Leadership Blog

In the News

VIDEO: FOX News: America Reports: Sen. John Braun on Parental Rights

Published on February 10, 2025
Washington State Senate Republican Leader John Braun talks with FOX News’ John Roberts about parental rights.
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VIDEO: Protecting Parents’ Rights, Kids’ Safety & Fiscal Responsibility with Sen. John Braun

Published on February 07, 2025
Senate Republican Leader John Braun, 20th LD, shares his weekly legislative update. This week in Olympia, Senate Democrats pass SB 5181 — a bill that undermines the Parents’ Rights Act. Braun’s bill that adds fentanyl to the list of drugs in the child endangerment law passes in the Senate. Recent test scores show our kids...
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AUDIO: Senate Republican Leadership Update with Sen. John Braun

Published on February 06, 2025
Sen. Braun talks about a bill that cleared the State Senate that removes key parental notification rights codified in last year’s Parents’ Rights Initiative.
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AUDIO: Republicans oppose Senate passage of bill to undermine parental-rights initiative

Published on February 05, 2025
Controversial legislation that weakens the Parents’ Bill of Rights Initiative cleared the State Senate. Tracy Ellis reports the bill comes just a year after the Legislature approved the initiative.
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VIDEO: Legislative Republican Leadership Media Availability: Public Safety, Affordability, and Education in Focus

Published on February 04, 2025
Republican leaders in the Washington State Legislature discussed key priorities: public safety, affordability, and K-12 education. They support a $100M law enforcement funding bill, oppose rent control, and push for non-tax budget solutions. They criticize Democratic handling of parental rights and fentanyl issues while seeking bipartisan efforts in behavioral health and special education funding.
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News from the Caucus

December 20, 2023
John Braun

Braun bill aimed at getting chronically absent students to re-engage with classes, resume path to graduation

OLYMPIA… Chronic absenteeism is among the major obstacles preventing Washington children from recovering from pandemic-related learning loss. Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, has introduced legislation to help school administrators, teachers and parents get students to show up to school and take part in class. Senate Bill 5850 would provide support for students who are...
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September 07, 2023
Curtis King

King says gas-price hike from ‘cap-and-trade’ auctions will hurt drivers even more

Sen. Curtis King, Republican leader on the Senate Transportation Committee, said the state’s latest carbon-pricing auction will cause gasoline prices to continue rising, further hurting Washington drivers and businesses. This will also raise the prices for all things being shipped, which is about every item consumers use, further adding to high inflation. “Since the carbon...
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July 20, 2023
Curtis King

King says Democrats’ attack on oil companies is attempt to steer focus from cap-and-trade’s effect on nation-leading gas prices

Sen. Curtis King, the ranking Republican on the Senate Transportation Committee, said Gov. Jay Inslee is trying to deflect criticism aimed at him due to the major role that the state’s cap-and-trade program has played in Washington having the highest gas prices in the nation. Inslee announced today that he wants legislation in 2024 targeting...
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April 21, 2023
Mark Schoesler

Schoesler says Democrats’ passage of anti-firearm bills won’t deter criminals

State Sen. Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville, issued this statement after Democratic majorities in the Legislature passed House Bill 1240, which would ban the sale of semi-automatic weapons in Washington, and House Bill 1143, which would prohibit someone from buying a firearm from a dealer unless the buyer has passed a background check and has completed a...
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January 13, 2023
Keith Wagoner

Senate panel advances Wagoner bill to recognize history, contributions of Americans of Chinese descent

Click here to watch the full hearing on SB 5000. Today the Senate State Government and Elections Committee voted unanimously to advance Sen. Keith Wagoner’s measure designating January as Americans of Chinese Descent Month. “Recognizing the history and contributions of Americans of Chinese descent has been and will continue to be very important to me,”...
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November 10, 2021
John Braun

Republican leaders release statement on the Legislature defeating Gov. Jay Inslee in the Washington Supreme Court

House Republican Leader J.T. Wilcox and Senate Republican Leader John Braun released the following statement on the Legislature’s win over Gov. Jay Inslee in the Washington Supreme Court today: “The Legislature knew Governor Inslee overstepped his constitutional authority by vetoing single lines of the transportation budget in 2019. The four caucuses agreed to bring legal action against the governor on...
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August 18, 2021
John Braun

Intimidating, publicly shaming those with vaccine concerns is wrong path, says Braun

Inslee’s vaccine mandate on K-12 could backfire, hurt students   OLYMPIA…Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, issued the following statement in response to the governor’s announcement requiring teachers and other K-12 education employees to get the COVID vaccine or risk losing their jobs and jeopardizing their district’s funding. “I am vaccinated and urge others to...
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May 13, 2021
John Braun

Republican leaders say new CDC guidance supports June 15 reopening

OLYMPIA… Senate Republican Leader John Braun and House Republican J.T. Wilcox offered this statement today after the governor announced many of his COVID-19 economic restrictions will be lifted by the end of June. “Earlier this week members of all four legislative caucuses encouraged Governor Inslee to share the vision of his counterparts in California and...
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April 12, 2021
John Braun

No counties should be moving backward, say legislative Republican leaders

OLYMPIA…Legislative Republican leaders released the following statement after learning that three counties will be forced to move backward to Phase 2 in the governor’s reopening plan. Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia, and Rep. J.T. Wilcox, R-Yelm, expressed their frustration with the governor’s decision and the Democrat majorities’ inaction on executive powers reform. “The communities of Cowlitz,...
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April 12, 2021
John Braun

Cutoff highlights refusal to address emergency powers — one of many majority Democrat failures, say top Senate Republicans

OLYMPIA…Senate Republican leaders released the following remarks after Sunday’s legislative deadline for bills that passed in their house origin to be considered by the opposite chamber. Bills that did not pass in both chambers by Sunday’s cutoff are considered ‘dead’ except for those considered necessary to implement the budget, such as the income tax proposed...
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June 21, 2017
Mark Schoesler

‘No government shutdown’ assures Senate majority leader

Schoesler maintains confidence that budget deal will be reached in time to avoid partial shutdown OLYMPIA…Sen. Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville, issued the following statement in response to Gov. Jay Inslee’s announcement of a third special legislative session to finalize negotiations on a budget for the 2017-19 biennium. “I fully expect the budget teams to submit a...
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March 16, 2017
Curtis King

Senator King tells transit agency to consider soldiers and find a fair solution

Before he adjourned a recent working session of the Senate Transportation Committee, Sen. King urged Sound Transit officials to consider the impact their car tab tax valuations were having on soldiers.  Sen. King related how soldiers had come to him and described struggling to make ends meet.  He said they told him that they didn’t...
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