OLYMPIA…Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, made the following comments in reaction to the announcement that the proposal to allow local governments to raise property taxes by up to 3% annually without a vote of the people is dead for this legislative session. The Democratic sponsor of Senate Bill...

  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...

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,...

20th District senator says Democrat colleague’s proposal to reduce pain at pump also deserves consideration CENTRALIA… The excessive financial windfall from Washington’s cap-and-tax policy should be used to address the affordability crisis facing the state’s homeowners and renters, says Senate Republican Leader John Braun. As of last month, state government had...

CENTRALIA… The average price of a gallon of regular gasoline in Washington is now worst in the nation, and Senate Republican Leader John Braun says the state’s controversial cap-and-tax law is clearly the main driver of the price jump. Braun, from Centralia, serves Washington’s largely rural 20th Legislative District. He...

OLYMPIA… In what amounts to the ninth inning of the 2023 legislative session, more than two-thirds of the state Senate’s majority Democrats have slid an extreme tax-increase proposal into the lineup of bills still in play. Senate Bill 5770 would raise the limit on increases in state and local property...

CENTRALIA… Tomorrow, middle-class households across California will begin receiving tax-refund payments to help with what one state official calls “inflated costs for everyday necessities.” Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, responded by pointing out how in Washington, Gov. Jay Inslee and Democratic legislators have refused all year long to offer...

OLYMPIA… Another jump in price inflation at the state and national levels has Senate Republican leaders calling again for legislative action to provide financial relief to Washington families.   New numbers from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics show the June inflation rate in Washington was 10.1% higher than a year earlier,...

OLYMPIA… There is one sure way to lower the cost of gasoline, says Senate Republican Leader John Braun, and that’s for the Legislature to suspend the 49.4-cent state portion of the gas tax. Braun, R-Centralia, said legislative action makes even more sense now considering how gas prices continue to rise,...