News from the Caucus

‘Open Safe, Open Now: A Republican plan for Phase 3 and Beyond’ shows trust in the people   READ THE PLAN OLYMPIA…In response to sharply declining COVID-19 case rates and hospitalization rates statewide, legislative Republicans today announced a simple, practical and consistent plan to get all communities in Washington fully open for both school and...

OLYMPIA… Last evening a majority on the Senate Ways and Means Committee voted to recommend the passage of Senate Bill 5096, which would put a 7-percent tax on income from the sale or exchange of capital assets. The proposal, which is another attempt to impose a state income tax on Washington residents, was requested by...

Plan to get schools open and people back to work also doesn’t need more taxes OLYMPIA… Less than one-third of the way through the 2021 legislative session, Senate Republicans have stepped forward with a 2021-23 budget proposal aimed at restarting schools and bringing jobs back, while saving money for lower-income families. “Senate Republicans have been...

OLYMPIA…Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, sent Gov. Jay Inslee the following letter regarding the continued use of security fencing around many of the buildings on the Capitol Campus in Olympia.   February 3, 2021 Governor Jay Inslee Office of the Governor PO Box 40002 Olympia, WA 98504-0002 Dear Governor Inslee, Although the Governor’s Mansion...

Senator John Braun and Senator Jeff Wilson encouraged, hopeful for governor’s announcement OLYMPIA…Senate Republican Leader John Braun, and Sen. Jeff Wilson, ranking Republican on the Senate State Government and Elections Committee, released the following remarks after reading in the media the Senate majority leader’s comments that the governor would be loosening restrictions on restaurants and...

OLYMPIA… Senate Republican Leader John Braun offered these remarks after the Senate majority avoided taking action today on Senate Bill 5114, which would immediately move all eight regions of the state to Phase 2 of Gov. Jay Inslee’s latest economic restart plan: “SB 5114 is the bipartisan plan to safely reopen Washington. It received an...

Senate Republican Leader is grateful small business workers had their voices heard OLYMPIA… Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia, issued this statement after dozens of people testified this morning before the Senate State Government and Elections Committee in support of Senate Bill 5114. It would move all regions of Washington to Phase II of Gov. Jay Inslee’s...

I can’t tell you how many people contacted my Senate office during the past nine-plus months about the unprecedented actions Governor Inslee has taken since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Most of them, using words that made their frustration or desperation obvious, asked what legislators could do regarding the dozens of proclamations he’s made since...

OLYMPIA…After an historic day in the Washington State Legislature where changes to the rules were adopted to allow for the 2021 Legislative Session to continue remotely, Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, released a statement. Braun said he’s disappointed that majority Democrats refused to bend on new Senate operating rules for the 2021 legislative session...

OLYMPIA…Washington State Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, released the following statement regarding protests in Washington, D.C. that have resulted in breaches of security, a lockdown of the U.S. Capitol and the distribution of gas masks to legislators.   “What we are seeing at our nation’s Capitol today is unacceptable. I condemned the violent protests...

Dear Governor Inslee: As the letter yesterday documented, my caucus—as per the provisions of RCW 43.06.220(4)–did not approve of the extension of the statutory waivers and suspensions ordered in Proclamations 20-58 and 20-63. The immediate cause of our caucus’ disapproval is your continued shutdown of restaurants and gyms without a firm basis in data and...

“As Washingtonians are forced to comply with the detailed demands of the governor for marginal impacts on public health, he has demanded no accountability from important state agencies involved in the pandemic response. His Employment Security Department failed to prevent massive fraud and deliver timely unemployment benefits to those in desperate need. It continues to...