Democrat budget increase taxes and kick backs

Gas tax bills could give us $4-$5/gallon gas like California

If Olympia Democrats get their way, some Washingtonians could see gas prices eclipse $5 per gallon due to Inslee’s energy tax. “In California, gas has gone over $4 a gallon, and is approaching $5 a gallon in some places because of the low-carbon fuel standard,” wrote Dori Monson. He contends that if Democrats pass Inslee’s low carbon fuel standard, our gas prices will follow the same path as California’s.

The Democrats act ashamed of this.  They are going to remove tax information from the pump. Posting the information was required by House Bill 1633, but the Democrat Party controlled Senate Transportation Committee has decided not to move the bill through committee. The Democrats are not interested in an informed public.

Legislature's government union-protection kick back scheme moves forward

Late last week Senate Democrats advanced a bill that would make it extremely difficult for public employees to choose not to be a member of a government union — even if the union supported causes to which they were fundamentally opposed. The Democrats passed this bill even though they knew it violated the Constitution. It's a payback for campaign support.

The bill attempts to undercut a U.S. Supreme Court decision that found it unconstitutional to require public employees who are not members of the union to pay fees to that union. During debate on the Senate Floor, Senator King said the bill would allow threats, bullying and intimidation towards people deciding whether to join a union or not.

Legislature eliminates statute of limitations for child sex crimes

The House and Senate delivered a bill to extend the statute of limitations for felony sex offenses to Inslee’s desk. He of course was off campaigning on the other side of the country when this historic bill passed. “This is the most important move the legislature has made for victims in the last 20 years, easily,” said Mary Ellen Stone, who has been executive director of the King County Sexual Assault Resource Center for four decades.  “It recognizes that there are many barriers to coming forward and reporting, and that time limits are not in the best interest of justice or the victim.”

Don’t allow inequitable school levies

“If the levy were to pass,  it would kill a plan the Legislature hammered out in 2017 in response to the Supreme Court’s 2012 McCleary decision.” The Seattle Times editorial board did not mince words when it described Senate Democrat’s attempt to undue education funding progress post McCleary. “I have to believe my Democrat colleagues on the budget committee know in their hearts that this goes completely against the lessons that should have been learned from the McCleary court ruling in 2012,” wrote Senator John Braun.

Budget updates

You don’t have to be an accountant to see that Washington state has a huge surplus of revenue. Because of a strong economy, Washington is set to see billions in additional revenue – more than enough to invest in special education and mental health treatment. In short, the last thing we need is new taxes. Perhaps Democrats didn’t get the memo, packing their budget proposals full of new, unnecessary taxes. The Democrats' budget strategy is that new taxes (and the misery they cause) are pure enjoyment.

A Capital Gains Tax Can Not Improve Budget Sustainability

The Washington Research Council published a brief outlining a few, of the many, problems with the Democrats’ capital gains income tax. For starters, the capital gains income tax “would be highly volatile,” the report points out. Democrats say they want to use this highly unpredictable revenue source to help fund education.

The Research Council’s report mentioned another important detail. The Democrat’s key tax proposal violates Washington State's constitution (Article 7)

Jay Inslee couldn’t answer easy question he based his entire campaign on

Last week, Useless Inslee spent even more days out of the state campaigning to occupy the White House. This time he took time off of work to appear on national television and appeared to struggle to answer questions related to the single issue he’s running on. “I thought I had the answers to every question and I don’t have (an) answer to that,” Inslee responded when asked how can we fix our broken recycling system.

State socialises health care

If you pay for a thing, you control a thing.  The legislature now controls your health care.

The Legislature has passed SB 5526 -- state control of health care access.  This Washington state version is all the wonder of ObamaCare in miniature... with all the indifferent bureaucracy and ever increasing expense.  Lucky us.

The official digest of SB 5526

"SB 5526 - DIGEST

"Requires the state health benefit exchange, in consultation with the insurance commissioner, the state health care authority, an independent actuary, and other stakeholders, to establish up to three standardized health plans for each of the bronze, silver, and gold levels.

