Tag Archives: Braun

Senate committee backs Braun bill to reduce chronic absenteeism

OLYMPIA… A bill introduced by Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, to help school districts address chronic absenteeism has been approved by the Senate Early Learning and K-12 Education Committee and now awaits consideration by the full Senate.

Senate Bill 5007 is aimed at supporting students at risk of falling behind academically due to excessive absences.

In September 2024, KUOW radio reported Washington remains among the worst states for chronic absenteeism, with roughly 30% of students missing more than 10% of the school year—approximately three weeks. While that figure reflects some improvement over the prior year, it remains twice the pre-pandemic level and higher than the national average of one in four students.

“This is a straightforward issue,” said Braun. “Students who don’t attend school regularly struggle to keep up, and that puts them at a disadvantage. Some families face challenges that make regular attendance difficult, and schools need more support to help address those barriers. This bill provides tools to parents and educators to help get students back in the classroom.”

Braun noted that chronic absenteeism is linked to lower graduation rates and long-term economic and health challenges.

“If we can do more to prevent those outcomes, we should,” he said. “I appreciate the committee’s support and hope the full Senate will consider the bill soon.”

Subject to available funding, SB 5007 would require each of Washington’s nine educational service districts to develop training and coaching programs for school staff focused on reducing absenteeism. It would also expand the Building Bridges Program to include chronically absent students, offering grants to community-based organizations, tribes, and community and technical colleges to support intervention efforts.

The Building Bridges Program is a local partnership of schools, families and communities that provides:

  • A means of identifying students at risk of dropping out
  • Coaches or mentors to provide support
  • Staff to coordinate the community partners so there is a continuum of academic and nonacademic resources
  • Retrieval/reentry activities
  • Alternative educational programming

NEWSLETTER: Democrats undermining your right to know

Watch my weekly legislative update:

Friends and Neighbors,

Nearly 500,000 Washington voters signed on to Initiative 2081, knowns as the Parents’ Bill of Rights. Last session, legislators on both sides of the aisle, including me, spoke in favor of the initiative and why it was a positive step. It passed with bipartisan support.

Fast forward to this session. In a move that ignores the will of the people and undermines the purpose of the law to protect parents’ “right to know,” Democrats are moving bills forward that would weaken that right.

The most concerning of these is Senate Bill 5181. This bill has many problems, such as lengthening the time the school has to notify you if your child is attacked. It also creates some exceptions to when schools even have to notify parents.

When current law limits minor access to tanning beds and tattoo parlors, why are we limiting parents’ knowledge of their children’s medical issues.

Listen to my legislative update on this issue.

All parents should worry about this effort.

My weekly column in The Chronicle elaborates on SB 5181 and what it really means for our state. Read my full column.

If you want to share your opposition to this bill, contact the following legislators who have control over what happens to this bill — and your right to know.

 

LISTEN: Official Podcast

Our caucus produces an official podcast that is a great way to hear about what’s happening in the Legislature. It’s called The Elephant in the Dome.

In this episode, our staff hosts and I delve into Democrat efforts to limit parental rights, and the challenges and opportunities in education founding. I also talk about my vision for a reimagining of The Evergreen State College.

Read my news release about my proposal to close Evergreen and turn it into a South Sound UW campus dedicated to training medical workers to care for the 3.2 million Washingtonians who will be part of a “Silver Tsunami” in five years that will overwhelm our health-care system.

Listen to additional episodes on our website.

Another firsthand look at conditions at Green Hill

I talk a lot about what happens at the Green Hill School, the juvenile justice facility in Chehalis, because it has been riddled with serious overcrowding and poor management protocols — two things that have made it a dangerous and unproductive rehabilitation environment.

At the invitation of Sen. Leonard Christian, 4th Legislative District, I accompanied him on another tour of Green Hill. He is the current lead Republican on the Senate Human Services Committee, which is assigned to consider bills related to Green Hill and my bill that would repeal JR-25— the policy that allows residents convicted of a crime as a minor to remain at the facility until age 25 rather than transfer to a jail run by the Department of Corrections. Green Hill is under the jurisdiction of the Department of Children, Youth and Families.

We have a duty to the residents in the program to keep them safe and prepare them to face a brighter future when they are released. We also have a responsibility to keep staff safe in the workplace, and set them up for success with a solid policy framework. I’ll continue to update you on this as my bills progress, as well as others that seek to improve conditions.

