News from the Caucus

All four redistricting commissioners affirm redistricting plan agreed upon before legal deadline OLYMPIA…In light of this week’s announcement by the Washington State Redistricting Commission that the bipartisan group was unable to fully complete its task of drawing new boundaries for Washington’s 49 legislative districts, Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, released this comment: “The Supreme...

OLYMPIA…During their reorganization meeting this morning in Spokane, members of the Senate Republican Caucus elected 13th District Sen. Judy Warnick as their caucus chair and 10th District Sen. Ron Muzzall as caucus vice chair. Warnick had served as caucus vice chair since 2017. As caucus chair, Warnick will preside over internal meetings of the Senate...

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...

House Republican Leader J.T. Wilcox and Senate Republican Leader John Braun released the following statement today: “We oppose the Biden Administration’s vaccine mandate for the private sector. This policy will be counterproductive. It will also endanger successful Washington businesses, which have already adjusted to protect public health, and risk more shortages of critical goods and...

OLYMPIA…Repeatedly in recent press interviews, Gov. Jay Inslee has characterized those who have chosen not to receive the COVID-19 vaccine as conspiracy theorists who believe false information about the vaccine found on the internet. Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, released the following remarks about the governor’s overgeneralizations. “While I encourage people to get the...

OLYMPIA…Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, and House Republican Leader J.T. Wilcox, R-Yelm, released the following statement as thousands of people expect to lose their jobs this week thanks to Gov. Jay Inslee’s unnecessarily punitive vaccine deadline. Inslee imposed the deadline as a condition of employment for most state employees and contractors, health-care workers, those...

CENTRALIA… Senate Republican Leader John Braun offered this response to today’s announcement by Sen. Ann Rivers, R-La Center, that she will step down as the 18th Legislative District’s state senator: “Having served with Senator Rivers for nine years, from a neighboring district, I know how hard she has worked for the people of the 18th...

Focuses on keeping communities together within compact regions   OLYMPIA…Commissioner Joe Fain of the Washington State Redistricting Commission today released his draft plan for revisions to the state’s congressional districts based on results from the 2020 census. Fain’s plan follows a logical and easily identifiable structure rooted in the idea that the different geographical regions...

VANCOUVER… Despite the ongoing pandemic, Washington state government’s third-quarter revenue forecast indicates a gain of $927 million for the current two-year budget cycle and $931 million for the 2023-25 cycle. The forecast was adopted today by the state Economic Revenue and Forecast Council. When coupled with the increase projected in this year’s second-quarter forecast, the...

OLYMPIA…Sen. Ann Rivers, R-La Center and a member of the Senate Health and Long-Term Care Committee, offered this statement today after a bipartisan group of senators asked Gov. Jay Inslee to suspend the payroll tax and exemption deadline connected with the state’s new long-term services and supports trust program. “However well-intentioned the long-term care act...

Focuses on state’s paramount duty while promoting competitive elections   OLYMPIA…Commissioner Joe Fain of the Washington State Redistricting Commission released his draft plan Tuesday for the 2021 legislative redistricting cycle. Proposed as part of the state’s 10-year redistricting effort, Fain’s map of 49 legislative districts focuses on keeping communities together and fostering competitive elections. A...

With goal of ‘reducing incarceration,’ governor and Legislature create new public safety risks To read report, click here. OLYMPIA – As if new restrictions on law enforcement weren’t enough, an effort by Washington lawmakers to empty prison cells and return convicted felons to the street is creating new public safety risks across the state. That’s...