Serving Franklin County, WA
Serving Franklin County, WA
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Let's Go Washington is taking aim at the WA Cares Fund and a payroll tax that workers started paying this month with an initiative campaign. Initiative 2124, an Initiative to the Legislature, would make participation in WA Cares optional instead of mandatory and allow workers a way out of the state-imposed, insurance-like program at any time. That would be welcome news to many people who have other life needs that demand the attention of their monthly incomes. This should be...
Until President Biden signed the Chips and Science Act (CSA) last year, companies, such as Intel and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. looked elsewhere to build plants costing well over $20 billion each. Biden’s pitch to taxpayers was ultramodern manufacturers of miniature computer chips used in our sophisticated weapons, advanced manufacturing, cars and trucks, and high-tech equipment needed to move back to the U.S A. Congress responded and passed CSA supplying a $280 b...
School choice is on the rise across the nation. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, just announced his support for Lifeline scholarships, a state voucher program that will allow students to use public funds to attend a private school of their choice. If enacted, his bill will help families assigned by local officials to the lowest-performing public schools because these families will be able to choose a better alternative for their children. Shapiro's bold initiative...
When Oregon enacted the nation’s first bottle bill in 1971, it was intended to reduce litter on the state’s beaches, along roads, and in parks. It was a cleanup, not a recycling program. Today, the focus is recycling empty beer, pop, juice, and water containers and it is working very well in large part because it pays people to recycle. Collect the “empties” and earn a dime for each plastic bottle or aluminum can. It adds up and often is enough money to supplement purchas...
Relying on increased wind and solar is likely to increase electricity costs for residents in Washington and Idaho, and make electricity less reliable. Advocates of wind and solar frequently point to is the claim that the fuel is “free.” That claim ignores the extremely high up-front cost of those energy sources. To account for that, energy analysts create a “levelized cost of energy” to compare between energy that has low costs up-front but has ongoing costs for the fuel ...
The deal reached between President Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to increase our nation’s debt limit was a welcome compromise. It appears to avert our nation’s defaulting on our financial responsibilities and is a step toward bringing government spending under control. However, it is just a start; and the hurdles ahead are much higher. While the federal government operates differently than a family or business, people are starting to realize that if our nation def...
Some would argue that spring is the most wonderful time of the year in Washington. Throughout our state fruit trees blossom, vibrant tulip fields bloom, and colorful lentils carpeted the fields on the Palouse. It is when photographers and sightseers have a field day. While spring is eye-catching, it is the late summer and fall when our state reaps the benefits of the harvest. It is when crops yield “green” generating cash in markets around the world. While Washington ran...
Beef Day is the second-best day of the legislative session, next to the last day. Probably the best news about the 2023 legislative session is that we adjourned on time, although there are grumblings from even the governor that he may call for a special session to deal with flawed drug-possession law problem known as the Blake decision. More about that later. As a state senator representing large parts of eastern Washington and chair of the Senate Republican Caucus, I’m repres...
President Biden is unwisely “throttling up” plans to ditch carbon fuels unilaterally despite the extreme consequences of doing so. He wants to accelerate replacement of gas/diesel vehicles with electrics (EVs) which will be recharged by electrical grids energized by solar, wind and hydro power---- not coal, natural gas, or nuclear fuels. Additionally, in our state, Governor Inslee mimicked Berkeley (CA) building codes stopping the installation of natural gas stoves and wat...
This session saw some bipartisan successes as lawmakers and citizens were in Olympia together for the first time in nearly three years. That in-person interaction is always key for working relationships and good workable solutions to our state’s problems. The transportation budget and capital budget were both very bipartisan. Republicans were allowed to give input and Democrat budget writers worked to fund projects important to legislators on both sides of the aisle. Sen. Schoesler was the lead negotiator for Senate R...
In recent years, drunk and drug-impaired driving has become a greater problem on Washington’s roads and highways. It is a major reason for the alarming increase in accidents and traffic deaths and injuries. Just a month ago, a horrible crash happened on Interstate 82 near Sunnyside in which a 20-year-old man who eluded State Patrol troopers eventually drove westbound on eastbound I-82 and collided with an eastbound vehicle. Two children in the other car were killed and the o...
A miracle of sorts took place under the Capitol dome on April 23. The state Legislature adjourned its 2023 legislative session without raising taxes. I want to point it out because I’m not sure anyone outside Olympia will notice. There have been a dozen major tax increases in the state since the Legislature fell under one-party control in 2018. The biggest ones kicked in this year and are just beginning to bite. We also saw four big new tax proposals. None of them passed t...
On Earth Day this year, I will be planting two trees in a local park. This is not a political act. And yet, there are many who will see it that way because it occurs on a day politicians and environmental activists – especially on the left – have appropriated for political purposes. By filtering environmental stewardship though the distorting lens of politics, we are losing the ability to enjoy the beautiful creation around us, making it more difficult to take actions tha...
