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Olympia…Senate Republican Leader Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville, offered this comment about the 2018 supplemental operating budget, which was developed without bipartisan input and was presented to the Legislature for a vote this afternoon – on the last day of the legislative session: “I’ve been in the Legislature for 26 years and in that time, I’ve seen...

OLYMPIA…Marking the end of long and arduous negotiations, the Legislature today passed a bipartisan, bicameral solution to the Hirst water-rights decision, clearing the way for families to get permits to dig household wells and gain access to water. It also passed a capital budget worth more than $4 billion, including the bonds necessary to pay...

OLYMPIA…In response to today’s announcement by Amazon.com that it has narrowed its search for a second-headquarters location to a short-list of 20 cities, Senate Republican Leader Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville, issued the following statement.   “The fact that Amazon’s finalists for HQ2 only include one West Coast city and none from Washington should be a wake-up...

Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia and the ranking Republican on the Senate Ways and Means Committee, gave this statement after Gov. Jay Inslee unveiled his 2018 supplemental budget proposal Thursday morning.   “I’m encouraged by a few components of the governor’s budget plan. I’m glad he is finally adhering to the four-year balanced budget law in...

Senate Republican Leader Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville, offered this comment about Gov. Jay Inslee’s budget released today:   “While it’s promising that the governor finally proposed a budget that balances over four years, I call on him to publicly commit to veto any budget that doesn’t. “I’m glad that undoing the levy reform enacted in the...

Senate Republican Leader Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville, offered this comment about Gov. Jay Inslee’s budget proposal, expected to be released Thursday: “In a year when a single political party will control the House, the Senate and the governor’s mansion, the governor’s budget proposal will set the tone for everything that follows. The first thing to look...

Senators Judy Warnick and Jim Honeyford welcomed news that House Democrats have planned a work session Dec. 12 to discuss the Hirst water rights court decision. “I have remained hopeful since the Legislature adjourned that we can deliver a Hirst fix for rural Washington,” said Warnick, R-Moses Lake, who sponsored Senate Bill 5239, the only...

 The Senate Republican Caucus today announced its appointments to the 2018 Senate committees.   “Our members are anxious to get the session started and will continue to serve everyone in Washington with dedication and integrity,” said Senate Republican Leader Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville.   “I’m always proud and impressed by their level of commitment when tackling...

A ruling today by the Washington State Supreme Court largely endorses the bipartisan school-funding reforms recently adopted by the Legislature in line with the 2012 McCleary ruling, according to Sen. John Braun. “Providing students with the support they need and deserve required us to solve a generational problem with a generational solution, which resulted in...

The Senate Majority Coalition Caucus today returned to being the Senate Republican Caucus, although it remains bipartisan.   Five years ago the 23-member Senate Republican Caucus and two Democrat senators joined to take the majority in the Senate. They took the Majority Coalition Caucus name to reflect the new bipartisan collaboration.   Sen. Tim Sheldon,...

  OLYMPIA…Senate Majority Leader Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville, issued the following statement in response to today’s Washington State Supreme Court hearing regarding the Legislature’s plan to fully fund basic education.   At question is whether or not the plan satisfies the order of the court in the McCleary decision.   “This past year, the Legislature made...

Washington’s 2017 legislative session enters its seventh record-breaking month as a water-rights issue critical to rural property owners becomes the central issue at the statehouse. Lawmakers passed a budget June 30, averting a partial shutdown of state government – normally one of the final votes of any legislative session. But adjournment was delayed when the...