Tag Archives: 20th Legislative District

STATEMENT: Republican leader renews call for legislators to suspend gas tax

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, with no end in sight – and considering how the state’s revenue situation continues to improve. He offered this statement today, as AAA reported the average cost per gallon of regular unleaded reached $5.16 in the Seattle-Bellevue-Everett metro area; a month ago the average in that same area for the same fuel grade was $4.85.

“In a matter of hours, the Legislature could meet and pass legislation to knock almost 50 cents off the price of a gallon. In the central Puget Sound area, gas has gone up 31 cents per gallon on average in the month since Republicans last called for legislative intervention. How much higher does it have to go before our Democratic colleagues decide their constituents should get some relief?

“The May revenue collection report is up 428 million dollars from the February revenue forecast. Clearly, the gas tax could be suspended through the end of this year – as Republicans first proposed during this year’s legislative session – without jeopardizing a single state program or service. The majority party should be able to agree on that point.

“The federal government has been ineffective at slowing the rise in fuel costs. Democrats at all levels can blame Putin all they want, but that’s not the underlying cause of the price increases, and in any case the Ukraine situation isn’t going to be resolved anytime soon. Our Legislature represents the only real hope for the people of Washington to pay significantly less at the pump.

“If our Democratic colleagues here in Washington are OK with the soaring gas prices because they see it as a way to get people out of their cars, I wish they’d come out and say so. If not, they should join with us to call a special session and suspend the gas tax with a strong bipartisan vote that could deter a veto. We have an affordability crisis in this state, and reducing the cost of fuel is a good way to get at that.”

Legislators should reconvene and suspend gas tax, Republican leader says after seeing revenue report

OLYMPIA… As the nation’s inflation rate hit 8.5% this past week, a report from the state Economic and Revenue Forecast Council indicated state-revenue collections are running more than $255 million above what it projected in February.

Senate Republican Leader John Braun of Centralia responded by calling again on the Legislature to support tax and inflation relief for the people of Washington:

“State government’s financial picture keeps getting better while the affordability crisis keeps getting worse. If you’re younger than 40, you have never had to contend with an inflation rate this high. Higher costs for food, gas, housing and energy are predictably harder on gig-economy and hourly-wage workers, and older people with fixed incomes. For younger people looking to become first-time homeowners or start a family, it’s a real shock – and the Democrats don’t seem to have any useful answers.

“Republicans offered idea after idea during this year’s session for helping families with the rising cost of living. In spite of a 15-billion-dollar budget surplus we couldn’t get our Democratic colleagues to agree. They just poured most of those billions into making government even larger.

“Right before the Legislature adjourned in early March, the current majority said no to a Republican proposal to suspend the 49.4-cent state gas tax through the end of 2022. Fortunately, the latest revenue report is keeping that opportunity alive. If Democrats would just drop their resistance to providing inflation relief, we could easily meet in a one-day, remote special session to suspend the regressive gas tax and maybe also consider a veto override or two.

“Democrats can talk about ‘Putin price hikes’ all they want – gas prices have been increasing all year long, so much that one in our state’s own congressional delegation called for a gas-tax suspension well before the invasion of Ukraine. The new transportation package they pushed through in Olympia this year may mean more bicycle lanes, and free transit for children, but it won’t do a thing to help parents afford the gas to get to their jobs or to their kids’ soccer games. The governor supports the idea of Washington refineries helping ensure gas is available to meet the needs of families and employers; he and Democrat legislators should now join Republicans to make gas more affordable.”

STATEMENT: Senate Republican leader lauds new laws related to safety of indigenous people

CENTRALIA… Senate Republican Leader John Braun offered this statement about legislation signed today that focuses more attention and resources on the safety of indigenous people.

“Some issues, like human trafficking and domestic violence, transcend partisan differences – and today’s signing of House Bill 1571 and House Bill 1725 makes it clear the safety of indigenous people is also on that list, as both were passed unanimously in each legislative chamber. When a loved one goes missing, it shouldn’t matter who or where or why.

“Representative Mosbrucker, a Republican who represents members of the Yakama Nation, filed one of these new laws, which is culturally responsive and may answer families’ questions; the second comes from Representative Lekanoff, a Democrat who is the Legislature’s only Native member, and creates an alert for missing indigenous people similar to the Silver Alert or Amber Alert we all know. Both build on the law created in 2019 by a Mosbrucker bill that really put the spotlight on the issue of missing indigenous women.

