News from the Caucus
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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Price tag for public employee raises could have funded tax relief for everyone, says Braun
OLYMPIA…Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, released the following statement in response to the announcement today by the Office of Financial Management (OFM) that the collective bargaining agreements with the public employees union, negotiated by the governor and his campaign donors in secret, will cost more than $1 billion. “I don’t fault public employees for...
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SRC On Air: Sen. Mike Padden on KONA Radio in the Tri Cities
Sen Mike Padden talks to KONA Radio’s The Bottom Line about a repeat offender convicted of killing his girlfriend in a DUI crash when he was supposed to be in prison. He was resentenced after lawmakers changed the 3-strikes rule.
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Shorter sentence for man convicted in brutal car crash is terrible result of war on public safety, senators say
Robert Jackson was among 3,000 prisoners released in earlier Department of Corrections fiasco OLYMPIA – Resentencing of a man who got life without parole after he killed his girlfriend in a bloody 2015 car crash is a travesty that illustrates the terrible human consequences when the Legislature goes “soft on crime,” Republican senators say. Robert...
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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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Decision on environmental policy places power back in the people’s hands, says Braun
OLYMPIA…Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, released the following statement in response to the United States Supreme Court decision limiting the Environmental Protection Agency’s rulemaking authority. The court ruled that Congress must authorize new regulations to limit power plant emissions. “Today’s opinion is about the rule of law. It is up to Congress to authorize...
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Better support for pregnant women should be common goal after SCOTUS decision, says Braun
OLYMPIA…Senate Republican Leader John Braun shared comments in reaction to the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization abortion case, which proposed overturning the 1973 case Roe v. Wade. “Today’s decision does not affect the law here in Washington. Even my Democrat colleagues have been quick to point out 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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Bipartisan group of Senate leaders say enough is enough, time for Kreidler to step down as insurance commissioner
A bipartisan group of Senate leaders today called on state Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler to resign, calling his actions in office “appalling” and “unacceptable,” after he fired a whistle-blower who came forward with allegations of abusive and inappropriate workplace behaviors. “The claims of inappropriate workplace conduct were disturbing on their own and called into question...
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Republican leader denounces threats against public officials
OLYMPIA… A news report about threats received by the state secretary of health has Senate Republican Leader John Braun denouncing any threats against any public official. “It’s fair to question or criticize government’s response to the pandemic. Many of us have. But it’s completely unacceptable for anyone to threaten Secretary Shah, the state Board of...
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Canceling parole for murderer Timothy Pauley should not have been a tough decision, says Braun
OLYMPIA…Gov. Jay Inslee released his decision today to cancel the parole granted to convicted murderer Timothy Pauley by the Indeterminate Sentence Review Board. Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, shared his reaction. “It’s a relief that the governor came to his senses and canceled the parole order for Mr. Pauley. The governor said his decision...
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