"Requires the state health care authority, in consultation with the state health benefit exchange, to contract with one or more health carriers to offer silver and gold qualified health plans on the state health benefit exchange for plan years beginning in 2021.

"Requires the state health benefit exchange, in consultation with the state health care authority and the insurance commissioner, to  develop a plan to implement and fund premium subsidies for individuals whose modified adjusted gross incomes are less than five hundred percent of the federal poverty level and who are purchasing individual market coverage on the exchange.

"Exempts the following from disclosure under the public records act: Data submitted by health carriers to the state health benefit exchange for establishing standardized benefit plans."

Additional link:  The Senate's Bill Report on 5526.  Note the laughable use of the term "affordable health coverage."  Since when has government anything been more affordable than private?

Income tax, hyperactive spending & special interests

Call capital-gains tax for what it really is - an income tax

Despite what Senate Democrat talking points might say, the capital gains tax is not an income tax. Washington Policy Center’s Jason Mercier says it’s time to call the capital gains tax what it is – an income tax. Democrats are doing everything they can to avoid being truthful  call it what it really is – since Washington voters have rejected the idea multiple times. “…they want to close the so-called ‘loophole’ on capital gains via an ‘excise tax.’ If you don’t know what an ‘excise tax’ on capital gains is, you are not alone. Such a tax does not exist anywhere in the country,” Mercier wrote.

Democrats even push for state income tax in budget

The big news item of this week was the release of House and Senate Democrat budgets. Both of them rely on a laundry list of taxes, headlined by a state income tax, to shuffle even more money tax dollars to their special interests. To try to make their tax hikes more palatable, Senate Democrats are claiming their income tax is offset by breaks on other taxes and includes certain exclusions. But, as Shift WA points out, Senate Democrats’ income tax opens the door for higher taxes in the future. 

One other note.  The state is required to release details of tax & fee legislative bills in a timely manner as the bills get acted on.  The required budget bill report was delayed 3 days after its introduction and vote.  Apparently the legislature planned to stealth-rush the budget through before considering what it contains. 

If you wish to examine the budget details, even though your voice has been silenced, the links are

For the budget overview
The budget's homepage
The 745 page budget

Sen. John Braun responds to Ways & Means levy-lid lift passage

Literally in the dark of night, Senate Democrats advanced a bill that will raise property taxes and undo the work to fix the way our state funds education. Sen. John Braun said of the bill: “If there are funding needs that rise to a statewide level, like support for special education, then the Legislature should consider them. But the Senate has already passed bills that would do much more for special education, including the bill I introduced, so it’s obvious from this move – which took place at 1:30 a.m. – that other forces are at work.” Our students deserve better than the “special interests first” policy agenda being pushed by Senate Democrats.

With Jay Inslee running for president, here’s who might lead WA next

Late last week solicitor general Noah Purcell added his name to the list of Democrats already vying for their next job. With Bob Ferguson having spent the last year basically campaigning to become our next governor, Purcell decided he would begin doing the same. Purcell announced an “exploratory committee” for attorney general. As one of our state’s top legal officers, we wonder why he wouldn’t know there’s no such thing as an “exploratory committee” in Washington state.

Inslee’s presidential campaign should shoulder security costs

“Inslee should recognize the burden he’s putting on the [State Patrol] and, by proxy, taxpayers, and offer to reimburse the agency. It seems the right and equitable thing to do, given that he wouldn’t be traveling out-of-state nearly as often if he wasn’t running for president.” The Yakima Herald editorial board wrote what a vast majority of Washington is thinking, and what Senate Republicans tried to fix last week. Republicans offered an amendment that would direct the additional security funding for Inslee’s campaign into providing screenings for different types of cancer. Senate Democrats rejected the amendment.

New taxes, with love....

