Tag Archives: bad bills

NEWSLETTER: Democrats turn sheriffs into political pawns

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Community means teamwork, and in a county that experiences floods from time to time, we unfortunately know just how true that is.

At the Packwood Improvement Club meeting last week, it was a time to pause and recognize the many people and organizations who stepped forward when rising waters disrupted lives and threatened homes.

Volunteers opened the community center to shelter neighbors who could not return home. Members of Search and Rescue, the sheriff’s office, and local fire departments worked tirelessly to save lives and property. Local businesses and organizations also stepped in, including the Packwood Inn, and groups such as the Salvation Army, United Way, and Red Cross quickly mobilized support for families in need. Local, County, and State agencies played their parts, as well.

What stood out most that evening was not any single act of service, but the collective spirit of the community. When those who helped were invited to come forward, many individuals stepped up more than once, reflecting the many hats they wear in service to their neighbors.

It was a powerful reminder that during difficult times, our greatest strength is the willingness of ordinary people to help one another.

I am deeply grateful to everyone who played a role—both those recognized that evening and the many others who quietly contributed behind the scenes. Lewis County often faces catastrophic flood events. I am always humbled by the selfless actions of our community members who are always ready to do what is necessary to help their neighbors recover.

On a practical note, I am pleased to report that the state transportation budget provides $45 million for city and county flood response statewide and Lewis County will receive some of that funding. The federal government will reimburse the state for 80% of that funding.

If you have any questions or comments, email me or call my office at (360) 786-7638.

Sincerely,

John Braun

 

 

 

Democrats turn sheriffs into political pawns

One of the worst bills to pass this session puts county sheriffs in the position of being political pawns for the governor.

You can demand that Gov. Ferguson veto SB 5974.

Senate Bill 5974 gives a governor-appointed board the power to decertify and remove the sheriffs we elect — without a vote of the people.

The sheriff who is elected is the sheriff who should serve.

A process already exists to remove a sheriff in between elections. This bill is not only unnecessary, it’s undemocratic and dangerous.

Sheriffs are sworn to uphold state law, but also federal law and the United States Constitution. The Supremacy Clause in the constitution means that federal law takes priority over state law.

If a sheriff followed federal law and cooperated with I.C.E. agents who are arresting and detaining undocumented immigrants, they would violate our Washington’s sanctuary state laws — and the governor’s agenda.

The sheriff could then be decertified and removed, even though they met their sworn duty.

Unfortunately, SB 5974 is not the only bill Democrats sponsored this year to undermine the will of the people, which is a disturbing trend that Republicans continue to fight.

 

 

Final numbers for the 2026 Supplemental Operating Budget

 

  • Spending in a biennium exceeds $80 billion for the first time
  • Equals an 11.4% spending increase for the 2025-27 biennium compared to 2023-25
  • Relies heavily on one-time money: Drains our unrestricted reserves by $2.3 billion, including $880 million from the rainy-day fund
  • Assumes spending in the budget will only grow at 2.2% each biennium even though Democrats have historically grown spending by 15% per biennium
  • Suspends reality by assuming that $766 million of appropriated money will NOT be spent
  • If the revenue assumptions fall through, we will end up with another deficit up to $10 billion
  • K-12 funding drops to 42.2% of the budget, lower than at the time of the 2012 McCleary ruling
  • Education takes a larger cut in policy funding than other areas
  • Tied to the unconstitutional income tax that could be overturned by the state Supreme Court
  • The largest cost increase is driven by the harm to Washington residents caused by mismanaged state agencies, such as the Department of Children, Youth and Families
  • Despite complaining about the regressivity of Washington’s tax system, this budget provides NO direct help for taxpayers

 

 

The 2026 Legislative Session in a nutshell

Watch my last weekly update for this session.

REPUBLICAN IMPACT

Killed Terrible Legislation:

SB 5312: Sex Offender Leniency

Would have shortened the length of time pedophiles caught during an online “net nanny” sting would have to remain on the sex offender registry.

SB 5926: Reducing Daycare Transparency

Would have hidden the personal information of daycare providers. Although it was sponsored before the Minnesota daycare fraud scandal broke, it would have made it easier for people to commit the same fraud here in Washington.

