Author Archives: kimberlywirtz

Braun: Retiring Senator Reuven Carlyle kind, professional public servant

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

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

Proposal to slash in-person schooling alarming, says Braun

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Supreme Court’s acceptance of Redistricting Commission maps best solution, says Braun

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

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

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

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

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

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

Republican leaders release statement on the Legislature defeating Gov. Jay Inslee in the Washington Supreme Court

House Republican Leader J.T. Wilcox and Senate Republican Leader John Braun released the following statement on the Legislature’s win over Gov. Jay Inslee in the Washington Supreme Court today:

“The Legislature knew Governor Inslee overstepped his constitutional authority by vetoing single lines of the transportation budget in 2019. The four caucuses agreed to bring legal action against the governor on this important separation of powers issue. The Legislature won in state Superior Court last year and won again in the state Supreme Court today. We appreciate that the courts agreed with our understanding of the limitations on the governor’s veto power.”

Background:

  • The Legislature passed the state’s transportation budget, House Bill 1160, on April 28, 2019. Six single-sentence provisions relating to public transportation grants in Section 220 of the bill were stricken by veto from Gov. Jay Inslee on May 21, 2019. The sentence read: “Fuel type may not be a factor in the grant selection process.”
  • The House Executive Rules Committee and the Senate Facilities and Operations Committee voted unanimously to file a lawsuit against Gov. Jay Inslee claiming he exceeded his constitutional authority by vetoing less than an entire section or appropriation item. The Complaint for Declaratory Judgment was filed on Aug. 30, 2019.
  • A Thurston County Superior Court Judge ruled on June 25, 2020 that Gov. Jay Inslee’s vetoes of the sentences were invalid because those sentences were not appropriation items subject to individual veto. The judge also ruled that the sentences do not constitute prohibited substantive law in the budget, nor do they directly conflict with the codified statutes regarding those particular transportation grants.
  • The Washington Supreme Court affirmed the Superior Court’s decision on Nov. 10, 2021, holding that Gov. Jay Inslee had overstepped his constitutional veto authority.

Sen. Braun on Sen. Rivers’ move: ‘We will deeply miss her leadership’

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

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

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

 

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

Braun: Inslee again violates state constitution with illegal veto

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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