The Left’s Income Tax

After ten failures, rather than take that as an indication that perhaps Washington shouldn’t have an income tax, Senate Democrats have looked through their tea leaves and read that it’s time to wage a disinformation campaign. Democrats wants voters to believe that their latest proposal, a capital gains income tax, isn’t really an income tax, but an “excise” tax. That simply isn’t true.

Democrats pass low-carbon fuels standard

If Democrats get their way, your monthly gas bill is going to skyrocket. Multiple liberal bills running through the Legislature will raise your gas tax bill. Democrats are hurting working families all so Governor Inslee can add this environmental “achievement” to his presidential campaign stump speech (it would be his only one, by the add  way).

Presently, gasoline taxes are $0.678 per gallon in Washington State ($0.184 is federal tax).  The Democrats new taxes will add $0.37 per gallon in tax, which means you will pay over $1.048 in tax per gallon.  How many gallons do you use per week?

Liberals advance a single payer health care bill

Senate Democrats – led by extremist Sen. Emily Randall -voted with the Seattle Left and advanced a single payer health care bill. Democrats are going to strip away your private insurance plan, just to give Inslee another bullet point to mention on the campaign trail in New Hampshire.

Sen. Fortunato issues letter asking Inslee to reimburse state for campaign security

Speaking of Inslee, when is he going to return the $1.6 million taxpayer dollars he is using on his campaign for security costs when he travels out of state? Inslee' actions are outrageous.

Washington Senate passes Daylight Saving Time bill

On a lighter note, the Washington State Senate advanced a bill that would mandate the state observe Daylight Saving Time year-round. A spokesperson for the bill sponsor, Sen. Jim Honeyford (R-Yakima), called it a “milestone” for Daylight Saving Time bills. Supporters of the bill seem confident this could finally be the year Washington state makes the change after just three no votes came on final passage out of the Senate.  Thanks to this action, Washington State might catch up, time-wise, to Idaho.

State legislature to expand housing problems

SB 5600 substantially changes the Residential Landlord-Tenant relationship in Washington State to a point where the tenant will have many new and unsustainable advantages over the landlord. This is presented as philosophically addressing supposed “economic injustice” between the landlord and the tenant. SB5600 will actually create a destruction of small landlord owned housing in favor of the mega-developer owned landlord housing.

SB 5600 will:

Extends the 3-day notice to pay and vacate for default in rent payment to 14 days notice for tenancies under the Residential Landlord-Tenant Act.

1. The 3 day pay up or vacate order is customarily issued when the rent is already 5 days late. Otherwise, the rent is current, and the order would have no standing. (It wouldn't make any sense either. A landlord rents to the tenant to get income, not to be mean and nasty).

==> Ask yourself who is most affected by this? The small landlord who has to have the rent to meet his rental expenses will be hurt when the rent does not come in on time.   The mega landlord will be more able to endure the 2 week, state sponsored, screw ups.

2. Creates a uniform 14-day notice to pay and vacate that includes information on how tenants can access legal and advocacy resources.

==> This is also designed to favor the mega-landlord, and hurt the small family operation.

3. Requires the Attorney General's Office to provide translated versions of the uniform 14-day notice on its website in at least the top 10 languages used in the state.

==> Top 10 languages? Maybe we should make an effort to speak the same language? If the tenant and the landlord cannot communicate directly, how will they inform each other of problems with the property? Perhaps this one should be stretched farther to include days when the AG would furnish a free translation services?

4. Requires a landlord to first apply any tenant payment to rent before applying the payment toward other charges.

==> This is abusive on the face of it. If the landlord has any claim against a tenant, this section would apply any claim to the rent. Example: If a tenant has a friend over who breaks the toilet bowl, the $400 or so would be applied to rent. The legislature is flatly immoral if they pass this one

5. Requires a tenant to pay into court or to the landlord upon judgment for default in the payment of rent within five court days any rent due, any court costs incurred at the time of payment, late fees that may not exceed $75 in total, and attorneys' fees if awarded, to be restored to his or her tenancy.

