News
NEWSFLASH: Democrats announce nearly $20 billion in new and higher taxes
Republican budget leaders on Senate Democrats’ record-setting tax package “A new kind of March madness” OLYMPIA… Sen. Chris Gildon, R-Puyallup, and Sen. Nikki Torres, R-Pasco, offered this reaction to the $20 billion, four-year tax package proposed by the Senate’s majority Democrats today, ahead of the anticipated Monday rollout of their 2025-27 operating-budget proposal. From...
Read More
Republican budget leaders on Senate Democrats’ record-setting tax package: ‘a new kind of March madness’
OLYMPIA… Sen. Chris Gildon, R-Puyallup, and Sen. Nikki Torres, R-Pasco, offered this reaction to the $20 billion, four-year tax package proposed by the Senate’s majority Democrats today, ahead of the anticipated Monday rollout of their 2025-27 operating-budget proposal. From Sen. Gildon, who is Senate Republican budget leader: “My first reaction was wow – this is...
Read More
Senate Republican Leaders Condemn Democrat Plan to Hike Tuition, Cut Financial Aid
A decade after the Senate Majority Coalition Caucus led a historic effort to cut tuition and restore affordability in higher education, Washington Democrats are now pushing legislation to undo that important progress, and increase costs for working and middle-class families. Senate Republican leaders are calling out the financial harm Senate Bill 5785 would cause to...
Read More
NEWSFLASH: Reaction to Gov. Ferguson’s budget plan & victory on wood stoves
LISTEN: Reaction to Gov. Ferguson’s budget plan Democrats want to raise taxes. We want to implement savings and efficiencies. What does Gov. Ferguson want? The new governor held a press conference Thursday to share “savings and efficiencies” he’d like to see incorporated into the budget. Sen. Chris Gildon, R-Puyallup, is the Senate Republican...
Read More
BILL ALERT: Senate and House budget committees hearing bills this week to raise taxes/fees
TELL DEMOCRATS THEY DON’T NEED MORE OF YOUR MONEY The Senate Ways & Means Committee and the House Appropriations Committee will both hear a variety of bills this week that will impose new or higher taxes and fees on Washington taxpayers. Two of the bills give state and/or local governments the ability to raise taxes...
Read More
NEWSFLASH: Emergency powers, the mileage tax and more
CORRECTION: The original version of this Newsflash incorrectly quoted the proposed mileage tax at 26 cents per mile. The correct tax rate per mile is 2.6 cents per mile. The article below has been corrected to reflect the 2.6 cent rate. IN THE NEWS: Emergency powers reform During the pandemic, former Gov. Jay Inslee...
Read More
UPDATE: An even worse version of the wood stove bill passed out of committee today
CHAIR OF THE COMMITTE MAKES SENATE BILL 5174 WORSE The bill that would more tightly regulate wood-burning stoves not only passed out of the Senate’s Environment, Energy and Technology Committee today. It did so with an amendment that makes the bill worse. The amendment to Senate Bill 5174, which was offered by the chair of the...
Read More
A bill to overregulate wood stoves due to be voted out of committee tomorrow
HELP STOP SENATE BILL 5174 “This is ridiculous overreach!” – 4th LD Constituent Wood-burning stoves are a critical home-heating source for many homeowners across Washington. Rural families depend on them more than those who live in bigger cities. Lower-income families, seniors on a fixed income, and anyone else trying to make ends meet while energy...
Read More
Property tax increase bill dies, won’t get a vote
OLYMPIA…Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, made the following comments in reaction to the announcement that the proposal to allow local governments to raise property taxes by up to 3% annually without a vote of the people is dead for this legislative session. The Democratic sponsor of Senate Bill 5770 told The Washington State...
Read More
Legislative Republicans support ban to prohibit a personal income tax
Click here for a timeline of the 11 voter rejections of an income tax in Washington state. OLYMPIA…Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, and House Republican Leader Drew Stokesbary, R-Auburn, released the following statement in response to the certification of I-2111, which would enact a ban that would prohibit any level of government from imposing...
Read More
Governor continues to scapegoat others for his false claims about carbon tax effect on gas prices
OLYMPIA…Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, today responded to public comments recently made by Gov. Jay Inslee that attempt to divert attention from evidence in a Washington Policy Center blog showing the governor knew it was false to claim his “cap-and-trade” tax on carbon-dioxide emissions would not increase gas prices, or would do so only...
Read More
Accusation that economist was told to lie about projected gas price increase ‘very disturbing,’ says Braun
WSDOT actions latest example of executive mismanagement, lack of accountability OLYMPIA…Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, offered the following comments in reaction to a KING-TV story about a lawsuit that reportedly will be filed soon on behalf of a former employee of the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT). The employee, an economist and formerly...
Read More