Tag Archives: John Braun

STATEMENT: Republican leaders repeat call for action as inflation rates continue to climb

OLYMPIA… Another jump in price inflation at the state and national levels has Senate Republican leaders calling again for legislative action to provide financial relief to Washington families.

 

New numbers from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics show the June inflation rate in Washington was 10.1% higher than a year earlier, a full percentage point up from two months ago. Nationally, the inflation rate was up 9.1% for the same period, the highest in 41 years and up from 8.3% two months ago.

From Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia:

“The governor keeps rejecting any ideas for providing immediate financial relief to most families in the middle. All he will talk about is a 2023 tax credit that will be available only to some with lower incomes. It’s as though he doesn’t understand, or doesn’t care, how people at all levels in our state are being hit by what is now double-digit inflation. This new report shows they have seen their real earnings shrink for 15 consecutive months.

“The state has a mountain of cash that is continuing to grow. Our colleagues in the majority should join us to end the government greed and get more dollars back into the hands of families. It can be done without harming a single state program or service. Republicans are ready to act. Where are the Democrats? The affordability crisis in our state affects their constituents too.”

From Sen. Lynda Wilson, R-Vancouver and SRC budget leader:

“Budget leaders on the majority side seem stuck on what they call ‘targeted investments,’ which means showering more money on state agencies. The truth is, none of what they did this year to fatten state government will help the typical Washington family cope with an inflation rate that is continuing to grow, with no end in sight.

“Our Democratic colleagues don’t seem to realize that significant, direct tax relief – like a temporary suspension of the gas tax, which would let families keep more of their own money – should also be viewed as a ‘targeted investment.’ With prices up more than 10 percent that’s the best investment we could make to help Washington families. Legislators need to act.”

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.”

Braun bill to extend services for developmentally disabled young people receives governor’s signature

OLYMPIA… More young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities will have access to “School to Work” services under legislation signed today by the governor.

In areas where students with intellectual and developmental disabilities have access to such services, they are three times more likely to be employed when they leave the public school system at age 21. Sen. John Braun, prime sponsor of Senate Bill 5790, said the new law will extend those coordinated transition services into rural areas.

“The continued bipartisan support for our most vulnerable residents – people who, through no fault of their own, need these kinds of services – was one of the bright spots of this year’s legislative session,” said Braun, R-Centralia. “The goal of this new law is to make sure clients across our state have equitable access to these critical services, no matter where they call home.”

SB 5790 received unanimous support in the Senate and House of Representatives. The 2022 legislative session ended March 10. The new law will take effect June 9.

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 call for special session to fix confusing, controversial police reform bills

Democrat sponsor of legislation admits fixes are necessary

OLYMPIA… Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, and House Republican Leader J.T. Wilcox, R-Yelm, issued the following statement in response to continued Democrat insistence in the press that law enforcement and legislators are overreacting to controversial new laws on policing that lack clarity and endanger the public, police and first responders.

“Our offices have received emails from people who are not just concerned about the effects of House Bills 1310 and 1054, but are seriously afraid for their safety and the well-being of their family members. We have also heard from local government officials who have questions about the ambiguous and conflicting language of the legislation. It’s telling that Democrats are dismissing the concerns and feedback from those with a lifetime of law enforcement experience who are being honest and forthcoming in their assessment of the current situation.

“Although legislators make decisions on behalf of the public all the time, it’s elitist and condescending for those who support these bills to ignore the suffering we are seeing across the state and assert that they know best. Nothing is more important than public safety. It’s foundational.

“Some have pointed out that members of law enforcement were consulted in the process of developing the legislation – as if that makes law enforcement complicit in the harm the laws are doing. In reality, law enforcement’s hands were tied. They tried to engage in the process knowing it was not likely to result in substantially improved policy – they were instead hoping for the least-harmful bills possible, knowing the majority could pass whatever they wanted. And that’s what they did. Democrats passed exactly the bills they wanted over the objections of citizens, Republican legislators and many in law enforcement.

“The sponsor of the bills now apparently says that fixes are needed. We could not agree more. Republicans have called for a special session to address this matter and are ready to contribute to bipartisan, reasonable revisions right away. The legislation never should have passed in its current form. Democrats didn’t want substantial ‘fixes’ during the process because they felt they already knew the right answers. Now they’ve had to ask the attorney general to rescue them from a fiasco that might have been avoided if they hadn’t been in such a rush. That’s no way to make good policy.

“Public safety is a priority for Republicans. We will continue to be supportive of legislation that is balanced. But when considering policies, those with decades of policing experience must be more involved. Their expertise should be drawn upon, not dismissed. We all want members of law enforcement to be accountable and respectful to the neighborhoods they serve. But hamstringing their ability to protect the public and themselves is wrong and dangerous.”

Click here for audio version

Learn more:
Crisis in criminal justice: How dangerous Democrat policies endanger our communities | Senate Republican Caucus
Why Democrats’ police reform bills have made communities less safe | House Republican Caucus

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.”