==> This is overbearing regulation: It requires the tenant and landlord who have not gotten along to restore their tenant landlord relationship. A grown up solution is to let the tenant and landlord go their separate ways.

6. Provides requirements and limitations on the award of attorneys' fees under unlawfuldetainer actions, based on the amount of rent awarded in the judgment and on whether the tenant or landlord prevails at a hearing where judicial discretion is exercised.

==> Considering that judicial discretion is traditionally on the side of the tenant (with or without cause), this is designed to destroy small landlords and enrich lawyers.

7. Provides the court with discretion to provide relief from forfeiture or to stay a writ of restitution based upon the required consideration of certain factors and with the burden of proof for relief on the tenant.

==> This means “Legalize that a tenant does not have to pay if it would be uncomfortable for the tenant to do so.”  Fleece the landlord.

8. Expands eligibility of the Landlord Mitigation Program to include landlord claims for reimbursement in unlawful detainer cases where judicial discretion is exercised and there is an unpaid judgment for rent, late fees, attorneys' fees, and costs.

==> Landlords will have to file claims with this state agency to pay for damage or costs the tenant incurs. This will affect all taxpayers in the state who eventually foot the bill. Because of the extra complications this will also make it difficult for small landlords to operate with the extra cost and delay.

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March 19 -- SB 5600 is scheduled for public hearing in the House Committee on Civil Rights & Judiciary in Olympia at 10:00 AM (Subject to change).  (Committee Materials)

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Thanks to the sloppy drafting of this act, some of these changes cannot be applied to existing RLT contracts.  Washington State's constitution does not allow the Legislature to alter existing contracts (Article 1, Section 23).  However, the Legislature may alter court proceeding.

 

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I like small time landlords; most of them want to serve the people and make a reasonable living at it.  They've had to make a substantial commitment of their life's savings to do it.  If you are having trouble with your landlord, please try talking with him/her first.  Keep it on human talking with another human level.  Don't set the State Operated Big Machine chewing on someone until you can see the human being.

Legislative update

by WA 12th District Rep. Keith Goehner

Low Carbon Fuel

The low carbon fuel standard (LCFS) legislation came before us in the House Transportation Committee.

House Bill 1110 would direct the Department of Ecology to adopt, by rule, standards to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions per unit of fuel energy in transportation fuels over time. This is modeled after California's LCFS.

The California Energy Commission reported that 16 cents has been added to a gallon of fuel due to its LCFS program. This number is expected to increase as the program is fully implemented.

I voted against this measure in committee. It lacks transparency, would not significantly improve the environment and does not generate any new funding for our transportation infrastructure. It would also cost $1.8 million to administer.

Presidential primary

One of our more lively debates of the session has been on the presidential primary, Senate Bill 5273. The bill moves Washington's presidential primary vote to the second Tuesday in March from late May with the hope of Washington state being more relevant in the selection of the presidential candidates.

However, I believe the legislation disenfranchises voters. Washingtonians who do not declare a party preference would not be able to participate in the state's presidential primary. Republicans offered several amendments to allow voters to participate without declaring a party preference or casting a vote as an unaffiliated voter. All were defeated.

Voters in Washington state like their independence. Some estimate we could see up to 1 million voters decide not to participate in the primary because of having to choose a party. Their vote, along with their party selection would also be public and the political parties would be able to use that information in preparation for future elections. Many of our concerns can be found in a Seattle Times column: 'Highway robbery': How our presidential primary is also a marketing scheme, run through your ballot. The bill passed the House 54-42, with all Republicans and one Democrat voting “no.” It had already passed the Senate and is awaiting the governor's signature.

Excerpted from Rep. Keith Goehner newsletter.

Eliminating the convenient plastic bag....

SB 5323 "Reducing pollution from plastic bags" will probably be enacted soon.  There is no mechanism in 5323 to reduce pollution, other than the knee jerk reaction of cutting off what the elite Left have deemed the offender.  Littering will continue.  Without plastic bags, the littering will get worse.

