Tag Archives: Recovery

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.”

Legislative Update – Feb. 11, 2014

Sen. Braun

Sen. Braun speaking at the Jobs Now! press conference

Growth Management Act: A Burden on Our Communities

I have cosponsored legislation recently that addresses some serious concerns I have regarding the state’s Growth Management Act (GMA). The fact is that our communities know what is best for planning and managing growth. The GMA is overly burdensome and this proposed legislation allows for counties to have flexibility in adopting their own planning rules that makes sense for them. See this article in the Longview Daily News for more information about the issue.

Jobs Now!: Getting Washington back on Track

On Wednesday, the Senate Majority Coalition Caucus held a press conference announcing a new initiative focused on getting Washington back to work. The initiative is being call Jobs Now! and started with the passage of the Worker Recovery Act out in the Senate. I am proud to support this effort that would reduce barriers to injured workers of all ages and provide for options and flexibility to meet their needs.

As part of this initiative, my Senate colleagues I and hope to continue supporting sustainable reforms and bills that focus on our state’s economy. I want Washington to be the best place in the country to do business. As a legislator I want to build a better business climate by reducing bureaucratic red tape, supporting reforms to our workers’ compensation system, tax code and education system. This initiative seeks to assist employers in their efforts to create jobs, hire more workers and grow the economy. Click on the photo above to watch the press conference.

Sponsored Legislation

Here are some of the priorities I am working on this session. I am committed to making our state an attractive place to live and work. With the Majority Coalition Caucus, I continue to advance reforms that will make our state’s economy strong, create accountability in government and reduce the burden on our tax payers and job creators.

Senate Bill 5656 would create a one stop shop for businesses to renew business licenses for all jurisdictions.

Senate Bill 5697 reduces the frequency of local sales and use tax changes. Currently local sales and use tax changes may be implemented four times year. This bill allows changes three times annually. Current sales and use tax system is too complex for small businesses and is continuing to grow. This legislation would cut in half the burden for employers when changing their systems to reflect new sales and use tax rates.

Senate Bill 6182 would establish an annual B&O tax credit for employers that establish new apprenticeship positions where skills gaps exist.

Senate Bill 5727 exempts prevailing wage requirements for public works projects located in distressed counties. Projects would be exempt if at least 50 percent of the project funding comes from private sources. Distressed counties are defined as counties with an unemployment rate 20 percent above the state average for the previous three years.

Senate Bills 6175 & 6176 creates a tax tribunal to balance the relationship between tax payers and tax collectors to ensure fairness and efficiency.

Senate Bill 5647 establishes a stakeholder process for the Department of Revenue in publishing tax rulings and determinations. This bill seeks to balance tax payer confidentiality with open and transparent government and efficiency.