On the Saturday before Easter, the state Senate's majority Democrats passed what they call an "assault weapons ban." In reality, the bill targets several of the most popular sporting and self-defense firearms in the country, including most modern sporting rifles and even some shotguns used for hunting and competition shooting. My Republican colleagues and I debated the measure for nearly three hours, using the amendment process to try to point out the fallacies of their arguments and mitigate some of the damage the bill would...
Ever since legislative Democrats passed a law (Senate Bill 5096) two years ago creating a capital gains state income tax in Washington, observers on both sides of the political aisle have been waiting for the controversial law to make its way to the state Supreme Court, where the court’s nine justices would decide whether the law was constitutional. Following a hearing in late January, the Supreme Court on March 24 issued its ruling, one that has opponents of this tax s...
In small communities across Eastern Washington, the local pharmacy is a business you rely on. Often it is the only outlet for miles around where you can get your prescriptions filled and find a well-stocked selection of over-the-counter medications. Imagine what you would do if it closed. This is the troubling prospect facing many independent pharmacy owners today, due to a convoluted business model that has put them at the mercy of a handful of firms that process benefits...
Law enforcement in our region continue to serve the people with professionalism, dedication and compassion. The brave men and women behind the badge are an integral part of our communities and are doing everything they can to keep our communities safe despite the unfortunate restrictions placed on them and the shortage of needed resources and staffing. We are fortunate that on our side of the mountains that the types of crime and spikes in violent offenses haven't quite...
There are some hard-core Western Washington groups that want you to believe that if we breach Snake River dams, it will boost our state's salmon population and we can save the Southern Resident Orcas from extinction. It's the old strategy of if you repeat something long enough, people will finally believe you. Even though dam removal would be devastating to our state's power grid, agriculture, and vital river navigation of wheat and other products. Here's what they won't tell...
Nursing is one of the most noble and trusted professions in our society. Just ask any patient who has made a trip to a hospital or had a doctor's appointment. Nurses perform many tasks – from menial to absolutely crucial – and all are key to a patient's well-being. Unfortunately, as is the case in many other states, there is a serious nursing shortage in Washington. A report by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing warns the U.S. will need 200,000 more registered nur...
Growing up on the farm, I heard grandma’s sage advice in just about every situation imaginable. “A trouble shared is a trouble halved.” “This isn’t my first rodeo.” “Many hands make light work.” When hearing about Kaiser Permanente’s change in how its customers could get their prescriptions refilled, what came to mind was this: “It doesn’t cut the mustard.” Last summer, the Public Employees Benefits Board (PEBB) and the School Employees Benefits Board (SEBB) voted to allow Kaiser Permanente to proceed with new rural pharmacy...
A key issue needing legislative action during this year’s session is public safety – and for good reason. In recent years, Washington has seen an alarming increase in crime, some of it the result of recent laws passed by the Democratic majority in the Legislature that soften penalties for criminal behavior or makes it more difficult for law-enforcement officers to do their jobs to protect our communities. The issue of vehicle pursuits by police is exhibit A. Democrats in the...
If we are to meet our soaring demand for electricity and produce it without coal and natural gas, we must double down on nuclear power. Today, U.S. nuclear plants generated enough electricity to power more than 70 million homes. It’s the most reliable source of electricity operating at full capacity over 90 percent of the time. It is “greenhouse gas” free, yet many activists are pushing to close, not build, nuclear power plants. If President Biden and Gov. Inslee conti...
Three years after crooks stole billions in unemployment insurance funds, federal and state officials are scrambling to retrieve the money which was directed to the jobless and plug leaks in their systems. According to a recent Wall Street Journal editorial, the General Accounting Office estimates taxpayers underwrote $60 billion in fraudulent payments from an “unprecedented infusion of federal Covid-19 relief funds into UI programs during the pandemic.” It gave villains and...
Last week, the state Supreme Court heard oral arguments concerning the capital gains income tax. I attended the hearing in person. It is unclear when the court will issue its opinion. The capital gains income tax is first owed on April 18, 2023. There are three possible rulings the court could issue. One possible outcome is for the state Supreme Court to catch the Hail Mary pass thrown by income tax advocates and by judicial fiat now allow a graduated income tax without a...
Various surveys over the last year continue to show public safety is high on the list of concerns for the average Washingtonian. It doesn't matter if it's someone living in Bellevue or s the 9th Legislative District. People are feeling less safe and less secure. According to the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs, crime numbers support the feeling of unease. Violent crime increased by 12.3% in 2021, murder by 6%, and aggravated assaults by nearly 17%. I believe much of the blame can be directed at Olympia...