The official list of intention:

• Restrict the provision of single-use plastic carryout bags by retail establishments.

• Authorizes retail establishments to provide recycled content paper carryout bags and reusable bags made of film plastic that meet minimum performance and technical specifications, and establishes a per bag charge to be collected and retained by the retail establishment for those bags. 

• Establishes restrictions related to the labeling of bags as "compostable."

• Preempts local governments from establishing local carryout bag ordinances.

Plastic has long been established as a safe alternative to paper.  Littering has long been treated as a minor crime.  Now plastic bags are the crime.  What about littering?

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Most conscientious people already have other uses for 'used' plastic carry out bags...  trash can liners... dog poop collection... simple disposal of trash.  But that is all intercepted now with a legislative middle finger.  Its never a good move not to trust the people to manage their own affairs.

Inslee and the left to income tax you

Washington State presently has no income tax.  Just keep in mind, vote for the Left and soon you your income will be taxed.
  
Washington state voters have rejected an income tax everytime it’s been brought up for a vote. After ten ballot failures, it is pretty clear Washington citizens don't want to be taxed on income.  Senate Democrats have decided to screw the people and waged a disinformation campaign.

Enter the  Democrats' favorite new tax, the capital gains income tax…or if when you ask Leftists, they call it "tax justice" capital gains tax. In order to cover up their intentions Democrats try to sell voters the myth that a tax on capital gains isn’t really an income tax, but an “excise” tax.

That simply isn’t true.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS), every state revenue department in the country, or anyone familiar with tax policy. There is no debate, a capital gains tax is an income tax.


This isn’t about putting more money into education or fixing our state’s mental health system -- there is plenty of existing revenue to do both.  This is simply a political game being played by Senate Democrats to enact the shared dream of Soviets like Sawant and Seattle fiberals: a statewide income tax.


Senate Democrats want an income tax.  No Income Tax in Washington

Tax on Rent?

Yep, if Senate Bill 5228 is enacted.  It has cleared the Senate, and there is no reason to think tax greedy Olympia won't go all the way with this one.  Adding tax to rent is the most predatory tax the Democrats have ever come up with. They will spend the millions they collect on what they want, and bleat they are doing work for the people.  I think the people would like better lives, not more taxes.

This tax stinks so badly, I'm just going to use the official digest description.  "[SB 5228] Authorizes a city or town, located in a county with a population of less than four hundred thousand, to impose a special excise tax on the sale of lodging."

SB 5228 can collect tax on nursing homes (court case link).  

Woodenheads ban the plastic bag

SB 5323 Prohibit retailers from using single-use plastic, or a reusable plastic bag made of film plastic that does not meet recycled content requirements.  Retailers will be required to charge for giving out paper bags!  It goes on. See the 5323 digest, and the bill's homepage. 

Notice there is no special exemption of biodegradable plastics, such as for polylactic acid (PLA), a plastic made from corn.  So another point of 5323 is to shut down allowed scientific development in plastic with a closed mind. 

About paper bags:  Under the terms of 5323, you will pay 8 cents per paper bag.  Or you can bring your own reusable bag to the store.  If you got the reusable bag route, please keep your bag clean, or else you pass around your own private collection of dirt.  On second thought, you can hope everyone else keeps their bags clean.

The Senate should have known stores don't give us free plastic bags for their convenience.  Single use bags are widely accepted because they are single use.  If the store stays cleaner, everyone stays healthier.

Gov. Enslee is expected to sign this arrogant stupidity.

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The Legislature also is cooking up another plastic ban: SB 5397 will impose new restriction on plastic packaging, like what your peanut butter comes in.  There is no test for consumer safety, such as the safety of plastic jugs for consumer laundry bleach.  The legislature calls this "responsible plastic packaging." 

The Senate's actions make our lives more complicated, expensive, and dangerous to live, thus reduce our living.  That unveils that the Legislature is only trying to establish they rule the "little people" of the state.