Olympia weekly report

Washington State scammed out of hundreds of millions

Fraudulent unemployment claims have cost Washington State hundreds of millions of dollars in stolen funds. Out-of-state scammers used the stolen personal information of tens of thousands of Washingtonians to submit unemployment claims. Unemployment benefit claims rose from 369,000 to more than 1.6 million last week. The surge is attributed – in part – to the fraudulent claims. Scammers obtained the stolen information from previous data breaches, not from a state breach.

Inslee says many counties cannot begin Phase 2 on June 1

Jay Inslee announced that some counties will be prohibited from entering into “Phase 2” of reopening, set to begin by June 1 under his ambiguous four-part layout. That means small businesses – from barbershops and hair salons to restaurants – cannot reopen. Though Phase 2 is days away, Inslee failed to confirm which counties are impacted. Fourteen of Washington’s thirty-nine counties have received permission to begin Phase 2 of reopening. These counties are: Adams, Asotin, Columbia, Garfield, Grays Harbor, Lincoln, Lewis, Ferry, Pend Oreille, Skamania, Spokane, Stevens, Wahkiakum, and Whitman. According to statements made, it is unlikely Inslee will permit further reopening in King and Snohomish counties — and others — on June 1.

State official bet millions of taxpayer dollars on failed Chinese automotive company

Inslee appointees ordered $227.5 million worth of personal protective equipment (mostly masks) from a large Chinese automotive conglomerate that claimed it built the world’s largest face-mask factory. The order accounted for more than half of all the state’s orders of COVID-19 emergency supplies. Of course, given the Chinese company is a failed automotive producer making big promises, three-quarters of the state’s orders are behind schedule. According to the Seattle Times, the more than a million masks (N95s) that have been delivered have been denied initial approval by a federal worker safety agency. Will their be any accountability for these Democrat bureaucrat failures?

Republican lawmakers call on Inslee to convene a special session

State Republican lawmakers have asked Jay Inslee to “convene a special session of the legislature to address the COVID-19 pandemic and the growing financial crisis in the public and private sector that has resulted.” Republicans are calling for the special session to begin – with social distancing measures – shortly after the next economic forecast scheduled for June 17. Given the impending financial crisis, budget cuts must be made before new spending begins on July 1. Republican state Senator John Braun said, “When you’ve got a $7 billion potential deficit over that time period, stopping an extra billion dollars in spending (is) a big step forward.”

The shutdown is victimizing people.

Rep Dan Newhouse expressed concern for the victim of the shutdown

"I recognize that we aren’t going to return to normal operations overnight, but we must trust our citizens to do the right thing – maintaining healthy workplaces, continuing with social distance measures, and taking precautions to keep our communities safe. It is truly heartbreaking to hear of from these people who are losing their livelihoods due to no fault of their own. While Congress is working to provide a bridge for them, the only way to really provide relief to these business owners is to allow them to reopen and continue serving their communities.

"I recognize that Central Washington still has “hot spots” of COVID-19, and we cannot ignore the need for increased personal protective equipment or testing capabilities. But we also can’t let our fear hinder our ability to function as a community. With domestic violence, suicide, and crime rates on the rise, we have to take action forward and reopen our society. I continue to urge Governor Inslee to realize the true impacts this state-wide shutdown is having, not only on our economy but on the well-being of our citizens."

-- US Rep. Dan Newhouse, (WA-4th district) 

Inslee's economic shutdown is not healthy

Doctors wrote to warn The Coronavirus Shutdown will lead to “exponentially growing heath consequences”

Beer leads to power abuse?

The doctors' letter outlines a variety of consequences that the doctors have observed resulting from the coronavirus shutdown.
Consequences include patients missing routine checkups that could detect things like heart problems or cancer, increases in substance and alcohol abuse, and increases in financial instability that could lead to “[p]overty and financial uncertainty,” which “is closely linked to poor health.”
“We are alarmed at what appears to be the lack of consideration for the future health of our patients,” the doctors say in their letter. “The downstream health effects … are being massively under-estimated and under-reported. This is an order of magnitude error.”

Olympia weekly report

The first three items are about Gub Inslee's edicts.  The underlying question is why we are letting him make edicts as if they are law?  Do we really have no regard for their own freedom?

