in urban centers — and the Democrat legislators who represent them — are further and further removed from the source of their food and what it takes to ensure that we have enough food to eat and to export to others.

 

 

KING TV update on officials’ calls for investigation into Green Hill School

In my last newsletter, I shared my reaction to the KING TV story detailing how law enforcement had to request a search warrant to gain possession of drug contraband held in lockers at Green Hill School, which is a local juvenile detention center.

Investigative reporter Chris Ingalls did a follow up story you might want to watch. 

Bottom line: The governor continues to allow critical mismanagement at his executive agencies.

 

Important Clips

Braun: Drug contraband, obstruction of justice at Green Hill School warrants thorough investigation

CENTRALIA…Upon learning that 114 bags of contraband were discovered at Green Hill School, and that it was necessary for law enforcement to issue a search warrant because school officials refused to turn the items over, Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, shared the following comments.

“I strongly support the call for an investigation of Green Hill School and the Department of Children and Youth Services (DCYF). School officials have a history of allowing serious security problems to create an unsafe environment. Finding out they have been holding onto 114 bags of drugs, drug paraphernalia and weapons in violation of state law is deeply disturbing. Each one represents a possible felony against whoever brought it into the facility. Tucking them away in a laundry room demonstrates a staggering level of incompetence.

“Even worse are reports that administrators refused to turn the contraband over to authorities when they were asked to do so. When local law enforcement is forced to request a search warrant against a state agency to seize contraband illegally in its possession, it raises suspicion that the school’s officials are obstructing justice to hide something. Why not comply?

“The governor’s dismissive comment that this is all the result of miscommunication shows a continuing lack of accountability on his part for the agencies he oversees. He tries to put a positive spin on this by saying it has created stronger measures to keep drugs out of Green Hill, but mismanagement plagues many of the governor’s agencies.

“The Lewis County Sheriff has the legal authority to investigate Green Hill for criminal activity whether or not the state grants his request for an investigation. I will support his decision to pursue his own investigation should he choose to do so.”

Newsletter: Drug Crisis – Record overdose deaths and Inslee’s broken promise

Friends and neighbors,

I don’t think that any of us are blind to Washington’s drug epidemic. Many of us have loved ones who have struggled with, or succumbed to, addiction. Police and other emergency responders are overwhelmed with calls to assist in overdoses, including overdose deaths.

Mental illness is often at the core of serious substance abuse. Treatment programs that don’t address the mental health component have a lower success rate and the result is that people are literally dying in the street.

Permissive drug policies pushed by the Democrat majority failed and many communities across Washington demanded the Legislature respond. Last year, we passed Senate Bill 5536, which is often referred to as “The Blake Fix” in reference to a court case that effectively threw out Washington’s policies on hard drugs.

That law took effect July 1, 2023. 

According to the new law, “It is a gross misdemeanor to:

  1. Knowingly possess counterfeit substances and controlled substances (hereafter “prohibited substances”); or
  2. Knowingly use prohibited substances in a public place.

This bill covers possession and use of counterfeit or controlled substances, or “hard” drugs such as fentanyl and other opioids, methamphetamine, heroin, and cocaine. Also prohibited is the knowing possession of non-prescribed legend drugs, as well as their knowing use in a public place, both classified as misdemeanors. The bill also creates a pre-trial diversion program and almost completely preempts local regulation of drug paraphernalia.” (Excerpt from Municipal Research and Services Center)

One of the other pieces to the puzzle of addressing this issue is funding behavioral-health treatment facilities. Read below to learn more about what has happened in the case of a treatment center planned for Lewis County.

This issue is very important to me and I will continue to work toward finding solutions. If you have any questions or feedback, you can contact me.

 

Broken Inslee promise stalls behavioral-health treatment facility

Efforts to build a behavioral-health treatment facility in Lewis County are being pushed back another six months by what Lewis County lawmakers say is another broken promise from Gov. Jay Inslee’s administration.

Sen. John Braun and Rep. Peter Abbarno, both R-Centralia, are particularly frustrated because the governor’s office assured them an important cost-saving change in the state building code would be made on time, without need for the legislation the two lawmakers proposed in January. Instead, the regulatory move got caught up in the governor’s effort to ban the use of natural gas to heat buildings.

Read the entire news release.

 

Washington’s drug crisis

Overdose deaths at record levels

Compared to this time last year in King County:

  • Overdose deaths are up 45%,
  • Fentanyl deaths are up 71%, and
  • Emergency calls for drug overdoses are up 55%, but they are up 130% from two years ago.

King County emergency services treated 6,300 overdoses last year, which is an average of 23 per night. Our EMS workers are nothing short of heroic in their efforts.

While these statistics are for King County, counties around the state are seeing similar growth.

 

This graph shows the growth of all overdose deaths.

 

This graph shows the growth of overdose deaths due to fentanyl alone.

 

Broken Inslee promise stalls behavioral-health treatment facility

CENTRALIA… Efforts to build a behavioral-health treatment facility in Lewis County are being pushed back another six months by what Lewis County lawmakers say is another broken promise from Gov. Jay Inslee’s administration.

Sen. John Braun and Rep. Peter Abbarno, both R-Centralia, are particularly frustrated because the governor’s office assured them an important cost-saving change in the state building code would be made on time, without need for the legislation the two lawmakers proposed in January. Instead, the regulatory move got caught up in the governor’s effort to ban the use of natural gas to heat buildings.

