Tag Archives: 20th Legislative District

Braun elected deputy leader of Senate majority

The Senate Majority Coalition Caucus has elected Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia, as Senate Majority Deputy Leader for the two-year legislative term that begins in 2015.  Braun was already a member of the MCC leadership team and is chair of the Senate Trade and Economic Development Committee.

“We will have a tough job this coming legislative session and it will be important to effectively communicate to colleagues and stakeholders the best direction for our state,” said Braun. “I’m looking forward to engaging people in healthy debate on the issues and finding constructive solutions to the challenges ahead.”

In his new, larger role Braun will assist the caucus leader in communicating the caucus’s legislative goals, policies, issues and priorities.

My Visit to Centralia College ECEAP Program

Braun Coloring

Photo by Kyle Spurr: The Chronicle

Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia, spent Tuesday night visiting with local preschool students in the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program at Centralia College, which heavily relies on state funding each year.

Braun sat with the youths and helped them color pictures and play games. He said ECEAP is a high priority for the state and Lewis County.

“There is a lot of work that has been done,” Braun said. “In terms of bang for your buck, this is one of the best investments for the state.”

ECEAP, a comprehensive preschool program created in 1985 for children 3 to 4 years old across the state, is geared toward children in low income families. The program helps children and families with school readiness, including the children’s development and growth in physical, social, emotional, cognitive and creative areas, according to the program…

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State neglects tourism at its own peril

Sen. Braun on the Senate floor

I recently co-authored an opinion piece in the Puget Sound Business Journal regarding our state’s tourism industry. I worked on legislation this session to address this need. Washington State currently does not have a state funded tourism office, but tourism is a big driver of our economy and is the fourth largest industry in our state.

Sen. John Braun, R-Centrailia, chairs the Senate Trade and Economic Development Committee and is president of Braun Northwest, a family-owned company that builds emergency vehicles and employs more than 150 workers. Louise Stanton-Masten is the executive director of the Washington Tourism Alliance.

Washington has it all for visitors. Spectacular mountains, beautiful seashore, abundant outdoor recreation, desert sunshine, mountain snow, urban sophistication, wineries and much more – it’s all here.

You might think we’d shout from the rooftops about the wonderful things we have to offer, but surprisingly, we don’t.

This is unfortunate, because despite the state’s benign neglect, tourism is a major Washington industry with the potential to be even bigger. The industry driven Washington Tourism Alliance has stepped up to the challenge, and it is incumbent on all of us to support its efforts to re-establish industry viability.

Tourism is Washington’s fourth-largest industry. Last year, it supported 154,500 Washington jobs with earnings of $5 billion…

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Forest land management more efficient now that Braun bill signed into law

Forest land management more efficient now that Braun bill signed into law

OLYMPIA… Today the governor signed Senate Bill 6180 into law which changes how counties administer forest land and open space timber programs. This legislation authorizes counties to merge programs for more efficient and cost effective administration. Both programs are forestry related and the legislation will remove duplicative accounting while maintaining levels of tax revenue.

“The state should be doing everything it can to let communities plan and manage their forestry programs. This legislation is a simple fix to burdensome land management practices and allows counties to better manage their forestry programs without negatively impacting residents,” said Braun.

Lewis County Assessor Dianne Dorey noted the benefits to her county should commissioners choose to participate. “This bill will save time for us. We don’t know the direct savings yet as the Board of County Commissioners will decide whether or not we participate. If we do, we will be able to manage parcels with more efficiency by not having to dually assess property values and have property owner’s transfer between programs.   Lewis County has 1/5 of the acreage that is currently in the Open Space Timber program in Washington State.  Property owners will not have to deal with the cost and time of transferring between programs when their land falls below 20 acres.”

The bill places no requirements on counties to adopt changes; rather it lets them opt in. The bill also reduces the minimum size for land to be designated forest land from 20 acres to five.

 

 

 

20th District schools see more money from timber in supplemental budget

Recent budget negotiations by Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia have resulted in restoration of revenues to rural districts from forestry activities on federal lands. Local school districts would receive more than $350 thousand dollars under this legislation. Both House and Senate passed the measure today that partially eliminates reductions in basic education funding for low-income districts.

“It is past the time that we restored funding to our rural schools. This bill along with funding in the supplemental operating budget lets our resources go back into our community,” said Braun.

The proposed funding fluctuates yearly depending on forestry activities and is now dependent on federal action to reauthorize distribution of those funds. Currently, 21 percent of Washington is designated as national forests which are exempt from property tax. Rural districts have relied on timber sales and revenues from logging on federal land but the state retains authority in how those funds are allocated.

“We’ve been able to put funding back into the schools and communities that need it most. Our work on this year’s supplemental budget prioritizes education and this is another way we can direct money back where it is needed.”

Braun’s companion bill signed by governor boosting tourism in the state

Sen. John Braun introduced Senate Bill 6195 this session that would create a task force to study how the state can better market the state’s tourism industry. Tourism is the fourth largest export industry in the state and accounts for more than 150,000 jobs. Today the governor signed the House companion to Braun’s bill that directs the Washington Tourism Alliance to identify sustainable private funding sources for the state’s tourism marketing needs.

In 2011 the Washington State Tourism Commission was defunded due to budgetary constraints. The commission’s purpose was to find ways to expand tourism in the state with public and private stakeholders. Since the commission was defunded, Washington became the only state in the nation without a state-funded tourism office.

“We need to expand and promote the tourism opportunities in our state because they are such an important part of our economy. However, when identifying what government should do, I think we can look to the private sector to step up and find a sustainable solution for marketing our state’s tourism industry,” said Braun.

“The tourism industry applauds Sen. Braun for his leadership on the legislation.  He recognized that this industry is a critical part of the economy in all parts of the state and that we need to have a statewide program to market our tourism assets.  Because of this legislation we will be able to develop a plan for a statewide tourism marketing program,” said Cheryl Kilday, president of the Washington Tourism Alliance board of directors.

Join me Tuesday, February 11th at 6:30PM for a Telephone Town Hall!

I want to hear from you!

I will be hosting a telephone town hall meeting at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb.11 and I encourage all 20th District residents to participate. I will be joined by Representatives Richard DeBolt and Ed Orcutt.

The community conversation is much like an interactive radio program, where you can ask questions or just listen to the conversation about issues that affect their district and state.

On the evening of the telephone town hall, call toll-free 1-877-229-8493 and when prompted, enter the PIN: 112374 to join the call.

I’m looking forward to hearing from you.

 

Sen. John Braun

Senator Braun on how the MCC promotes job growth, education reform

Audio FileWashington State’s 20th District Senator, John Braun, R-Centrailia, and Chair of the Senate Trade and Economic Development Committee, talks about the 2013 legislative session, what the Majority Coalition Caucus is doing to promote job growth and how it plans to reform the education system in Washington State.

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