Author Archives: kimberlywirtz

NEWSLETTER: Hitting the ground running on key issues this legislative session

 

Friends and Neighbors,

WEEKLY VIDEO UPDATE

The first week of session was busy and I have several things to share with you. First, take a few minutes to watch my weekly video update.

LEGISLATIVE PREVIEWS

Every year, the week before session starts, the leaders of the four caucuses participate in a variety of press events and interviews to share their perspective on the upcoming session. I’ve provided links to two of these appearances so you can hear for yourself what is coming this session.

My interview on TVW’s “The Impact.”

My panel discussion at Seattle CityClub’s annual Legislative Preview. The panel also includes House Republican Leader Drew Stokesbary, Senate Democrat Deputy Leader Manka Dhingra, and House Democrat Leader Joe Fitzgibbon.

STATE OF THE STATE ADDRESS & RESPONSE

The governor delivered his annual, and final, State of the State address to a joint session of all legislators. Immediately following that, Sen. Nikki Torres, R-Pasco, gave the Republican perspective.

This was followed by a Republican news conference where leaders from both the House and Senate Republicans answered questions about issues we are facing this session.

CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM BILL GETS A HEARING

My bill that addresses chronic absenteeism (SB 5850) was heard in committee yesterday. Listen to the testimony. I’m encouraged and hopeful that it will be voted out of committee, which means it is more likely to come to the Senate floor for a vote. This bill is important, but it is only one piece of the solution for post-pandemic learning recovery. We must fund additional intensive tutoring and we must adequately provide for kids who receive special education services. This is a critical need this session. Since several of my education bills are co-sponsored by Democrats, I’m optimistic about their chances of moving forward.

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

Regards,

John Braun

 

State-run detention centers like Green Hill School need security-protocol overhaul

The governor was asked this week about the situation of contraband not being turned in to law enforcement by Green Hill School administrators. He claimed it has improved. Click here to read the response Police Chief Denham and I issued to the press. 

 

The middle of I-5 is an unsafe and unreasonable protest venue

While people have the right to protest, they do not have the right to block the freeway. In fact, it’s illegal. Read the statement I issued earlier this week expressing my concern about the danger protesters pose to the public and themselves when they block the highway.

 

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

During the recent 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.

Read the entire statement here. 

 

 

Important News Clips

State-run detention centers like Green Hill School need security-protocol overhaul

Governor needs to be accountable, stop minimizing problems

 

OLYMPIA…Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, and Centralia Chief of Police Stacy Denham are disputing the governor’s recent claim that security protocols at Green Hill School, the state-run maximum-security detention facility in Chehalis, are “improved.” They provided the following statement in response.

“We cannot emphasize enough how badly the hiring, training and security protocols at Green Hill School and other state-run detention facilities across Washington need to be overhauled to ensure the safest and most effective environment for the rehabilitation of offenders. We call on Governor Inslee and DCYF Secretary Ross Hunter to step up and take responsibility for enacting real solutions rather than just putting a bandage on the problem and calling it good.

“The governor minimizes the problems plaguing detention centers around the state, including Green Hill School in Chehalis. He likes to claim his administration has fixed the security problems that allowed Green Hill officials to ignore policy and stockpile contraband such as drugs and weapons in lockers instead of turning them over to law enforcement. That is not the case. Items are not turned over daily but instead are given to law enforcement as a ‘package’ once a month, accompanied by a report so poorly written that the Chehalis Police Department offered to teach the facility staff how to prepare it correctly.

“Chronic, systemic mismanagement of the agencies under Jay Inslee’s watch has become a hallmark of his 12 years in office. Yet, he accepts no accountability for it. Sweeping change is needed. The current situation is a complete failure, not just for the staff and inmates, but also for communities across Washington. When security can’t enter an inmate’s room after ‘lights out’ to confiscate the illegally obtained cannabis being smoked, something is wrong. When kids are allowed to walk unescorted from building to building, giving them the opportunity to pick up footballs with drugs hidden inside that have been thrown over the fence, something is wrong. And when the governor won’t allow an investigation of one of his agencies, something is wrong. Fix the system and let security do their jobs.”