SB 5942: Reducing Oversight of the Department of Youth, Children and Families

Would have removed the oversight duties of the DCYF Oversight Board. This agency is responsible for the well-being and safety of the most vulnerable children and adults, and it is riddled with mismanagement that results in injuries and deaths. It’s also responsible for the state’s largest lawsuit payouts. An organization like that needs more oversight, not less.

SB 5945: Weakening the “Three Strikes” Law

Would have removed any “strikes” committed as a juvenile from the three strikes that automatically land an offender in prison for life. These are violent crimes such as murder, rape, assault with a deadly weapon. It’s irrelevant if they were committed by an offender before the age of 18. They are the first step in a violent pattern of behavior that should result in life behind bars.

SB 5973 / 5382: Initiative Killers

Would have imposed several restrictions on the process of collecting signatures for citizen initiatives, undermining direct Democracy.

 

Fought the Income Tax:

Republicans led a grassroots call to action for people to sign in against the income tax when it was heard in committee in both the House and the Senate. More than 100,000 people signed in CON, making the income tax the most unpopular bill in state history.

Senate and House Republicans offered amendments to ensure the tax would only ever apply to millionaires, which Democrats rejected. In a first for the Washington State Legislature, House Republicans also waged a 24-hour floor fight against the bill. Of the 75 amendments offered on the bill that night, 51 were Republican. Debate on the bill began the evening of March 9 and continued nonstop until the evening of March 10. As a result, what might otherwise have occurred only in the dark of night instead played out through the light of day.

 

Listened to the People:

The people of Washington sent two initiatives to the Legislature for consideration. IL26-001 would restore school notification requirements in the Parents’ Bill of Rights. IL26-638 would prohibit biological boys from competing in girls’ sports. Democrats refused to schedule either initiative for a public hearing, denying their constitutional duty to prioritize initiatives to the Legislature. Instead, Republicans in the Senate and House held two listening sessions where people were able to give comment. After March 12, both initiatives become ballot measures and the people will get a chance to vote on them in November.

 

DEMOCRAT DAMAGE

Passed an unconstitutional income tax after voters have rejected the idea 10 times. The 9.9% tax applies to everyone, with a $1 million deduction that can be eliminated as soon as next session. The tax can’t be overturned by referendum and none of it is earmarked for education or health care. In fact, despite the governor saying he supports it because it provides free lunch for all K-12 students, the bill doesn’t actually pay for that.

Passed an $80 billion operating budget that relies on $114 million in new taxes, on top of the $12.3 billion state and local tax increase last year. It only balances if $801 million in appropriated money isn’t spent spending only grows by 2.2% per biennium (even though it’s grown by more than 15% every biennium since Democrats took control of the Senate). If those things fall through, we’ll have another deficit of $10 billion.

Refused to give either initiative to the Legislature a public hearing, ignoring their constitutional duty to give them priority over all other legislative business.

Banned law enforcement officers from wearing face coverings, even though they refuse to ban protestors from doing the same. The bill aims to prevent I.C.E. agents operating in Washington from hiding their faces, even though we have no jurisdiction over federal officers.

Ignored the crisis conditions at our juvenile rehabilitation centers, allowing the dangerous overcrowding that results in riots, assaults and other violent activity to continue.

Ignored the moral and fiscal costs of child fatalities and near-fatalities from exposure to fentanyl and from poor case management at the Department of Children, Youth and Families. House Democrats again refused to hear my bill adding fentanyl to the child endangerment statute, despite strong bipartisan support in the Senate.

 

NEWSLETTER: Income tax to be heard in the House Feb. 24 — sign in CON again

Watch my weekly legislative update video.

 

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

You might be tired of hearing about the income bill, and I am tired of talking about it. But this bill is so bad that we can’t stop talking about it until we stop the bill itself.

WATCH MY WEEKLY UPDATE

Senate Democrats passed the income tax (Senate Bill 6346) when it came to the Senate floor last week. Three of them joined us in voting “no.” Now the bill is being considered in the House of Representatives and the House Fiscal Committee has scheduled it for a hearing at 8 a.m. on Feb. 24.

You have until 6 a.m. that day to sign in CON on the bill. More than 61,000 people signed in CON when it was heard in the Senate. This made it the most unpopular bill in state history. We need you to do that again.

Proponents of the tax are in denial about how many people took the time to oppose the bill, saying they were bots. The Legislature’s system has safeguards against bots. Those claims are ridiculous and insulting to you, the people.