“One of the Republican priorities for the 2022 session was to reestablish public safety across our state. That was not limited to restoring some of the law-enforcement tools the majority took away in 2021; we are equally concerned about the wave of mysterious disappearances of our tribal neighbors, and the other safety issues they face. I am glad to see these new laws, which take effect in June, and will be looking to see how we might improve on them in 2023.”

STATEMENT: 2022 session didn’t work for all of Washington, say Republican legislative leaders

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, a partisan transportation package that raises fees on Washingtonians, and a failure to deliver meaningful tax relief to families despite a historic budget surplus. And for the second year in a row, House Democrats showed no interest in emergency powers reform. When lawmakers return in January 2023, hopefully we’ll have a wiser and more collaborative Legislature that listens to all parts of the state.

“I’m proud of the real solutions introduced by House Republicans. We offered detailed budget frameworks that included significant tax relief, a comprehensive public safety package, transportation alternatives, true emergency powers reform, and a plan for our environment. We were not just the loyal opposition; we showed Washingtonians they have a choice when it comes to governing.”

Senate Republican Leader John Braun, of Centralia:

“The contrasts between Senate Republicans and our majority colleagues were on full display this session. Our priorities were public safety, affordability and trust – things that are important to all the people of Washington, regardless of where they live and who they are. The people can see how Democrats went a different direction, choosing against meaningful tax relief for families despite a 15-billion-dollar surplus. They’ll feel the fee increases tied to the partisan new transportation package, and notice how Democrats struggled to do even the bare minimum to make our communities safer. Parents will wonder why the majority fell short on responding to concerns about the pandemic learning loss. People who have become distrustful of government will question why only Republicans are serious about installing the checks and balances that will allow the public’s concerns to be heard during a future state of emergency.

“We challenged the majority’s proposals with what we still view as better ideas, like immediate gas-tax relief and a plan to help our communities afford more public-safety resources. Sometimes we were successful – it’s because of Republicans that law-enforcement agencies are getting some crime-fighting tools back. Otherwise, our proposals to reestablish public safety, rebuild public trust, and make life in Washington more affordable were blocked. If there was any question where the interests of our Democratic colleagues lie, it’s been answered by the decisions made these past 60 days.”

STATEMENT — Republican leaders: Call special session to fix or repeal long-term care tax before tax collections begin

Governor’s delay of ‘Washington Cares’ tax won’t prevent January deductions from paychecks

OLYMPIA…In response to new information about how the governor’s delay of the long-term care tax won’t stop tax collections in January, Senate Republican Leader John Braun of Centralia and House Republican Leader J.T. Wilcox of Yelm issued this statement:

“The governor’s announcement last week that the ‘Washington Cares’ long-term care tax would be delayed led everyone to believe that the tax would not be collected from their paychecks come January. State employees received notice that only those who have already been granted an exemption to the program will not have the tax deducted. Otherwise, the tax will be collected as originally planned. How is this a delay? How has the governor helped matters? He hasn’t. The governor’s announcement changed nothing. The only thing it did was publicly acknowledge that the program is a mess.

“We need to go into a special session before the state begins collecting the tax and repeal this bill – even if it’s over the holidays, using virtual technology to meet on short notice. The program is so unpopular that more than 400,000 Washingtonians applied for an exemption and thousands of others want out but couldn’t get a private policy before the deadline. Why? Because the way the law is written drove insurance carriers to pull out of Washington.

“Under the current law, it is legally questionable if anyone who has the money deducted from their paycheck won’t receive it back – not even if they are granted an exemption. People are angry. The governor stands to make them even angrier if he fails to have the legislative branch address this before January 1.”

Republican leaders respond to Gov. Jay Inslee’s new vaccine mandate

OLYMPIA… At a news conference today, Gov. Jay Inslee announced a new vaccine mandate for most state employees, private health care and long-term care workers. House Republican Leader J.T. Wilcox and Senate Republican Leader John Braun released the following statement on the announcement:

“Vaccinations can save lives and we have strongly encouraged people to get them. We have been vaccinated ourselves. But getting the vaccine is a personal health-care choice and should not be mandated by any level of government. Threatening to terminate someone’s job if they don’t comply with this requirement is heavy-handed and wrong. The governor should show humility, listen to those who have concerns about the vaccine, and look to provide other options – including incentives.

