Washington State Senate Republican Caucus

O’Ban amendment requires DOT to disclose costly mistakes, design errors

Jobs Now: Senate approves Brown’s ‘Reinvest in Washington Jobs Act’

Jobs Now: Senate passes Holmquist Newbry bill to create data-center jobs

Inslee’s unilateral death-penalty decree ignores victims’ families

MCC marks historic number of women — all leaders in the state Senate
MCC has historic number of women in state legislature.

Medal of Honor recipient, U.S. Army Capt. William Swenson, recognized by Senate

O’Ban amendment requires DOT to disclose costly mistakes, design errors

Published on March 5, 2014

oban_120 The state Senate today agreed with Sen. Steve O’Ban: Washington State Department of Transportation officials need to come clean when mistakes are made.

Before adopting a supplemental transportation budget today a majority of senators backed a change proposed by O’Ban; his reform would require DOT to disclose any design errors and explain to the Legislature what went wrong, who it believes was responsible and how the agency plans to ensure it doesn’t happen again.

“We need fundamental reforms that bring transparency and accountability to WSDOT so that the public’s trust can be restored and citizens may be inclined to support new funding for needed projects,” said O’Ban, a Pierce County Republican who represents the 28th Legislative District. “Without showing we are serious about vital reforms, the public would never support a new gas tax. After all, it’s the taxpayers who foot the bill for our state’s transportation mismanagement.” Read more…

Jobs Now: Senate approves Brown’s ‘Reinvest in Washington Jobs Act’

Published on March 4, 2014

Brown bill encouraging employers to hire members of the DD community also moves to House

Click the image to watch the floor debate on SB 6515.

Calling it one of the most ingenious ways ever to promote economic development, members of the Washington State Senate today passed the “Reinvest in Washington Jobs Act” by a vote of 45-2.

“We’ve heard a lot of talk about how the state should not be picking winners and losers,” said Sen. Sharon Brown, sponsor of the bill. “The Reinvest in Washington Jobs Act would take government out of that role and instead give manufacturers the choice: if you’re willing to invest back into your workers, your local business operations and your community, you can get some help with your business taxes in return.

“It allows employers to claim a business-and-occupation tax credit only after they have already invested in creating Washington jobs and increasing employee training, and adds accountability by allowing the state to measure the success or failure of their economic-development activities.” Read more…

Inslee’s unilateral death-penalty decree ignores victims’ families

Published on February 26, 2014

In the hour prior to a public hearing on Senate Bill 6566 today, Sen. Steve O’Ban again called for Gov. Jay Inslee to reach out and listen to the victims before imposing a blanket moratorium on executions in Washington. Surrounded by family members and friends of those murdered by some of the nine men on death row, the Pierce County Republican held a news conference drawing attention to the governor’s inappropriate and unilateral use of power.

“It was terribly presumptuous of the governor to announce a statewide suspension of death-row executions without even speaking with the victims’ families,” said O’Ban, who represents the 28th Legislative District. “His office does not give him the authority to, by executive order, grant an across-the-board reprieve. It’s disrespectful to the family members of the victims whose opinions must be considered under existing law.”

KING TV: Victims’ Relatives Criticize Inslee’s Death Penalty Moratorium
KOMO TV: Families Urge Inslee to Reconsider Death Penalty Moratorium
KCPQ TV: Fighting for the Death Penalty

SB 6566 would prohibit a governor from exercising his or her powers of clemency prior to receiving a recommendation from the state Clemency and Pardons Board. Specifically, the bill states the governor may, on good cause shown, grant respites or reprieves from time to time, meaning that he or she has undergone an individualized consideration of the facts of a specific conviction after he or she has received a recommendation from the clemency and pardons board. Read more…

Senate approves trio of Holmquist Newbry-backed bills

Published on March 6, 2014

Measures include proposals to allow alternative port-district boundaries, improve irrigation districts, and reduce regulation of deck construction

As Friday’s deadline for the Senate to vote on House bills rapidly approaches, three bills backed by Sen. Janéa Holmquist Newbry were approved by the Senate this week with broad bipartisan support. Each bill, while vastly different, is of key importance to the people of the 13th Legislative District.

House Bill 1090, which passed the Senate unanimously on Wednesday, would make it easier for property owners to construct a deck bordering a freshwater lake.

Under the Shoreline Master Program, a deck being built next to freshwater requires a local permit if its value is at least $10,000; HB 1090 raises the permit threshold to a value of at least $20,000 in areas that have updated their SMP to comply with new regulations. Read more…

Angel requests homeless housing task force from governor

Published on March 6, 2014

Sen. Jan Angel today sent a letter to the governor requesting his leadership in establishing a task force to evaluate funding sources for local homeless housing and assistance.

Her decision to hold House Bill 2368, a measure that would extend a temporary surcharge tax to support homelessness, in the financial institutions, housing and insurance committee has caused a flurry of controversy and inaccurate accusations, despite her good intentions.

“I was half an inch away from being homeless myself, so this issue is extremely important to me, despite what others are so quick to assume,” said Angel, R-Port Orchard. “People need to understand all of the facts surrounding an issue before they point fingers.”

Angel said her main concerns about HB 2368 have to do with a lack of supporting data and reporting from the state Department of Commerce, strong discord among involved stakeholders, and the fact that the surcharge tax falls on the backs of one small and unpredictable sector.

Senate Republican Leader reacts to House budget proposal

Published on March 6, 2014

Washington State’s 9th District Senator Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville, and leader of the Senate Republican Caucus, responds to the unveiling of the House 2014 supplemental operating budget proposal that raises taxes, spends more and ends the historic tuition freeze enacted by the MCC in 2013.

Washington residents denied Affordable Care Act extension again

Published on March 6, 2014

denied The Office of the Insurance Commissioner announced yesterday that yet another Obamacare extension would again be denied for Washington citizens. Last November, the Obama administration first made the offer to extend non-compliant or canceled plans for one year, but left the decision up to individual state insurance commissioners and the health insurers. Washington’s commissioner, Mike Kreidler, declined the extensions for state residents.

Since Washington did not allow the first extension of these plans, the additional two-year extensions announced yesterday do not apply to Washington. Sen. Steve O’Ban, R-University Place, says that further underscores the importance of passing his bill to allow those who’ve found their plans canceled due to the commissioner’s decision to shop for similar plans no longer offered in Washington across state lines.

“We have people in our state that need help now, but are completely out of options since the insurance commissioner announced that the new extension applies only to those non-compliant or cancelled plans that were given extensions into 2014,” said O’Ban. “If my bill becomes law, those people could get on plans available in other states that are much like the ones they lost.” Read more…

Banner day for Rivers, three bills headed to the governor

Published on March 6, 2014

With just over a week remaining in the 2014 regular session, Sen. Ann Rivers has three bills headed to the governor, thanks to the near-unanimous approval by the House of Representatives Wednesday.

The three measures couldn’t be more different, spanning from health care to consumer privacy to victim protection, but according to Rivers, the effects of the new legislation will serve the people of the state well.