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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Newsletter: Drug Crisis – Record overdose deaths and Inslee’s broken promise
Friends and neighbors, I don’t think that any of us are blind to Washington’s drug epidemic. Many of us have loved ones who have struggled with, or succumbed to, addiction. Police and other emergency responders are overwhelmed with calls to assist in overdoses, including overdose deaths. Mental illness is often...
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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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Newsletter: How did school districts spend $1 billion in student aid? We’re not sure
An audit by the U.S. Department of Education found that Washington state school officials had little oversight in how school districts spent $1 billion in student funding, 20% of which was intended to help students catch up from learning loss as a result of COVID shutdowns. The Seattle Times reported...
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Newsletter: Our kids are still behind academically due to pandemic shutdowns
Dear Friends and Neighbors, The state of Washington’s K-12 education system remains one of my top priorities as we approach the 2024 legislative session. And, according to the Seattle Times, significant learning loss remains a critical problem. The equity issue of our time Last year, I worked to get...
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Newsletter: Gas prices expected to increase again — by 6 cents per gallon
Dear Friends and Neighbors, As I shared in my previous newsletter, I suspected the carbon-pricing auction held by the Washington State Department of Ecology on August 30 (as part of the Democrats’ “cap-and-tax” plan) would result in another increase in the price of fuel. The results of that auction were...
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Braun: Legislature has duty to reconvene Redistricting Commission
OLYMPIA…Senate Republican Leader John Braun shared the following comments on the heels of two recent court decisions saying Washington’s legislative district maps, which were created by the Washington State Redistricting Commission during the 2022 redistricting process and went into effect this year, must be redrawn for the 15th Legislative District....
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Republican leader calls for new path toward housing affordability
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...
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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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