“Similar to past announcements, we learned of the governor’s decision from the media. Those impacted by his decision, and their state lawmakers, have again been prevented from having a role in this process. This is yet another example of why we need emergency powers reform. Other states have enacted limits on their executive branches, but Democrats in our state have been afraid to challenge Governor Inslee. Call a special session. Give the people a meaningful say in these decisions.”

STATEMENT: Promise of good jobs defeated by Inslee’s climate agenda, says Braun

OLYMPIA… Senate Republican Leader John Braun offered this statement today after Northwest Innovation Works announced it is pulling the plug on a seven-year effort to construct a $2.3 billion methanol plant at the Port of Kalama.

“Knowing this announcement might come from NW Innovations doesn’t make it any less disappointing. Governor Inslee had supported this project until 2019, when he launched his presidential campaign as the ‘climate change’ candidate and did a quick flip-flop. When the Department of Ecology essentially derailed the permitting process a few months ago, the writing was on the wall.

“The economic boom seen in the Puget Sound area for most of the past decade never reached this part of the state. When NW Innovations came calling, with a solid plan, it was welcomed – until politics got in the way. If the bills passed during this year’s legislative session are any indication, the only things the governor’s climate agenda will produce are higher fuel costs for the people of Washington, regardless of their income level. There’s no reason to believe it will lead to the employment and economic activity Cowlitz County workers and families deserve. The promise of good-paying jobs in this part of Washington has been sacrificed on the altar of environmental activism.”

Braun disappointed by governor’s failure to define next phase of economic restart

OLYMPIA… Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, offered this statement today after Gov. Jay Inslee indicated Phase 3 of the “Healthy Washington – Roadmap to Recovery” plan will not be defined for several more weeks.

“It looks like our entire state has hit a dead end on the governor’s roadmap. His administration has already had seven weeks to figure out what Phase 3 could look like, but now he says it will take several more weeks to ‘gather information’ before deciding what’s next. We should have had the details about Phase 3 already.

“Governor Inslee gave the impression that the number of COVID-19 cases and hospital admissions and other metrics tied to the roadmap may no longer be as relevant. Instead he’s talking about the variants of the virus, and the capability of the vaccines, as though those have become more important. The businesses that are now stuck indefinitely in Phase 2 – which is half as open as they could be four months ago – deserve more clarity than he offered today.

“The governor continues to speak of using ‘science’ in deciding how the regions of our state can move forward, and what that would mean. I would steer him toward the empirical kind of science, meaning he should go and visit some of the businesses affected by his restrictions. Then he can see for himself how they are prepared to take all the precautions necessary to protect their customers and employees, and safely move to a higher level of business activity.

“I’ve been encouraged that the governor is visiting schools to talk about how students can return to classrooms safely. Next time he should also stop by a local restaurant or two, or a fitness center, and gather information. That could help him to define Phase 3 sooner than April.”

Republican senators make new bid to get Washington children back into classrooms

OLYMPIA… A bill to help get children back into classrooms has been introduced by several Republican senators, just as a new report shows Washington is behind nearly every other state in providing in-person instruction.

Senate Bill 5464 was introduced Tuesday, the same day Senate Republican Leader John Braun wrote to Gov. Jay Inslee, encouraging him to do everything under his authority to reopen schools.

“There’s no question that the longer our children are barred from classroom instruction, the more they suffer academically, socially and emotionally. It’s also clear that the shortcomings of remote instruction are being felt disproportionately by rural and lower-income families and communities of color,” said Sen. Lynda Wilson, SB 5464’s prime sponsor. “This is the equity issue of our time.”

Under the bill, schools may not be closed for in-person learning beyond 10 consecutive school days without the approval of the governor, the secretary of health, or a local health officer.

“We recognize that because of the pandemic there are added costs to operating our schools safely, and our Senate Republican budget proposal addresses that. We also know from the past year that being in classrooms is best for our children. Under this new bill, very few people would be able to stand in the way of that,” said Wilson, R-Vancouver.

Braun, R-Centralia, is among the co-sponsors of SB 5464. He noted an online school-opening tracker updated today has Washington ranked 47th among the states, with just 19.2 percent of its students receiving in-person instruction.

“Our children have a right to a level of education that many are still being denied. Being 47th in the nation is equivalent to failure,” he said.

“It’s been encouraging to hear the governor’s recent statements that schools should be able to reopen safely, just as it’s been discouraging to witness some of the recent opposition to opening,” Braun added. “The intent of my letter to the governor was to point out some areas where he can help get students back into classrooms. This new legislation is aimed at the same thing – and at keeping them there.”