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Senators
INITIATIVES
Three passed, three go to the ballot in November
Fed up with the destructive and burdensome policies passed by the Democrat majority in the Washington State Legislature, citizens collected more than 2.3 million signatures to put six initiatives before the Legislature.
Only three of the initiatives received a hearing and a vote. In three strong, bipartisan votes, the Legislature passed the following:
- Initiative 2081 Protect parents’ right to know
- Initiative 2111 Ban an Income Tax in Washington
- Initiative 2113 Restore “Reasonable Suspicion” for Police Pursuit
Majority Democrats refused to give hearings to the remaining three initiatives, so they will go to the ballot in November.
- Initiative 2109 Repeal the Income Tax on Capital Gains
- Initiative 2117 Repeal the “Climate Commitment Act” and it’s “cap-and-tax” program
- Initiative 2124 Allow People to Opt Out of the “Long-Term Care” Payroll Tax
VIDEO
Senate Republican Leader John Braun talks about the policies behind three initiatives to the Legislature that majority Democrats ignored during the session and will appear on the November ballot.
NOTE: No updates or changes will be made to this webpage or the individual webpages for each initiative from March 7, 2024, until after the election in November, as per state law. Similarly, no updates or changes will be made to any content linked to from these webpages from March 7, 2024 until after the November election.
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News from the Caucus
Dan Evans set the standard for political leadership in Washington, Warnick says
Former governor and senator modernized state government, promoted higher education, advocated for the environment and defined what it means to be a Republican OLYMPIA – Dan Evans left such a deep stamp on the state of Washington that people today might have trouble believing one man could accomplish so much, said Senate Republican Caucus Chair...
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The Elephant in the Dome Podcast: Shortage of public defenders and prosecutors – a criminal justice crisis
Washington’s criminal justice system has a big problem – a shortage of public defenders and prosecutors. Senator Mike Padden, a former judge and the Ranking Republican on the Senate Law and Justice Committee is the featured guest. Washington Supreme Court justices take testimony on proposed changes to public defender standards – Learn you how you...
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AUDIO: Police pursuit, parental rights, income tax laws go into effect
New laws that go into effect this week (June 6) impact police pursuits, parental rights, and income taxes in Washington. Tracy Ellis reports.
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The Elephant in the Dome Podcast: Republicans applaud Center For Behavioral Health and Learning opening
Republican senators applaud the opening of the center, stressing its importance amid the opioid crisis. Senator Lynda Wilson highlights the need for both treatment and accountability.
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The Elephant in the Dome Podcast: What’s important to Senate Republicans?
What makes Senate Republicans tick? How do they come up with their priorities? What are they doing to tackle those priorities? Sen. John Braun talks public safety, affordability, education, and abortion in this episode of the Elephant in the Dome Podcast.
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Elephant in the Dome Podcast: Inslee signs Democrat bill to transition largest utility away from natural gas – Gildon breaks down implications
Governor Inslee signed a Democrat bill that he says creates the roadmap and tools for Puget Sound Energy to get out of the natural gas business. What does that mean? Senator Chris Gildon provides a comprehensive explanation of this controversial new law.
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News from the Senators
Boehnke looks to improve rules for siting of power plants
Sen. Matt Boehnke, R-Kennewick OLYMPIA… The state Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council (EFSEC) held a special meeting on September 13 to approve the revised site certification agreement for the controversial Horse Heaven Wind Project. Sen. Matt Boehnke, R-Kennewick, believes the EFSEC’s process to approve the revised site certification agreement (SCA) did not properly account for...
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Infant fentanyl overdoses warrant felony charges, says Braun
CENTRALIA…Three infants in the Everett area overdosed on fentanyl over four days this week, including a 13-month-old who died. Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, shared the following reaction to these preventable tragedies. “It’s completely indefensible when an infant or child gets sick or dies because someone in the household is using deadly drugs such...
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Right to protest does not include blocking airport access, says Braun
CENTRALIA… Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, released the following statement following the anti-Israel protest that blocked access to SeaTac Airport for several hours today. “People have the right to peaceably protest, but they don’t have the right to put themselves and drivers at risk by blocking access to our busiest airport. I understand that...
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Braun appalled by Seattle teacher’s blatantly antisemitic comments
OLYMPIA…Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, today shared his reaction to comments made by Seattle school teacher Ian Golash during an interview posted Friday to X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. When asked if the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas terrorists on Israeli citizens was justified, Golash responded, “Yes.” As the...
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Sen. Braun on Sen. Rivers’ decision not to seek reelection: ‘We will deeply miss her leadership and service’
CENTRALIA… Senate Republican Leader John Braun offered this response to today’s announcement by Sen. Ann Rivers, R-La Center, that she will not be seeking a new term as the 18th Legislative District’s state senator: “Having served with Senator Rivers for more than a decade, from a neighboring district, I know how hard she has worked...
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Braun: Retiring Sen. Mike Padden Legislature’s strongest advocate of public safety
OLYMPIA…Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, shared the following sentiments after an announcement by Sen. Mike Padden, R-Spokane Valley, saying he will not seek reelection to the 4th District Senate seat he has held since 2011. Sen. Padden is currently the lead Republican on the Senate Law & Justice Committee. He was previously the chair...
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Social Media
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Washington State Senate Republican Caucus
The official Facebook page of the Washington State Senate Republican Caucus
A Dam Good Argument: WA dams are an abundant source of clean energy and provide vital irrigation for our food. Fish-protecting innovations like fish ladders and spillways have led to 96-98% of salmon passing them too. #saveourdams #waleg![]()
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John Stossel: ow.ly/MlfG50Tzh7L
#tbt In 2021, Senate Republicans released our comprehensive, updated report: "Prison Alarm Bells: Five Years of Failure at the Department of Corrections –and What Washington Can do About It" with our legislative solutions for the dereliction of @GovInslee's state agency.![]()
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Olympia Democrats continue to reject our commonsense solutions to improve public safety. We will keep up the pressure. #RestorePublicSafety #UnsafeWA #waleg![]()
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Prison Alarm Bells Report: ow.ly/5pyu50TwN3a
As more children are being exposed to fentanyl – and many have died from it, including a 2 year old recently — King County wants to add fentanyl to child endangerment laws. ![]()
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The Senate overwhelmingly passed Sen. Lynda Wilson’s SB 5010, twice, to make that important change in law. However, it was blocked by House Democrats despite the pleas of many, including The Seattle Times.![]()
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Enough is enough. It's well past time that we offer this added protection for kids.![]()
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#RestorePublicSafety #UnsafeWA #waleg
