Leadership Video Update – Day 23

Senate Republican Leader John Braun updates us on the progress of the 2023 Legislative Session. Unfortunately, the highlight is the lack of progress on fixing the police pursuit law. Learn more:  

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Don’t count on Democrats for relief from high prices

At the risk of dating myself, I was a young mother right around the last time the inflation rate in our state was like it is now… very high and skyrocketing! I know what it’s like to do the dollar-stretching and prioritizing that has suddenly become a necessity for today’s younger generation, especially parents. I […]

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Inslee’s state of emergency at 900 days and counting… but why?

August 17, 2022 Once upon a time, Governor Inslee spoke of “data” and “science” when defending pandemic-related decisions he made with the self-granted authority that came with proclaiming a state of emergency. Around 16 months into the state of emergency a reporter asked the governor, in so many words, if state law gave him too […]

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Where is the ‘equity’ for victims of crime?

— August 8, 2022 It was apparent then, and is even more apparent today: The 2021 legislative session really pushed our state in the wrong direction. Governor Inslee and others who longed for a state income tax finally got their way. Hard drugs were essentially legalized. Even worse, it was done in a way that […]

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Why all the Democrat disinformation about suspending gas tax?

For a guy who recently wanted to criminalize certain false statements, Gov. Jay Inslee certainly seems to have no qualms about spreading disinformation himself. It happened again Wednesday, after the new state revenue forecast had me and our Senate Republican budget leader repeating our call for a temporary suspension of the state gas tax. Here […]

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Governor, you’re no Tom Brady

July 12, 2021 The governor’s use of football metaphors when speaking about the COVID-19 pandemic got old a long time ago, but he really fumbled recently by equating his administration’s pandemic response with winning the Super Bowl. Good grief. Has Governor Inslee forgotten about Suzi LeVine? Countless Washington families suffered because he drafted her for […]

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Want a truly representative Legislature? Get involved in redistricting

“It’s Seattle’s state now in politics, and everybody else is living in it,” read the headline of a newspaper column published soon after this year’s legislative session ended. “There’s no question that what just went down at the statehouse marked a political breakthrough of sorts — for the progressive left,” the columnist wrote. The column […]

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Surprise! Majority looks to abdicate a basic role of the legislative branch

John Braun

I can’t tell you how many people contacted my Senate office during the past nine-plus months about the unprecedented actions Governor Inslee has taken since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Most of them, using words that made their frustration or desperation obvious, asked what legislators could do regarding the dozens of proclamations he’s made since […]

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Republican lawmakers call for emergency legislative session in June

Republican leaders in the state Legislature say lawmakers need to meet next month to deal with emergency issues related to public health, Washington’s economic recovery and the state budget, all stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. “When the Legislature adjourned in mid-March the public-health crisis related to COVID-19 was still emerging. Now there’s an economic crisis […]

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