 

Inmates at Green Hill School include adult males, yet the facility and others like it are managed by the Washington State Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) – not the Department of Corrections (DOC).

 

A history of problems at the Green Hill School:

“Four Green Hill School inmates charged for prison riot; eighth riot charged at facility in 2023” (The Chronicle, Jan. 8, 2024)

“Green Hill School inmate charged for alleged possession of fentanyl in January 2023” (The Chronicle, Jan. 5, 2024)

Braun: Drug contraband, obstruction of justice at Green Hill School warrants thorough investigation (Sen. John Braun, Nov. 4, 2023)

“Search warrant served as part of drug investigation at Chehalis juvenile detention center” (King TV, Sept. 7, 2023)

“Rampant sexual abuse at The Green Hill School in Chehalis” (PCVA Law)

Braun: Interstate 5 an unsafe, unreasonable protest venue

Blocking major highway through Seattle a matter of life or death for some

 

OLYMPIA…Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, made the following comments about this weekend’s anti-Israel, traffic-blocking protest across Interstate 5 through Seattle.

“People have the right to peaceably protest, but they don’t have the right to put themselves and drivers in danger by blocking the busiest section of the busiest road in our state. I understand how causing disruption in a highly visible location will draw attention, but it could easily go wrong. Someone could get injured or killed. We’ve seen it happen.

“Aside from being dangerous and unreasonable, it’s also a class C felony to interfere with the ability of emergency vehicles to serve the public by interfering with a mode of transportation, such as a freeway. We need to empower the Washington State Patrol to enforce this law and arrest those who choose to obstruct the work of first responders. Their freedom of speech does not justify trapping an ambulance or fire truck in traffic simply because protestors want to be seen. Getting the patient to a hospital can be a matter of life or death. The governor should encourage law enforcement to take strong action when this happens.”

NEWSLETTER: Session begins TODAY — you can testify in support of my bills — learn how

Friends and Neighbors,

Today marks the beginning of the 2024 Legislative Session. We operate on a biennial schedule, so this is the “short” year. This means we meet for 60 days, during which time we are tasked with making minor adjustments to the biennial state budget adopted in 2023 rather than writing an entirely new budget. We also can continue work on bills we sponsored last year.

My priorities this session are to make Washington a safer and more affordable place to live. I also will focus on making stronger headway toward eliminating learning loss among our K-12 students.

Some of my key bills this year will address:

As  these and other bills I’m sponsoring are granted hearings, I will let you know so you may testify in support of them if you like. Our final day of session will be March 7. The pace will be fast, but I will keep you informed along the way.

Happy New Year,

John Braun

Testify: My bill to curb chronic absenteeism to receive hearing Jan. 11

Senate Bill 5850, which I sponsored to address chronic absenteeism, will receive a hearing in the Senate Early Learning and K-12 Education Committee at 1:30 p.m. this Thursday, Jan. 11. You may testify in support of the bill either in person or via Zoom. Learn how. 

Chronic absenteeism is a serious problem for our public schools. This makes it more difficult to combat learning loss from the pandemic and puts more students at risk for not graduating.

Teachers and administrators often feel as if their hands are tied, and the law is little help in getting kids who skip school to attend class.

Since some kids will go to school, but wander the halls and not go to class, the issue is more complicated than simply working with parents to make sure kids set foot in the building.

I encourage you to testify in support of my bill. You also may submit written testimony instead or in addition to testifying either in person or virtually.

 

A sham lawsuit threatens to disenfranchise WA’s Latino voters

By 

John Braun
Appeared in the Seattle Times Dec. 26, 2024

In 2021 our state’s bipartisan, voter-created Redistricting Commission set Washington’s current legislative and congressional boundaries.