The code change would put residential treatment facilities under the residential building code rather than the costlier institutional building code, allowing Cascade Behavioral Health to move forward on using state grant money to build an inpatient center in Chehalis for up to 16 people with substance-use disorder. The move to the R-4 code was expected to take effect next week, but a combination of actions by the State Building Code Council has delayed it to mid-March.

“People are dying because they don’t have access to drug treatment. Inflation raises the cost of construction just like it does anything else. The governor controls all the players in this – the members of the building code council are his picks, the state Department of Health is in his branch of government – and he still can’t get it done. This is a stunning lack of leadership, and unfortunately, it just adds to the record of mismanagement and incompetence by the Inslee administration,” said Braun.

“Community members suffering from addiction, especially in rural communities, need proper treatment facilities and this policy addresses those needs,” Abbarno said. “Sadly, the R-4 building code designation change has been caught up in the governor’s political gamesmanship. The long overdue code change to add drug-treatment capacity will save lives.”

Senate Bill 5416, introduced by Braun, and House Bill 1409, introduced by Abbarno, will again be available for passage in the 2024 legislative session. The bills are identical and contain language that would take immediate effect once signed by the governor, meaning legislators still could act before March in a way that shortens the delay in bringing the Chehalis facility construction under the R-4 code.

The lawmakers say the switch to the R-4 code got snared in the climate agenda being pushed by the governor and Democratic lawmakers. A package of changes adopted by the SBCC earlier this year included not only the R-4 expansion but also a controversial move to force the use of electric heat instead of gas heat in new construction. After a similar natural-gas ban in California was invalidated by a federal court, the SBCC approved a delay until Oct. 29, which has now turned into March 15.

“The people in our state whose lives are turned upside down because of drug addiction probably aren’t focused on carbon emissions,” Braun said. “Changing building codes to add drug-treatment capacity won’t get you an invitation to meet with global leaders in New York or impress the donor class, the way that demonizing natural gas will, but it’s what our communities need. The governor has a terrible track record when it comes to mental-health issues, and this is unfortunately just the latest example. Because he can’t deliver on time, this project is two years behind where it should be.”

Newsletter: How did school districts spend $1 billion in student aid? We’re not sure

An audit by the U.S. Department of Education found that Washington state school officials had little oversight in how school districts spent $1 billion in student funding, 20% of which was intended to help students catch up from learning loss as a result of COVID shutdowns.

The Seattle Times reported that state Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal said he thought the districts’ reporting was in compliance with federal law, but the reports tfice of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) posted were found to be insufficient.

Even now, the language OSPI posted to explain how districts used the money is fewer than 50 words. 

The audit also found that the state did not adequately monitor if the interventions meant to help students catch up were successful.

 

“Students are still behind. If there were more opportunities to weigh in, and transparency around what districts are doing, the funds may have been used in a way that’s more effective for students.”

-Katie Silberstein, strategic projects lead for the Edunomics Lab, a Georgetown University department that researches education finance.

Public trust in government is very low and it’s easy to see why when we find out that those who are entrusted to spend your money in specific ways, such as helping our kids recover academically, do so with a lack of accountability and poor follow-through.

A study ordered by the Washington State Legislature, conducted in May, found that 74% of school’s federal aid expenditures are classified as “other,” making it harder to verify how the money was spent.

This is unacceptable. Superintendent Reykdal should be monitoring our school districts’ reporting more closely. If he can’t ensure we spend federal dollars as we are required to do so, it could jeopardize such aid in the future. Our students deserve better.

 

 

We stand with Israel

Earlier this week, the Senate majority leader and I wrote a letter to the governor asking him to demonstrate Washington’s support for Israel in the current conflict in Gaza by flying the Israeli flag at the state Capitol and lowering the state flag and the U.S. flag to half-staff.

Shortly afterward, the governor did just that. We appreciate the governor granting our request and hope that Washington’s Jewish community knows we stand with Israel.

 

SRC On Air: Sen. John Braun on The Lars Larson Show

 

 

Is Democrats’ cap-and-tax a boom or a bust?

The Democrats’ program that they refer to as “cap-and-trade” has now raised more than $1.4 billion by auctioning off carbon credits to companies that provide energy and fuel for our cars, businesses and homes.

Where has that money really come from?

You.

The program, which is more appropriately named “cap-and-tax,” has fulfilled its purpose — to take a tremendous amount of money from your pocket so Democrats can grow government.

In past newsletters, I’ve explained how the program has become an indirect gas tax of an additional 50 cents per gallon, making Washington’s gas prices fluctuate between being the highest and second-highest in the nation.

In the meantime, the governor and his staff have repeatedly blamed everyone but themselves for the added costs being called out for what they really are. They also accuse those who have told the truth about the program from the beginning of being dishonest.

A recent example was highlighted by political commentator Brandi Kruse on her podcast Undivided. Brandi rightly criticized the governor’s office for its disingenuous behavior, which she called “shameful.”

If you remember, the governor initially said the cap-and-tax program would only cost “pennies.” He also said it might even lower gas prices. Not only were these claims absurd, they were intended to undermine the data-based efforts of those of us who predicted the true price increase.

In addition, while flanked by Democrat legislators at a news conference where he blamed oil companies for the increase in fuel costs, he accused Republicans of not wanting clean air and wanting your children to get asthma. More absurd claims.

Gov. Inslee and others point to the $1.4 billion of new revenue as justification for their actions, as if the ends justify the means. But he neglects to acknowledge the true hardship the increased prices cause for families and businesses across the state.

That is no way to govern.

Two more auctions are to be held in 2023. It remains to be seen how they will affect gas prices, but we will share that information as soon as we know it.

 

Important Clips