News from the Caucus
Braun guest editorial in the Seattle Times: A sham lawsuit threatens to disenfranchise WA’s Latino voters
By John Braun Special to the Times In 2021 our state’s bipartisan, voter-created Redistricting Commission set Washington’s current legislative and congressional boundaries. In August, a federal judge ruled in favor of the plaintiffs in Soto Palmer v. Hobbs, who claimed the map of Central Washington’s 15th Legislative District violates the federal Voting Rights Act (VRA)....
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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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Poor awareness, rise in antisemitism necessitates more education about Jewish Holocaust of WWII
Bipartisan bill would make K-12 curriculum Nazi genocide of Jews mandatory OLYMPIA…Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, and Sen. Jesse Salomon, D-Shoreline, pre-filed a bill today (Senate Bill 5851) for the 2024 legislative session that would make it mandatory for Washington’s K-12 public schools to teach the Jewish Holocaust curriculum developed by the Office...
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Wilson proposal would revitalize ‘Sunshine Committee,’ emphasize public records issues
Bill is part of plan to streamline disclosure, make transparency a priority OLYMPIA – Responding to complaints that the Washington Legislature doesn’t care about public records issues, Sen. Jeff Wilson, R-Longview, has introduced a bill that aims to revitalize the state’s ‘Sunshine Committee.’ Senate Bill 5779 is the first element in a Wilson plan to...
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Governor’s spending proposal continues worrisome trends, says Republican budget chief
OLYMPIA — Gov. Jay Inslee’s new supplemental budget proposal continues the same worrisome trends of the decade he has been in office, said Sen. Lynda Wilson, R-Vancouver, ranking Republican on the Senate Ways and Means Committee. “The good news is that the governor isn’t proposing any new taxes,” Wilson said. “The bad news is that...
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Legislature must protect signature gatherers from harassment, senators say
Sens. Jeff Wilson, R-Longview, John Braun, R-Centralia, and Mike Padden, R-Spokane Valley. OLYMPIA – Lawmakers need to expand protections for initiative campaigns, say Senate Republicans, following an effort to intimidate signature gatherers promoted by the Washington State Democratic Party and the Washington chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. Sen. Jeff Wilson, R-Longview, filed a...
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Accusation that economist was told to lie about projected gas price increase ‘very disturbing,’ says Braun
WSDOT actions latest example of executive mismanagement, lack of accountability OLYMPIA…Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, offered the following comments in reaction to a KING-TV story about a lawsuit that reportedly will be filed soon on behalf of a former employee of the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT). The employee, an economist and formerly...
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NEWS: Year’s final revenue forecast should end talk of new taxes
OLYMPIA… Sen. Lynda Wilson is viewing 2023’s final quarterly forecast of state-government revenue as yet another reason to take a firm line against tax increases in 2024. “There’s no budget deficit on the horizon. It was confirmed today that government has more than enough revenue to maintain services and programs. Put those together and there...
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You aren’t just feeling WA’s carbon tax at the pump. It drains more than pocketbooks
By Sen. Chris Gildon and Sen. Drew MacEwen Our state’s Climate Commitment Act was passed in 2021 with the stated goal of reducing and eventually phasing out carbon emissions. Among other things, the law promises protections for Washington’s agricultural sector and marine trade, and we were assured revenue resulting from the “cap-and-trade” approach would...
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Legislators in Washington and Oregon to offer bills creating year-round standard time
As people across America adjust to this past weekend’s switch from daylight saving time to standard time, state senators in Washington and Oregon are planning to introduce bills early next year to put their states on standard time year-round. This is not the first time the lawmakers have sought to end the twice-yearly clock changes....
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Braun: Drug contraband, obstruction of justice at Green Hill School warrants thorough investigation
CENTRALIA…Upon learning that 114 bags of contraband were discovered at Green Hill School, and that it was necessary for law enforcement to issue a search warrant because school officials refused to turn the items over, Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, shared the following comments. “I strongly support the call for an investigation of Green...
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Broken Inslee promise stalls behavioral-health treatment facility
CENTRALIA… Efforts to build a behavioral-health treatment facility in Lewis County are being pushed back another six months by what Lewis County lawmakers say is another broken promise from Gov. Jay Inslee’s administration. Sen. John Braun and Rep. Peter Abbarno, both R-Centralia, are particularly frustrated because the governor’s office assured them an important cost-saving change...
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