When we debated the bill in the Senate, Republicans offered several important amendments — all of which were defeated by Democrats. These amendments would have:

  • Ensured that the tax ONLY ever applies to millionaires.
  • Removed the clause in the bill that prevents the people from overturning the income tax through referendum.
  • Nullified the income tax unless voters approve an amendment to the Washington State Constitution to legalize an income tax.
  • Exempted diapers from sales tax.

You may have heard claims that stopping the income tax jeopardizes funding for education and healthcare. The truth is that not one dime of the $3.5 billion this bill is expected to raise every year is earmarked for education or healthcare.

Some Democrats have said that more than 40% of the current operating budget is spent on education — as if that means that the same will be true for any money this tax adds to the general fund. This is misleading. No such requirement exists for new revenue. The majority will be able to spend it however they want.

Tell them NO again. Sign in CON to oppose SB 6346 before it’s hearing on Feb. 24. You can also submit written testimony or sign up to testify during the hearing.

 

 

Bad Senate bills stopped in their tracks

Although a bill that hasn’t moved can be resurrected at any point during a legislative session, it doesn’t happen often. The following is a list of six bad bills that are considered “dead,” for all intents and purposes, because they were not passed by the Senate before the cutoff we reached Feb. 17.

I hope to have more to add to this list when this session ends in March, but sometimes we need to celebrate our wins as they come.

  • SB 5312 (Sponsor: Sen. Wellman): Would have shortened the length of time a sex offender convicted during a “net nanny” online sting must remain on the sex offender registry.
  • SB 5382 and SB 5973 (Sponsor: Valdez): These bills have been referred to as the Initiative Killer and the Initiative Killer 2.0. Both bills would have made it harder and more expensive for citizens to collect signatures for and submit initiatives/referenda to directly enact or overturn state laws. They would have undermined direct democracy and made it easier for legislators to pass taxes and other bills without fear that the people would intervene.
  • SB 5926 (Sponsor: Wellman): This bill would have exempted state-subsidized daycares from certain public records requirements, making it more difficult for the public to obtain information about daycares and their owners. Although it was filed before news of daycare fraud in Minnesota became public, the bill would have undermined transparency if something similar happened in Washington.
  • SB 5942 (Sponsor: Wilson, C.): A surge in lawsuits alleging various forms of misconduct has forced Washington state government to make more and larger payouts on claims for child fatalities and near-fatalities. This has become the fastest-growing part of the state operating budget as well as a statewide tragedy. SB 5942 would have made things far worse by eliminating the oversight responsibilities of the Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) Oversight Board. Ironically, the bill also would have changed the name to the DCYF Accountability Board.
  • SB 5945 (Sponsor: Hasegawa): This would have changed the “Three Strikes Law” so that rapes, murders, robberies and assaults with a deadly weapon would not count if they were committed when the offender was a juvenile. It would have allowed the man who murdered the 80-year-old dog walker in Seattle to avoid life in prison, despite having a long history of violence, because his conviction would have only counted as strike two. Twenty-four current prisoners serving life in prison would lose a strike and could petition for resentencing.

Often, we can only shake our heads at some of the bills introduced in Olympia. As Republicans continue to fight against additional bad legislation, I’m glad to share these early victories with you.

At the end of the legislative session, I will share a longer status list of bills — good and bad.

 

My Podcast: Fentanyl, Families, and the Fight for Child Safety

LISTEN

This week on my podcast, Fostering Change Washington’s Jamie Williams and I discuss stalled child protection bills and the urgent need to update Washington’s child endangerment laws. We explore the fentanyl crisis, legislative roadblocks, and how citizens can push for accountability to protect vulnerable children from drug-exposed environments.

 

 

Lives Lost, Billions Paid: The Costly Toll of State Negligence

Mismanagement by state agencies has played a role in the deaths and near-deaths of many Washington children and put other residents at risk.

Opioid overdose is a big culprit, which is why I again sponsored SB 5071, which would have added fentanyl to the list of drugs in the Child Endangerment Act. For the fourth time, the bill has failed to move through the House, despite strong bipartisan support in the Senate.

It’s a mystery why House Democrats will not pass such a simple bill to protect children from accidental overdose.

If you need convincing about the importance of this legislation, read “Lives Lost, Billions Paid: The Costly Toll of State Negligence” on the Senate Republican website.

READ MORE