In August, a federal judge ruled in favor of the plaintiffs in Soto Palmer v. Hobbs, who claimed the map of Central Washington’s 15th Legislative District violates the federal Voting Rights Act (VRA). The judge ordered the boundaries to be redrawn.

Under state law, legislators can reconvene the commission at any time should district boundaries need adjusting. Instead, special-interest groups, with the help of local activists, are trying to circumvent that process to achieve a predetermined political outcome.

On Dec. 1, the plaintiffs proposed five maps to the court. Four move Eastern Washington’s first Latina senator, Republican Nikki Torres of Pasco, out of her district into the adjacent 16th Legislative District. The fifth map would keep her in her district but slash her proportion of Latino constituents — now 73% — down to 47%.

The plaintiffs make the unfathomable claim that a Latina’s election proves her ethnic community was discriminated against under the terms of the VRA. To the best of anyone’s knowledge, the VRA has never been twisted in such a way.

As a young girl, Sen. Torres woke before daybreak to pick fruit alongside her parents in Central and Eastern Washington. As a single mom, she struggled to get an education and achieve her American Dream. Family, hard work and education helped her exceed the expectations of those who told her she would never amount to much because of who she is and where she came from.

Sen. Torres should be proud. She has achieved so much already and is doing an outstanding job representing her constituents. She understands their struggles because they are her struggles.

Now, after being overwhelmingly chosen to represent her community, she is faced with this politically motivated push to take her job and diminish her worth.

While five registered Latino voters in the 14th and 15th legislative districts are listed as the plaintiffs, the lawsuit is clearly part of a national movement to politicize redistricting and weaponize the VRA to elect more Democrats from court-gerrymandered districts.

A prominent actor behind this lawsuit and the accompanying national strategy is Matt Barreto, with the UCLA Voting Rights Project.

Besides close ties to President Joe Biden’s political operation, Barreto claims in his online bio to have had a pivotal role in VRA challenges in other states, including Texas, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.

His organization and similar outside groups, with strong ties to the state and national Democratic parties, are the ones working hardest — behind the local plaintiffs — to challenge Washington’s bipartisan redistricting process.

Why would special interests attack a Latina senator in the name of helping her Latino constituents?

The plaintiffs’ proposed maps make the answer clear. They would cause the Yakima Valley district to go from having a 1.4% Republican advantage margin to margins that range from 10.2% to 11.1% in Democrats’ favor.

While such a radical shift would give the Democratic Party a major advantage, these proposed maps do nothing to strengthen the voice of the Hispanic community. Two maps would expand the Latino population by only 0.15% compared to the current district, which already has the state’s largest Latino population. The other three maps would, unbelievably, decrease the percentage of Latinos.

The real goal is clearly to have a court transform what is now a “swing” district in Central Washington — one either party could win — into a solidly Democratic-leaning district that guarantees the current Democratic legislative majority another vote in Olympia.

This outrageous scheme would violate U.S. Supreme Court standards, which require that replacement maps make only the minimum changes needed to fix a VRA violation.

A better solution is for the Legislature to call itself back into session immediately and reconvene the state’s Redistricting Commission. Even though the regular session is scheduled to start Jan. 8, this is an urgent matter that can be taken care of quickly. Let the commission fix any compliance issues with a bipartisan solution that is fair and transparent.

Anything less will disenfranchise the people of Sen. Torres’ district, harm Eastern Washington’s Latino community and put politics ahead of people.

 

Coming up this week

In addition to SB 5850 receiving a committee hearing (details below), several big things are happening at the Capitol this week.

Jan. 8:

  • Opening day of the 2024 Legislative Session

Jan. 9:

  • State of the State Address and the Republican response
  • Republican press conference
  • Meeting with the Consul from Japan

Legislative Cutoff Calendar (deadlines that help determine which legislation moves forward)

 

Important Articles

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