Tag Archives: Transparency

STATEMENT: Republican leader says California tax refunds make Washington Democrats look heartless

CENTRALIA… Tomorrow, middle-class households across California will begin receiving tax-refund payments to help with what one state official calls “inflated costs for everyday necessities.”

Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, responded by pointing out how in Washington, Gov. Jay Inslee and Democratic legislators have refused all year long to offer meaningful tax relief yet are on track to shower a select group of people with money that will help them contend with historically high prices.

“Democratic leaders in our state seem blind to the hardships being faced by families, especially those in the middle. Every time Republicans have tried to let the people keep more of their own money instead of giving it to the state, Democrats have said no. Gas prices are climbing again, but when we proposed an immediate suspension of the state gas tax, to save drivers 49.4 cents per gallon, the governor and other Democrats resorted to disinformation. They talk about making ‘targeted investments’ instead of offering broad tax relief, as Republicans would do. We’re seeing what that means: historically generous pay raises for members of public-sector unions, secretly negotiated by the governor.

“For years Washington has blindly mimicked California on energy and environmental policies that make living in our state less affordable. Now that California is putting money back into the pockets of its people, and acknowledging that they could use some help from government, Governor Inslee won’t follow and our Democratic colleagues in the Legislature are silent.

“Within a matter of months, middle-income families in Washington will see a host of tax increases – from those taken directly out of their wages, to higher sales and property taxes, to increased costs of driving – all due to policies enacted by Democrats and signed by Governor Inslee in the past two legislative sessions. In that light, the choice to approve fat new labor agreements instead of helping families sends a clear message: Some people matter more than the rest. State employees do valuable work, but this makes  Inslee and any Democrats who support his selective giveaway of taxpayer dollars look heartless. Olympia badly needs a change in direction.”

Braun renews call for transparency as secret negotiations begin on state-worker contracts

Closed-door negotiations began last week on state-worker contracts for the 2017-19 biennium, and Sen. John Braun hopes it is the last time the talks will be kept out of public view.

“Washington does a better job than most states when it comes to open government,” said Braun, R-Centralia. “However, the exemption of state-employee collective bargaining from the Open Public Meetings Act is something that needs to be changed. The last time these contracts were negotiated it resulted in a 300-million-dollar commitment from taxpayers without their input.”

Braun was the sponsor of this year’s Senate Bill 5329, which would require collective-bargaining meetings to be open to the public. Braun noted the secret talks are getting under way during the week when most people seeking statewide public office later this year are filing as candidates. The governor’s office will be among those on the ballot.

“The timing is probably a coincidence, but it serves as a reminder that the governor’s people are negotiating behind closed doors with organizations that not only represent state workers but also have political agendas as well,” he said.

“Other states are successfully engaging the public in these decisions and I don’t see why Washington shouldn’t do the same,” said Braun. “Our current system does not allow for any deviation from the commitments made in secret between the governor and public-employee unions. The Legislature can only approve or reject the agreements. That wasn’t the case before 2004 and if the people’s representatives are unable to give input on the contracts, we should at least have transparency in the process.”

Senate approves Braun bill to rein in authority of state agencies

Today the state Senate approved legislation introduced by Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia to limit the power of state agencies by changing the way they make rules. Senate Bill 6396 would require proposed rules to be submitted to the state attorney general’s office for an opinion on their constitutionality. In addition, any new rule would automatically expire after a year unless the Legislature acts to extend it. The measure was approved by a vote of 26 to 23 and now moves to the House of Representatives for consideration.

“The problem with the flood of agency rulemaking is a lack of transparency and accountability,” said Braun. “State agencies have created 6,100 new pages rules and regulations over the past 10 years that have the force and effect of law, often with minimal public input or transparency. Laws are meant to be made by the Legislature; putting that power in the hands of unelected bureaucrats is a detriment to our state’s democracy.”

The Washington Administrative Code contains 22,000 pages of agency rules and has increased by 38 percent in the past decade. Although state agencies are granted rulemaking authority by law, Braun’s legislation would make it clear that an agency also must show it has the authority to propose a particular rule.

“This is a reasonable approach to restore accountability in lawmaking to the citizens’ elected representatives,” Braun said. “Currently, too many rules are made by agencies citing their general purpose rather than a clear delegation of authority by the Legislature. If agencies know that we will be reviewing those rules, it will give them pause to reflect on exactly what legal grounds they are making the rule. The simple fact is that rulemaking lacks the transparency and public input of the legislative process.  As representatives of the people, we should not be handing that function of government over to the Executive Branch.”

Braun’s bill is modeled after practices in Colorado where any new rule adopted or amended expires after one year unless the Legislature renews the rule via legislation.

 

 

Collective bargaining must be open process says Braun

Sen. John Braun’s legislation, Senate Bill 5329 that would require public employees’ union negotiations to be open to the public received a hearing in the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee Monday.

“It is important to have transparency and openness in government,” Braun, R- Centralia, said. “We’ve recently seen private negotiations between the governor’s office and public unions that resulted in over a half a billion dollar obligation for the taxpayers. The public deserves visibility on these negotiations.”

The Open Public Meetings Act requires that all meetings of governing bodies of public agencies, be open and accessible to the public, however, public employee collective bargaining is exempt from compliance.A meeting is generally defined as any situation where a majority of members from a governing body meet and discuss the business of that body. Braun’s proposed legislation would remove the current exemption from the act and require collective bargaining meetings to be open.

“Bargaining should not be done in secret,” Braun said. “Eliminating this exemption is a reasonable step toward increasing transparency in government and ensuring a balance between the interests of our state employees and those that pay the salaries.”