A safer Washington: Hiring more law enforcement officers

A dubious distinction for Washington is that we remain dead last of all 50 states in the number of law-enforcement officers per capita protecting the people.

Fixing that remains a top priority for my caucus and me. My colleague, Sen. Jeff Holy, 6th Legislative District, sponsored two bills this session to provide state funding and incentivize county and local government to hire more officers.

Senate Bill 5285 incentivizes cities and counties to contribute additional funding toward hiring officers by allowing them to impose a 0.10 percent sales tax to pay for it. The bill would protect that money by mandating that the funds be spent ONLY on hiring law enforcement officers.

Senate Bill 5060 provides $100 million in grants to help fund salaries for new officers. This bill received a hearing and passed out of committee. We expect to see it come to the floor soon for a vote.

Gov. Ferguson gave Sen. Holy a shoutout during his inaugural speech during the opening week of legislative session, saying he wanted to work with him on this issue and would not sign a budget that did not contain that funding.

Both bills have bipartisan support and are working their way through the legislative process. I hope to announce that both of these bills have been signed by the governor sooner rather than later. Washington will be safer for it. Stay tuned and watch their progress.

Braun letter takes Governor’s budget proposal to task – previous budget decisions were “indefensible”

In advance of the Governor’s budget submittal due in December, Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia, sent the attached letter to the director of the Office of Financial Management. The letter seeks to ensure that recent collective bargaining agreements (CBAs),that were conducted in secret, are financially feasible as required by law.

The cost of the CBAs total over $700 million from the state’s general fund in the next two years and more than $1.7 billion over the next four.

Braun points out “indefensible” budget decisions from the previous budget cycles collective bargaining agreements that:

  • Reduced nursing home payments by over $100 million;
  • Eliminated funding for “Safe Babies, Safe Moms”;
  • Reduced breast, cervical and colon cancer screenings for low-income individuals by 15 percent;

And much more…

Read the full letter here.

Senate approves Braun bill to bring timber money back to schools

The state Senate today approved Sen. John Braun’s legislation that would make permanent a state policy that returns money from federal timber sales to local schools. Senate Bill 6292 would eliminate the reduction of state school funding to districts based on what they receive in federal forest revenues. The measure cleared the Senate by a vote of 35-14 and moves to the House of Representatives for consideration.

“This bill makes a small but needed change to restore resources for many of our school districts, especially in rural areas,” said Braun. “The state has been reducing its basic education funding to districts that received federal timber revenues, and that places extra burdens on the districts that are least able to handle them.”

Currently, 21 percent of property in Washington is designated as national forest, which is exempt from property tax. These federal funds are designated to go to the school districts in those areas to make up for lost property tax revenue. However, the state has been deducting that same amount from their basic education funding, effectively negating the goal of the program. Braun’s bill would eliminate the reduction in state basic-education funding to school districts that receive federal forest revenue, restoring the original intent of Congress.

“I’ve worked over the past several years to keep these funds available through the budget to the 215 school districts that receive federal forest revenues and this legislation provides a permanent solution,” Braun said.

Day 94: Budget countdown continues

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April 15, 2015


Day 94: Budget countdown continues

I am beginning the countdown to the end of the 2015 legislative session, highlighting the need to complete budget negotiations by April 26.

Today is the 94th day of the 105-day legislative session, the 19th day since House Democrats rolled out a budget proposal that won’t balance without $1.5 billion in new taxes, and the 13th day that House leaders have failed to bring their proposed tax increases to a vote. Successful leaders do not write checks that they are not prepared to cover.

The Senate passed a complete, no-new taxes budget, but it appears House Democrats don’t have the votes to pass their own tax proposals. We welcome them to drop their needless push for more revenue and support a sustainable budget which meets the needs of our state without new taxes. That’s how we can finish the people’s business on time and on budget.

Thank you for allowing me to serve as your state senator.

John Braun,

20th District Senator


Committee Assignments

This year, in addition to serving on the Environment, Energy and Telecommunications committee, I am serving as vice-chair of three committees: Trade and Economic Development, Commerce and Labor and Ways and Means. I also have the honor of serving as the Senate Deputy Majority Leader.

Contact Me

Email:

John.Braun@leg.wa.gov

Olympia Office:

407 Legislative Building

PO Box 40420

Olympia, WA 98504-0420

Phone:

(360) 786-7638

Website:

www.SenatorJohnBraun.com


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