Public Safety

March 15, 2024

Newsletter: Is an arrest at Green Hill School a sign things are improving?

Arrests at Green Hill School may be sign things are improving Friends and Neighbors, I toured Green Hill School this week to see for myself the conditions and protocols at the detention facility. Green Hill once housed only juveniles, but now houses adults up to age 25 if they were...
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February 07, 2024

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...
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January 12, 2024

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...
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January 10, 2024

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...
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January 08, 2024

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...
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November 04, 2023

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...
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October 24, 2023

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...
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August 30, 2023

Newsletter: Attorney General’s office tells PSE to hide reason for increase to your power bill

Dear friends and neighbors, Republicans have talked a lot about the record increases in the price of gas. We’ve been clear that the tax program the Democrats refer to as “cap-and-trade” or “cap-and-invest” (but we call “cap-and-tax”) is to blame for Washington having the highest/second-highest gas prices in the nation. ...
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May 02, 2023

STATEMENT: Republican leader cautious about drug-law ‘special’ session

CENTRALIA… State lawmakers have been called into a special session to continue work toward a new state law on the possession of controlled substances, after failing to come to an agreement before the regular legislative session ended April 23. Senate Republican Leader John Braun offered this comment following Gov. Jay...
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