Washington State Senate Republican Caucus

Baumgartner disappointed by U.S. Air Force tanker decision

Shall elected officials be subject to recall for driving drunk?

Baumgartner announces relevant plan to keep Boeing 777 in Washington

Business reforms are key to job creation

Sunnyside solon calls for Legislature to get back to work

Eastern Washington residents earn right to protect against wolf attacks

May 23, 2013 Seattle Times Editorial: Lawmakers should pass workers’ comp reform

Published on May 23, 2013

Originally published Wednesday, May 22, 2013 at 4:35 PM

State lawmakers should approve a workers’ compensation reform bill to lessen expected future increases in taxes.

The state workers’ compensation reform, Senate Bill 5127, was passed by the Senate 30-19 and hung up in the House. It needs to pass in this session.

The Legislature passed a workers’ compensation bill in 2011. The law allows certain disabled workers to choose a payout of cash rather than a lifetime disability pension.

Cash settlements save money for the disability fund, lessen tax increases on employers and make Washington a more attractive state in which to invest. Read more…

Governor signs Rivers’ bill on fuel switch for publicly owned vehicles

Published on May 22, 2013

Legislation introduced by Sen. Ann Rivers to balance air-quality concerns with the fiscal realities facing local governments completed its legislative journey Tuesday when Gov. Jay Inslee signed Senate Bill 5099 in a Capitol ceremony.

Rivers’ bill acknowledges the challenges associated with converting fleets of publicly owned vehicles, vessels and construction equipment toward biofuel and electric power sources. State agencies are to make the switch by June 2015; while local governments get an additional three years to get into compliance, that’s still a tall order, the La Center Republican said. Read more…

Baumgartner disappointed by U.S. Air Force tanker decision

Published on May 22, 2013

Senator Michael Baumgartner The U.S. Air Force announced its decision today to site the main operating base for its new Boeing KC-46A air refueling tankers at McConnell Air Force Base in Kansas, rather than eastern Washington’s Fairchild Air Force Base. Sen. Michael Baumgartner, R-Spokane, who represents the district in which Fairchild resides, issued this response to the news:

“I’m very disappointed in the Air Force’s decision and I sincerely hope that it is not politically motivated. The last time I checked, North Korea, China and Russia were all closer to Washington than to Kansas. Fairchild is certainly well prepared and well positioned to be utilizing the new KC-46As.

“My concern comes not only as the senator from Washington’s 6th District, home to Fairchild, but also as someone who has previously participated in advising strategic American defense policy decisions. While we may face threats from across the globe, clearly the greatest challenges that may involve the KC-46A will most likely come from the Pacific Rim. Read more…

Becker bills to improve health-care delivery, increase public safety become law

Published on May 22, 2013

This week the governor signed two bills introduced by Sen. Randi Becker. The measures join nine that received their final endorsement in recent weeks, bringing the total number of approved bills introduced by Becker to 11 – the most of any member of the Senate or House of Representatives this year.

As chairwoman of the Senate Health Care Committee, many of the bills Becker sponsored were aimed at improving the delivery of health care in Washington. Examples include measures to expedite the approval process for medical procedures, better manage prescription loads Medicaid enrollees and maintain a patient’s ability to continue seeing his or her doctor.

Public safety was another issue high on Becker’s agenda this year. Notably, her Senate Bill 5315 implements the recommendations of the fatality-review team on which she served to investigate last year’s murders of Charlie and Braden Powell. Becker also saw her bills to protect vulnerable adults and require reporting of gunshot and stab wounds become law. Read more…

Two Smith-bills to study wood-heat technology, address wolf-livestock conflicts signed by governor

Published on May 21, 2013

Bills introduced by Sen. John Smith that reflect his legislative district – one that looks at heating schools with wood pellets and one that compensates livestock owners for wolf-related losses – were signed by the governor this week.

Signed Monday, Senate Bill 5709 is a measure that the governor said holds “great promise.” Wood pellets – a heat source popular in Smith’s 7th Legislative District yet underutilized across the state, known as “densified biomass” in policy language – have the potential to save schools money on overhead costs. The bill creates a program to test the feasibility and money-saving results from using densified biomass to heat schools.

Washington State University’s energy program will spearhead a two-year pilot program in two Washington public schools to determine if schools and businesses all across the state could benefit from using densified biomass.