March 12, 2021

E-Newsletter: Let’s talk Monday!

Hello Friends and Neighbors, I’ll start this report with one more call to sign up for our “virtual” town hall, which will be from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. this coming Monday. I’m confident Rep. Harris and Rep. Kraft will have plenty to report; I certainly will, especially about the state’s...
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March 11, 2021

Wilson glad to see governor support move to Phase 3

OLYMPIA… Sen. Lynda Wilson, R-Vancouver, offered this statement following Gov. Jay Inslee’s announcement that all of Washington will move to a Phase 3 of 50% capacity on March 22. On March 4, Wilson and other Republican leaders in the Legislature had proposed their  “Open Safe, Open Now” plan, which may...
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March 06, 2021

Senate Republican leaders denounce passage of income-tax bill

OLYMPIA… Key leaders in the Senate Republican Caucus reacted strongly today after the Senate’s Democratic majority approved legislation to create a state income tax, despite knowing an income tax has been unconstitutional in Washington since 1932. Since 1934, Washington voters have rejected 10 attempts to enact an income tax, either through...
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March 05, 2021

E-Newsletter: Red Alert! Vote on income-tax bill likely tomorrow!

Hello Friends and Neighbors, Since 1934, the voters of Washington have been asked 10 times to create some sort of state income tax. They’ve emphatically said “no” each time, most recently in 2010 – by a landslide 64% majority. I bring this up because on Wednesday, the latest income-tax proposal...
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March 04, 2021

Republican lawmakers: Move schools, employers to next phase now

  ‘Open Safe, Open Now: A Republican plan for Phase 3 and Beyond’ shows trust in the people OLYMPIA…In response to sharply declining COVID-19 case rates and hospitalization rates statewide, legislative Republicans today announced a simple, practical and consistent plan to get all communities in Washington fully open for both...
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February 26, 2021

E-Newsletter: Let’s get schools open… and where is Phase 3?

Hello Friends and Neighbors, As the halfway point of our scheduled 105-day session approaches, we’re spending our days on the “floor” of the Senate chamber debating and voting on legislation that cleared the necessary committee hurdles. The bills we’ve passed this week have been sent over to the House of...
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February 24, 2021

Republican senators make new bid to get Washington children back into classrooms

OLYMPIA… A bill to help get children back into classrooms has been introduced by several Republican senators, just as a new report shows Washington is behind nearly every other state in providing in-person instruction. Senate Bill 5464 was introduced Tuesday, the same day Senate Republican Leader John Braun wrote to...
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February 19, 2021

E-Newsletter: A state income tax is not an emergency… I promise.

Hello Friends and Neighbors, I receive many emails, but one stood out this past week. It was in response to my February 12 report. “Your divisiveness is really frustrating,” the constituent wrote. The email also referred to a “continual need to divide and conquer rather than to work in a...
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February 12, 2021

E-Newsletter: Washington… WE HAVE A BUDGET!

Hello Friends and Neighbors, In odd-numbered years like this, one of the Legislature’s highest priorities is to adopt three new state budgets. The operating budget covers the cost of running most state agencies, along with the services and programs they offer, and is by far the largest of the three....
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February 11, 2021

Senate Republicans unveil budget to help state restart and recover

Plan to get schools open and people back to work also doesn’t need more taxes OLYMPIA… Less than one-third of the way through the 2021 legislative session, Senate Republicans have stepped forward with a 2021-23 budget proposal aimed at restarting schools and bringing jobs back, while saving money for lower-income...
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