Inslee retracts controversial reopening requirement for restaurants

Jay Inslee retracted his highly controversial requirement that restaurants log the name, address, and phone number of all their customers when they reopen. He is now asking customers to provide personal information voluntarily. Inslee received national attention for his shocking invasion of Washingtonians’ privacy. The widespread pushback against this invasion of basic rights led him to rethink this rule.

Inslee: Phase 2 starting on June 1 not likely

Governor Inslee’s reopening strategy remains ambiguous weeks after first announcing a phased approach. Based on a projected three-week buffer between each phase, Washington state would enter into Phase 2 on June 1. Phase 2 would allow “expanded outdoor recreation, additional construction, manufacturing, domestic services, limited in-store retail shopping, real estate sales, professional services, nail salons, barbers, pet grooming, and restaurants” to reopen. According to Inslee, that will not likely happen. Inslee said, “It cannot be set in stone, and the reason is the virus is the one that will ultimately determine when it’s safe for us to move to Phase 2.” The harm to small businesses and our economy as a whole continues.

Inslee’s decision to stop elective surgeries result in medical staff furloughs

Major hospitals in the Seattle area must furlough employees due to large financial hits brought about by Jay Inslee’s COVID-19 policies. The Tacoma-based medical system, MultiCare, will furlough approximately 6,000 employees for 17 days. Overlake Medical Center had to furlough 150 employees. UW Medicine announced a “projected $500 million financial loss over the next few months.” Major losses in revenue are due to Inslee’s decision to stop elective surgeries (resulting in a 30-40% reduction in revenue at Overlake Medical Center). And, losses brought about by medically necessary missed visits, scans, tests, and operations that never occurred.

Superintendent Reykdal denies funding to 780 families

Washington state superintendent of schools Chris Reykdal will cut off state funding for families who are dealing with school closures by sending their children to public, state-approved, and fully accredited online schools. Reykdal’s decision will impact 780 children across the state who enrolled in online schools since the COVID-19 shutdowns occurred. According to the Washington Policy Center, state law provides “students who transfer to a public online school will not lose their state funding.” Yet, Reykdal indicated transfer students will not receive funding. Instead, their funding will be sent to their old school districts.

Olympia Weakly Report

Judge rules Democrats’ bank tax unconstitutional

In 2019, Democrat state lawmakers passed a bank tax increase. Democrats rushed the tax to the floor on the last day of session. Despite warnings from Republicans—and a handful of Democrats—Jay Inslee signed the bill into law. Republican Sen. Braun warned of the lack of meaningful public vetting and legal analysis as the bill never received any while in committee. On Friday, a King County Superior Court Judge ruled the tax increase unconstitutional. The judge ruled that the tax violates the “dormant commerce clause as it was discriminatory in its effects on the specified financial institutions.”
       
State refuses transparency on unemployment fund

State officials remain evasive about the amount left in the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund. As the Washington Policy Center’s Mark Harmsworth points out, record payouts resulting in the highest jobless rate since the Depression for the leaves no doubt that the unemployment fund is being rapidly depleted. Yet, the state refuses to be transparent. The ongoing shutdown adds up to a “multibillion-dollar problem for the state.” Harmsworth writes, “Legislators and the public need accurate information so they can start addressing the fix.”
       
Inslee’s reopening plan remains largely ambiguous

The rules will allow retail stores to resume very limited operations during Jay Inslee’s “Phase 1” of reopening our state’s economy. The new rules “allows employees to return to work but doesn’t let customers in the stores to shop.” Customers will be able to order products online or over the phone and pick-up via the curbside. Inslee is also allowing landscapers and dog walkers to resume working. Details of Inslee’s reopening plan—e.g. indications of when other small businesses can resume operations—remain largely unknown.
       
New lawsuit alleges PDC ignored union’s violations of campaign finance laws

The Freedom Foundation is once again suing the Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) in Thurston County Superior Court over its “failure to hold labor unions accountable for breaking state election laws.” The lawsuit comes after the PDC dismissed a December 2018 complaint filed by the Freedom Foundation “alleging the Amalgamated Transit Union Legislative Council of Washington (ATULC) failed to register with the PDC as a political committee and disclose its political expenditures.” The Freedom Foundation seeks to prove that the unfounded dismissal is just another action—in a long list of actions—that provides evidence of PDC staff willing letting unions off despite serious violations to campaign finance laws.