OLYMPIA… The Legislature’s Republican leaders say the just-completed 2022 session fell short on addressing concerns they and other Republican lawmakers have been hearing from people across Washington. House Republican Leader J.T. Wilcox, of Yelm: “The 2022 session will be remembered for lawmakers attempting to fix problems created in recent sessions,...

Bipartisan legislation would move toward education equity in every ZIP Code OLYMPIA… Sen. John Braun (R-Centralia) and Sen. Mark Mullet (D-Issaquah) say state government’s positive financial outlook has given legislators an opportunity to make significant new investments in Washington’s K-12 schools, bring local school-levy rates down and avoid a repeat...

Proposed constitutional amendment would bring stability to long-term care fund OLYMPIA…More than a year before Washington workers are required to begin paying into a long-term care fund, Washington voters will have an opportunity to direct those payroll-tax dollars into investments that could strengthen the fund while protecting taxpayers. Late Thursday...

OLYMPIA…Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia and budget leader for Washington’s Senate Republican Caucus, made this statement following today’s adoption of the first quarterly state-government revenue forecast for 2020. The forecast indicates revenues for the 2019-21 budget cycle are $606 million ahead of the November 2019 forecast, for a total estimated revenue...

Tax would balloon to $1 billion from $773 million under Senate majority proposal  The state Senate’s majority Democrats should simply repeal the badly flawed business-tax increase that took effect Jan. 1 rather than pursue a new plan that would take far more money from professional-service providers, says Sen. John Braun....

OLYMPIA…The Senate today gave unanimous approval to bills from Sen. John Braun aimed at addressing concerns about the care of developmentally disabled Washingtonians and the management of health care for low-income residents. “It’s wrong that developmentally disabled people who don’t have medical needs are effectively being abandoned at hospitals –...

OLYMPIA…Senate Majority Coalition Caucus members today introduced landmark reforms that would return state government to the role of primary provider for Washington’s K-12 schools while finally connecting school funding with the actual cost of educating students. The MCC’s Education Equality Act is the first complete, ready-for-voting solution proposed by lawmakers...

Greetings Friends and Neighbors, In this newsletter you will find the eighth edition of my policy letter, Economic Sense. This edition looks into the Governor’s historically expensive proposed collective bargaining agreements and examines whether they are the best use of taxpayer funds. It addresses lost opportunities, and provides context around...

Closed-door negotiations began last week on state-worker contracts for the 2017-19 biennium, and Sen. John Braun hopes it is the last time the talks will be kept out of public view. “Washington does a better job than most states when it comes to open government,” said Braun, R-Centralia. “However, the...