RETURN AFFORDABILITY

Life in Washington is too expensive for many families

Record homelessness, lack of childcare, high fuel costs and increasing food insecurity are hurting Washington

#UnaffordableWA

Food, fuel, rent, childcare…EVERYTHING is more expensive thanks to inflation. But another culprit is government regulation Democrats have burdened various industries with — costs that get passed along to consumers. The unnecessarily complicated permitting process, for example, not only makes building a home take longer, it makes it more expensive. Home prices have skyrocketed, as have rents.

We must remove burdensome regulations that are making it nearly impossible for many to own a home. We must lower the costs that are driving people into living on the street. And we must find ways to provide a meaningful leg up so people can afford to live indoors, heat their homes, feed their families and ensure their children are safe while parents are at work.

“Inflation is the number one concern nationwide,” said Senate Caucus Chair Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake. “People are struggling with higher prices for food, housing, transportation and home-heating fuel. Overregulation, heavy taxation and supply chain problems are making it harder for people, especially those with lower incomes, to feed and house their families. The majority doesn’t seem to grasp that business owners must pass along the increased costs of more regulation and higher taxes onto the consumers – you, me and the single mother struggling to put food on her table pay dearly for their inflationary policies. Even the new $0.80 hourly increase in the minimum wage will be passed on to the people. Someone who might receive that increase will end up paying for it through higher prices.”

2023 Legislative Session Accomplishments

  • No new taxes in the operating budget

Sen. Chris Gildon, R-Puyallup, assistant ranking Republican on the Senate Ways and Means Committee, has had a front-row seat on the budgeting process in the Washington State Legislature this year. After more than 100 hours at the table this year, he reveals what goes on during those closed-door budget negotiations.

  • Killing critical tax increases (SB 5770, SB 5767, SB 5618 and HB 1628)

Senate Democrats unveiled a proposal that would have allow three percent state and local property tax hikes without a vote of the people – that’s triple the current one percent limit. Senators John Braun, Mark Schoesler and Keith Wagoner talk about it.

  • Keeping drivers from being burdened with a mileage tax (HB 1832)
  • Providing tax exemptions for certain businesses (SB 5166, SB 5218, HB 1436)
  •  Ending taxation of retirement senior community meals (HB 1431)
  • Growth management and permitting reforms that will increase buildable land and make it easier for local governments to allow the building of homes (SB 5058, SB 5290 and HB 1293)
  • Making some women’s health-care services less expensive for patients (SB 5396 and SB 5581)
  • Finally addressing Washington’s “Difficult to Discharge / Stuck in the Hospital” crisis by requiring the state to pay its fair share of the costs (SB 5103)

New and ongoing taxes and cost increases for consumers